Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1841-10-23

f.rt- arr ~ BE- l.Td hg -tru t.trItIr ahh TIC
S.,r.H. p li.r.dass ul rtc.1u, shall uprn ihr P"i
Il 20 o'cu,k boo l.r morutng, lui -'unnue tie same
5,-n uusl O'Clock "a tire evening 90. each Day sut
nn 0uger.
The 10Th section Of the 7rh article niths Consii-
tuition pruytJrs thar returns 81 al. secuons By The
people .tal. be made 70 The Secretary OF slsie, %
such manner as may h. prescribed BY 'aw.' HIS
cause abrogslrs the law requiring he returns Of
elections oil District Officers, Judges, D.snci At
| tnrneys and Senalors) To be made o The Sherd "i
tie county fr-l usmed "a ihr aW laying oil the
Disiuct. Election returns are stltu made Ia The
Governor. Tins prsrtcr must be discontinued -
You are therefore inquired, N al cases, 10 make 1he
returns ni tlrrIWn Of Siaie, Drluct and Caunly
officers "Io Tie Secretary OF STATE, Jackson Ns'is-
spp.'
The cad section Of ihe 5.h article OF tIe Con,.l.
tulion provides that The returns Of every eecnun
Tor Governor, shall be sealed up and Transmitted 10
the seat of Government. drtctrd to the Secretary
uf State who hal deliver them TO he Speaker OF
The House al Representatives, al tie next ensuing
sessiou OF The Legislature; during lie hrst week Of
winch .iou the said Speaker shall open and PHo
iish them IN the presence Ul both Houses oi Tie
Legislature" This pfuIlson las not been always
complied with heretofore.
Iou are therefore required 20 make out separate
return Of the votes gwen for Governor; 10 seal them
up aud mark on the en, enle Returns OF The tec-
iiun Ior Governor. November 1911.
Unless Tins endorsement is made, The returns may
be opt ned BY mistake, and the vote Of the county
| lor Governor lost.
In the general return Of the result of the next
November election, the Returning officers Of each OF
the several counties III this State, are required also
| 10 sta the vote gwen for Governor OF The state,
and all Stale, District and county officers, al that
election. This return should be made out in
| MIA mil ltut mar AupTIllS
IN the habit of returning the scraps OF paper, with
| the TALES Of the Clerks Ol the various prrclnctS-
! This practice should BE- discontinued. The votes
| of each precinct must be summed up and CONSOLE
| date return made OF the vote Of Tie whole county,
gwen for each person, and the office he was voted
! 10 fill. Figures must not be used ~ stating the
| number OF votes given for each candidate, but the
number Of votes gwen for each person must be
| plainly written out.
! Particular care shoulibe taken 10 write out plain
| ly, the Christian and SurnameS OF all persons voted
10 lil any Ohce and The returns should show the
several persons duly elected Ia I'll county Offices
| The particular attention Of all Sherltis, Return
! ng officers Clerks and Inspectors OF election Mem
! beers OF the Boards Of Police, Judges and Clerks Of
| the Probate Court IS called to the law regulating
civlI elections, commencing at page So oil Howard
and Hutchinsuns Digest Of the statute laws o Mis-.
slssppi. Those officers will be guldy oil high mis-
demeanors ifthey fail to discharge their respective
duties as the law prescrlbes.
The returns of the general election are required
to be made To the Secretary al State, within iii
teen deys alter The election The law IS silent as to
the manner IN which the returns aie 10 be lorwaId-
| ed. The usual practice has been to send them
through the Post Office. The law is impera.
| tive in requiring the returns to he made 10 The
| Secretary Of State ,ctthm fifteen days, and
| tie Returning officer rs liable 10 a heavy penal
| tv if they are mol deposited with the >ecre airy
in that Tune 1t is moi complying with the law To
make out the returns and deposle them m tie Post
Office wlthia fifteen days.
| The Returning officers OF the several precincts,
| should take heir respective returns To the Sheriff,
or OTHER Returning officer of the county, within
twenty. four hours after the Polls close llhey are
not received within tlat time the, should be SEM
| for by special messenger The Returning officer
| of each county, : required 10 make our console
| dated return OF The whole vote east in hS county
and ether To send tie same hy special messenger
to The Seer eiary al State, or to euclnSt the same III
package directed 10 him. lcithtn three days after
| he closing Of The Polls.
| suggest tulhe Returning officers Of each county
! tie proprleiy, WHEN the county ~ remote hum
| trl-weekIy mail rnuI to the seat Of Government Of
making out duplicate returns aud dep0slllng IN
The Post Office IN the county, and sending the oher
| ~
rout where the mail passes three times week to
tins place.
| The stability Of our free government manly de-
| pendS upon The slrIct enforcement 1i the law gov
| ernlng elections. ii is oi the utmost importance
| that the returns Of The next election should reach
here fifteen days ofcr the election; if they fail TO
arrive The members elected to Consl ess cannot reach
Washington Cry in due season.
] Different opinions prevail as TO the exact period
The terms Of officers elected at general biennial
election expire Many Supp Sc shat they expire
when lhe Polls rosc on the second day OF the cleo
On. Such a construction would leave in Office at
that time oo the Governor, Two Judges W The HIGH
Court OF Errors and Appeals aud the Cooners OF
| The several counties. There won.d be no officers
Ia make the returns II administer 'he Oalh> OF of
fee, to approve the bonds oi The county Ulcers and
| no Secretary Of State 10 CounlefSlgn the commits
sons of the ,ariuuS officers Ii i noi 10 be pre-
| sumed thai The trainers Of The Constitution have
so discharged their duty that the Government would
! be dissolved every wo years. Every Govelnmtn
| presupposeS peIpeuhy, and any construction paced
! upon our fundamental law which would lead to a
dissolution ol the Government mnS be rejected am.
therefore, decidedly OF the opinion, that officers
plt cited at general blennal elections continue IN
office for the period prescribed by the Constitution
| (or law as Inc case may BED counting from the day
they respectively take the oaths ul office, and enter
ed upon the discharge Of their several duties. Per-
sons elected 10 fiji vacancies continue IN office until
the terms Of Office Of Their predecessors expire.
The Boards Of Poice OF The several count eS are
required to assemble on the second Monday IN Oc-
lober next, and then 10 appoint inspector of cleo
ton (unesS they may have pre- vionSIy discharged
thai duy.) They will also lay of and publish the
boundaries of the Police Districts, their respect.
i've counties. In laying oil those districts respect
should be had to population not 10 territory.
Ihe Boards oil fullce elected next November
wl asstmh.e on The second Wednesday ii Novem-
her next and continue Ia season from dav Ia day
until the 18th dav ol November and will Then order
elections 10 fill vacancies III small county fic,s,
where the persons tIectcd have AIDED To execute and
Tile heir bonds duty conditioned and approved or
have failed to take The oathS OF office
IAN County Officers whose duties are confined