Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-08-27

illegal and good. The shinnston- pol
was stricken off because it was illegal an,
consequently 6ad;-not because it wa
merely Informal. as was the Romine'
poll, which Mr.. Moore sought to strik,
of;-and the Shinnston poll 6etng illegal
it should have been stricken of. Certain
ly the people of Harrison county do no
wish to have their officers elected illegal,
or by illegal uotess
Mr.. Moore censures me because th.
officer who conducted the election a
Shinnston was not properly sworn. /
| is well known that such officers must bt
sworn by a justice of the peace or some
other person qualified TO administer such
oath; and it should be known to 6im whc
pretsnas to know so much about the du,
ties of Clerk, that I. as Clerk. had nc
authority to administer the oath to con
ductor of an election. The gentleman
who conducted the election at Shincston,
swore, upon the trial of the case, that the
reason why he and the other officers
conducting the election atthat place were
not sworn according to law, was because
there acas no magistrate there. 1t has also
been said that it was my duty as Clerk to
explain their duties to the officers OF elec.
tions. It would be very extraordinary
Clerk that could be at ten different pre>
cincts at the same time to explain to the
officers conducting an election. their du>
ties; but not more strange than that
should be censured for the absence OF q
magistrate at Sbinnston on the day OF the
last election.
Mr.. Moore and his friends are making
a great out.cry about "the expense of the
contest and the new election" and are
endeavoring to create the impression that
it is much greater than it really is. For
the information of those not acquainted
with such matters. I give the amount and
items OF the expense to the county. As
the usual amount of other business was
done at the term of Court this case was
tried, 6s the above statement of the Mag.
istrates shows. all the expense Of that term
OF the Court that can be charged to the
contest, is for the two extra magistrates
who sat upon the case at the expressed
wish of Mr.. Moore's counsel, and the re.
naming portion of the expense is for hold
ing the special election. The sohols ex,
pense viii not vary ten dollars from this
calculation:
For the two extra Magistrates, SO day $500
For one officer at each of the 10 precincts,
at Sd day, 40.n0
For, say, three Commissioners, I" 81 "3n00
For two Clerks, 75cts. " 1900
For poll Books, &C., say, 500
sl26,oo
This is the whole expense to the coun,
ty. for both the contest and new election,
and / am glad that my opponents have
at last united them instead Of representing
each to be as large as both,-and some.
times much larger. Each party to the
contest had to pay his own costs in the
contest. What his expenses in the new
election are. of course know nothing,
and it may be tbs that he is making such
fuss about. But suppose the expense
to the county was as great as it has been
represented to be-say $loo0-would it
be just TO charge it to me or would it
not rather be right to charge it to those
whose fraudulent conduct at the last cleo.
ton led to the contest ? Suppose some
scoundrel should set FIRE 10 one of your
wheat stacks and you should catch him
a. it, and make complaint against him,
have him arrested and put in Jail to await
his trial, and he and his friends should
raise hue and CRY against you for put
ting the county to all this expense in
keeping him in Jail, what would you think
OF it 7 Would you consider it your fault,
or his (?
But it was not my fault, nor that Of my
friends, that the special election was or.
dered. We asked what we were entitled
to by the laws Of the land, that be de-
clared duly elected. which the examina>
tions of the Court proved to be the case.
and it was only because The Court signi.
fed desii to order new election that
l requested my counsel not 20 insist up
on my being allowed to qualify as the
Clerk.
But Mr.. Moore endeavors to enlist your
sympathies and appreciation by referring
to your loss Of another day TO attend the
special election. It is seldom that such
demsgogueism is publicly manifested
What does he, who has no sympathy
with the farmers and mechanics of this
country, care for your loss Of day or
even toeek? There is no doubt, that
he would be perfectly willing TO keep you
hewing wood and drawing water all the
days of your lives. provided he held the
Offices. Is he not already the Clerk Of
the U. s. Court for the whole Western
District Of Virginia and yet he has no
hesitation in asking you to give him an
other Office. His allusion to my en-
ploying deputies TO assist me in the dis
charge of the large amount Of business to
be done in my Office, comes with very
bad grace from one who has now employed
four or tvs deputies. whom he scarcely
sees twice year. Is he not giving his
o,On history when he speaks Of those who
do the work " dividing the compensation