Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-11-10

"snd borough. shall conduct tho said election, e, which
mo determination shall be hsd by view. bat each person
"quaiiiod TO vote 1hal fairly and publicly poll. and the
" namo OF the voter shall be duly entered, under the name
" OF The person voted for, in proper poll books TO be provi.
dedby the otheer conducting the election Tor which pur.
pose, he shall srPIint 80 many writers rs he shall think
" III, who shall, respectively, take an oath. To be admins.
" tered by him. or make solemn affirmation, tina, they will
" take the poll fairly aud imparhaly he shall deliver = poll
" under the name OF the person voted tor, the name OF each
" elector voting for such person."
These arr al. the directions for the appoin,ment of "w,,
ters" or follkecpcs Us understand. The reader will see
that the law ~pcrcmponly requires the appointment Of more
than enc trifer. The plural is used throughout. No dis
erection IL lett To the officer conducting the election to an.
point less than fieo. lie is required To appoint ''write-.'
They" are required to be sworn. The officer shall deliver
a poll book to "eaeh writer" &c.
There can be no mistake that such il the rcauisition of
the law. Now, in the County Of Chesterfield, where Mr..
Jones received n majority Of J ar 100, there was but one
winter, or poll.kccpcr, aud according to five or six decisions
OF inc honse OF Representatives, the whole Chesterfield
poll - thereby rendered illegal and void. Strike oil Mr..
Jones, majority in Chesterfield. and Mr.. Bolts is elected bv
Sui iOO majority. Would this be thought harl or ilihcr,l,
What-to conform to the established prcctdcn,s of tho
House, To sustain the law ct the State, as well as in,
deeisisnsot Congtcssi But admit that i, rould be hard,
~ IN other aspects, II certainly would bc-is IL 20 hard AS
Mr. Jones dcptiving the good Richmond voters who poll.
ed by mistake, in Hcnrico. uf the great privilege ct sutIfnrr,
N.. Jones VIII himself admit. that tis not Il harder case.
Mr.. Bolts would dsdain To smugglC himself into n seat
thus obtained. lie would decline it. and refer the question
anew TO the people; But all men must conccde, that in
view OF the course Of challenge adopted bv his opponent.
1d OF the violation OF the law in Chesterfield. he has a
perfect nght 10 use that violation. TO procure what he has.
from the hrsi, ardenty wished. but what his opponent has
rs suenuouSy rCsistcd, a re- submisSion OF the question 20
the peoptc-and If Congress respects is own decisions, OF
inc lnwsoi Virginia, II will not fail to set aside the Chester.
hctd foU. aud order n new election. The reason Of the law
requiring several writers, ~ cogent and unnnswerablc. Ii
-, that errors may he corrected thereby: that fraud may
be checked, II fraud be attempted. In the prcss and hurry.
onrl OF an election, no man upon earth, can keep a poll
from III O'Clock until sunset, without committing mistakes.
There is no county where the law is more required, than in
Chesierheld-a large county, without precincts, and where
the people always vote rapidly. TWAS no, a mere form that
was violated, bu, a necessary and substantial provision Of
law. 4 Uot,r I'm "A, Distr;rt