The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-06-21
tPor the Echo and Advertiser.
Have We n COrp0ratiOn1

The absorbing question before our
town, just now, seems to behave We
town Government Even the long
and hotly contested school question
shrinks into insigni6cence before it.
Whether We have or have not, we do
net now propose to offer an opinion, for
the reason that ADLER heads than ours
are puzzled with it-even those who pro-
fess to be skilled in nice points of law
here find ground of difference, and
"when doctors of law disagree, who
shall decide '"-certainiy We shall not
attempt to. Our province, then, lies
simply in unfolding 3p1nn, ,unvarnishod
tale'-a statement Of the case, as near
as We can do SO, with the facts we have
been able to collate.
At the town meeting held on the 5th
inst, it seems that the Know Nothings
had everything arranged for coup d.
etat, a Ia FRANCHISE, or, a regular sweep
stakes with every officer in the town
who was not favorer Of their particular
political sentiments, and as most of the
old incumbents were not of the right
stripe, of course, they had to walk, as
is the fashion in these days, and almost
an entire new set of officers was chosen,
without dissenting voice. This idea OF
changing petty town officers every time
one or another political party is promi-
nent, is perfectly ridiculous farce, and
cannot fail of being one of the most Sc
rious consequences of our present system
of politics. What there can be in an
office in this town that can make any
man that has the apology of business
to attend to covet it, we can't imagine !;
for there is not an Office in tho town but
what is a burden to the holder.
N'impOrte, an office is an office, we sup
pose, though it be nothing more than a
Packer of Fish, the duties Of which Of
fee we presume the incumbent has not
been called on to discharge, in this town,
within the memory of the " oldest in
habitant." But to return to our state
ment Of the subject in hand. 1t has
been the custom, and is ,required by
law, as claimed by some, that when the
Chairman and Clerk have been elected
they shall Immediately be engaged
(take the oath but it seems that in
the extreme eagerness to "put things
through with rush ;" this was either for
gotten, or, as an evidence Of the fitness
of the name, it was not known to be ne
cessary. Therefore, it is declared by
those who profess to be authority in
these matters, that the whole of the
business subsequently transacted by the
meeting was entirely null-the presiding
officer and clerk being, in this view OF
the case, no more authorized to conduct
the business of the meeting than any
other persons Whereas, on the other
hand, it is claimed that, as the old Mod
orator and Clerk we're reelected and
had previously been engaged they were
perfectly qualified; or else they come
under that class Of officers which the law
directs shall hold their office till others
are elected, and thus, if they were not
legally installed into Office at the late
town meeting, they were proper officers
under their previous installation. There
fore they must be bona fde officers under
either one qualification or the other.
Again, it is claimed-and we believe
this is not disputed, at all events we
have not heard it-that the Town Coun.
Gil should have been all elected at the
same time, as also the Justices of the
Peace instead of which each one was
voted for separately. And therefore it
is claimed that their election would have
been null even had the meeting been
presided over by properly qualified au-
thority. The election of our Town
Council for last year was legalized BY a
special act of Legislature, on this very
account. e., they we're voted for sen
arately instead of all at once, as pre-
scribed by the statute. But we believe
the ncwly-slected think this not a neces-
sity, although well enough in that in.
stance, inasmuch as it could be done as
we'll as not; and might have been done
this year in the case of all tho bu.;ross