Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-04-22
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THE CONTESTED ELECTION.


coming to Tie aid Of the Opposition State tirkc:
with much more zeal than honesty. The re.
cent defeat of then nominees for the city Offices
having spread no small amount Of constcrna-
ton throughout the party in Virginia, that rc-
suit must be accounted lor upon some plasi-
BIZ. GROUND, and hence this contested election
Ease.
The wn,!e secret ot this case is 10 destroy, il
possible the rrc, Of their late defeat in Rich
mond le::ce they 20 through the farce Of
hearing To resst"r a foreconc conclusion
That the Conno i, governed more ly the
discipline oi party than by regard for their
own Ordinances, We have only 10 point to the
fact that Mr. Wynnc IS still acting Us Snperin-
t.n,lrnt Of Gas Works, while he il the Snpcrin-
tcndrnt OF Railroad, in direct contravcnrion
Of the clause ri the City ordinances which
says, Neither Of them (thc Superintendent.
! Clerk and Tnspcrtor) shall perform any ser.
vices for compensation other than those per.
formed for the city
Ii the majority vf the City Council WAS not
mere party machine, they would not have re-
fiisei Mr.. Ilagcrty the certificate Of qualiiica-
ton, but would have observed their own ordi.
nance and permitted him TO qualify. and thus
have preserved that clause Of their own ordi-
nance which demands that "the whole time Of
EACH thc Superintendent, Clerk and Inspector
shall be devoted 10 the performance Of his ofli.
cial duties" Mr. Wynnc, now The Supcrlnten
7 dent of 4 railroad renders services for com
pellsatiun." and he cannot devote his whole
time to the performance Of his official duties,
as Superintendent Of Gas Works: and this the
/ Council well knew Eut what care has Know
Nothin. majority fYr the ordinances OF the city
when the exigcncics of their party i'll the State
demand their violation:
These city legislators no. only sham"i'i!ly
violate their own laws. but make and unmake
precedent, TO suit the emergencies Of their par.
" with the utmost Indifference 10 common
honesty. In former contest, between De.
mocrat and Know Nothing, when the Demo-
crat By the report Of their own committee, was
shown TO have received thrty-onc votes more
than his Know Nothing competitor, but that
through mere CLERICAL error, the two were
returned even. the Council composed almost Of
the same men who compose the present Coun-
Gil, decided that they could not go behind
the returns OF the officers conducting the cleo
ton, to examine the poll books, and pro-
Il. tht.
Democrat, though every man knew that he
was doing violence To the legally declared will
of the people. But their own precedent is
found in Mr.. IIagertys ease to be in the way
I of their party success, and forthwith they pro-
coed to abandon that precedent, and d"rlde
O 20 behind the returns Of the officers con-
Quoting the election and they will scarcely
hesitate at any act that will remove the effects
of the late Democratic victory in Richmond
These honest @ Councmcn will moi hesitate
to vote illegal that which wa, lcgal-to reverse
u popular decree by party majority-to de-
fraud the popular choice ont Of his legal rights,
and give the office to man legally defeated Mr.
lIagertv is unfortunate III having his election
to immediately precedc t'ubernatorial cleo
ton. 1t is necessary to regain throughout the
State the confidence their party has lost by
the election in Richmond The edict Of the
crLvERr will he registered by the Council OF
Richmond. and Mr.. lIagcrty will find himself
n victim to the demands "i Mr.. Gogcin'S in
tercst in Virginia.
Blu, will not the people cf Virginia visitupcn
this proceeding ia Richmond the condemnation
it deserves: We shall keep this matter in all
J. its bearings before our readers in Virginia, and
must ask our electors everywhere to call the
attention of the Old Line Wings, who. despi>ins
sam. rcpudiated him in 1870. to this vile effort
to defeat, for party purposes, legal election
But what will the honest men oi the opposl-
tion in the city Of Richmond say 10 this pro-
ceeding. We know nothiD: a. to illegal votes,
but il the Council Of Richmond. in order to
elect Know Nothing. adopt precedent. that
thev cannot 20 behind the returns OF the citi-
GERS" they should at least respect their own
precedent when il operates against them. They
are endea,oring to take from the people the
/ election of an officer and to confer from the
table of the Council commission that can c
gally issue only from the polls of the people.
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