Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1853-01-26
Enn TILE 4 nvEnTIsER

issuc Of your paper under the signature Of JOHN O.
ALLEN, q statement Of the vote poed at recent
election is given together with my protest, and some
comments intended, indirectly, to mpcach its truth.
When he wrote his communication, Maj. ALLEN
knew that the Boxes ut Dunton's and ut Ilowards
were opened but da:, us well as he knew that
| the law required them 10 be opened two days. lie
also knew that the Box at Grauitcvil!c not
opened Mt 9 O'clock, a. NJ and kept open till
u'cuck, P. NJ, as required by law. His assertion
is untrue, that the returns from the polls nllcdgcd
by me to have been irrygularly held, were made on
the oath of the Managers am yet 10 learn that
the Managers at those Boxes, ever intended to repre-
sont anything bat what was literally true, much less
10 swear to what not the fact, and thus perjure
themselves as his communication indirectly charges
upon them.
The legal grounds upon which | object to the
election of Maj. ALLEN, those stated in my pro-
trst. There are other grounds Of moral nature,
upon which object to his being declared elected.
These will be better understood by briefly stating
h,w it happened that there was vacancy, together
with the circumstances attending the development
of tho cause of that vacancy.
At the election in October, Maj. ALLEN was cho-
sen one Of the six Members of the Legislature from
his District.
At the time Of his election he held office Of profit
and trust under the U. S. Government. which dis
qualified him from holding the seat to which he hud
been elected. His resignation Of this Office, he
forwarded to the proper department, about two
MI bia ri, md hrf
he took the oath that he was qualified according 10
law to hold the seat which he was about to take.
In his letter to the Legislature, the Major states
that he forwarded his resignation " soon after the
election and long bcjore he took his scat" Near
the commencement Of the regular Session, Gen.
JAMES JOKES, of this District approached Major
ALLEN, and, after putting him on his guard asked
him whether he was not Pust Master at Fruit
I'LL on the day Of his election. lie fay denied
that he was In few days thereafter, the Major
knowing that :: the truth would uu,,' (fnr it is said
that the truth had already been obtained by Tc.e
graph from Washington, and was known in CO.
lumbia) matle virtue Of necessity and wrote his
well known letter TO the Legislature, acknowledge
ing that he held the Office Of Post Master on the
day Of his election, and asking the advice Of that
body The matter was then referred to the appro-
pirate Committee. This Committee, near the end
Of the Session, rcpurtcd that he was not eligible to
u seat in the Legislature, and very modcsty rccom-
mendcd to the people Of this District 10 send him
back Although the scat Of Mr.. TRENHOLM, Of
. Charleston, WAS vacated under similar circumstan-
c.s, the Committee sail nothing about sending him
: back Perhaps they thought that MIR. TRESnoLM
, needed no such bos!cring up by strangers (such
= too is the fact in regard to Mr. T., no man stands
, higher than he at home, and wherever he is known
or they may have supposed that the people Of Edge
! fill District were so stupil or knew so little #
+ Maj ALLEN, that they slo"l in need Of their Coun-
sci and advice, and that the City Of Charleston
;. had gumpiion enough to choose for itself.
Although the Major in his letter affects to ask the
advice of the Legislature, lie took good care to hold
:. Oh to his scat, and receive the pay, until he was
:, actually voted ont. y election was then or
lrrcd to take place eighteen days after he was
turned out. The Wrts Of Election to be
prepared and sent to Edgcfied; they were then to
be served By the Sheriff upon the Managers, thus
election to be extended throughout the District
oh hrct to this indecent haste, which have reason
= to believe was at his instance. There no ne.
t, cessisy for it. AT tie time tie Wis were sued, il
:, was known that another election would be held in
: the District in less than two months from the day
IS hat this WAS ordered. There was nothing to b.
gained by it. On the contrary the Managers
would have been spared the trouble Of this election
:. and general vote Of the District would have been
obtained AS it was. but little over half the votes
$, of the District pollrd although the Majors
c runners were out by times Monday morning Of
the election, nclrmcnt the day. sunmonng
v to the polls all who were known t, be his friends
y All this haste was certainly of 10 advantage to
: any one but the Major. Had it not been for this
hot haste, the fct that he had positively denied TO
I, Gen. JONES that he held disqualying Office at
# the time Of his election would have reached the
: ears Of the good people Of this District and would
have operated against him in the coming contest
G This he dreaded, and this might have produced a
result not in accordance " h the kind reconnlcnda-
ton of the Legislative Committee.
n Object, further, upon the ground, that, during
i the Canvass, Maj ALLEN acted in 4 manner calcu-
lated to make The impression, that there con-
I, siderable doubt whether WIS Candidate or not.
c About the middle OF the week proceeding the cleo
, ton he nl.t Tnos. G.. KEY, Esq, at Mr.. HoUsroNs
:. Hotel, in Hamburg, and in the presence of
number Of gentlemen asked him. if 1t WAS true that
| was Candidate. Mr. KEY told him, he had no
doubt of the fact Maj ALLEN replied, that It was
very strange, that he had ncislibor Of my
Fathers day two before, and that he knew
nothing abuutit. On Friday before he asked this
question, Maj ALLEN was within forty yards OF me
and knew it. On Sunday he rode directly by my
gate and within fifty feet Of my door. And, on
the same day he saw my Fathers ncishbor, and
uron the same ground and at the same time lie saw
my Father himself, three or four Of my BROKERS,
besides numerous cousins and other relatives and
: friends. On this same day, he intimated to gem
tlcian, that there was n ruInur that had not con-
sentrd to be candidate and the gentleman told
, him that there was no doubt that WAS Candi-
!, date, that he had it from me personally. Now all
this occurred but few days before he made the
significant enquiry Of Mr.. kEr. Docs any one be-
leve that he made the enquiry for the purpose Of
obtaining information If that had been his pur-
pose, why did he not ask me on Friday? Why not
on Sunday Why did he not inquire Of my Father,
;,.,,,I &c b;v p,;,bb,r ~, M,,.),,1 H. 49,,