The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-06-18
An Editor Among the Prophets

The Intelligncer of Saturday quotes
tue twelfth section of the registration
act, that the inspector of every cleo
ton shall allow only those to vote whose
names shall appear on the registry books
returned by the proper registrar. "
Frsm this he infers, that if the inspector
allows any one to vote whose name is
not on the registry book, the Board of
Supervisors are in duty bound" not to
correct the return upon it's being ascer
tanned by proper evidence how the illegal
vote was cast, but to reject the whole
vote of the township.
We venture 10 say that such a doc
trine has been heretofore unheard of i'll
election cases. 1t violates every princi-
pie of common sense to say that three or
four hundred voters shall be deprived of
their votes because the officers of cleo
ton have either Inadvertently or wilfu :
ly, admitted illegal votes. The rule has
heretofore been that you must ascertain
how the illegal votes We're cast, aud de
duct them from the poll. The good votes
are not vitiated by the bad ones. You
are not TO deprive a hundred men of
their right because one has done wrong.
There are few elections held in which
SOME illegal votes are not received But
according to the Htelligeacer, the Board
OF SuperviSors are in duty bound i'll every
such case, to reject the whole return.
What security then has any qualified
voter, when he deposits has ballot,
mat his vote Is 10 be counted! He is at
the mercy of the Supervisors, for, with
but moderate degree of sharpness, they
can always detect some irregularity III
every poll TO furnish a pretext for re-
jectiCg 1t. Our elections VIII express
not The will Of the people, but Of the
officials whom unfortunately we have
Installed IN office
The AtteliigeRcsr also quotes the if
teenth section of the registration act,
which provides that the Board of Su.
perVlSorS, &c, nag examine the registry
books and reject any returns that are
Contrary to the provisions of this act 4"
But 10 authorize its rejection under this
provision, thereturn itself must bs in
sufficient. The return in the cas-, Of
lradelphla township, it is admitted,
was regular. No Authority to reject the
whole return was conferred bv this pro-
vision.
But the Provision of this section is
that the Supervisors may reject return
If 1t be contrary to the provisions of the
act. Therefore, says the fatelligencsr,
they are in duty bound to do it. Because
they may do it, they are bound to do it, |
right or wrong. No doubt this is the |
principle on which they acted and like
tho boy that stole the turnips, they did
this thing because they could"
The act confers a discretion on tho
Board of Supervisors, the Governor, &c
to be exercised according to the princi.
pies OF law and common sense. This is
Its true Interpretation.
we have not deemed it necessary, for
Inc present to advert to the question
"ne!ner there was really any irregular
ity III the proceedings of the election
officers at the Trsadelphia precinct Thu
principle maintained by tho Jn,eu;ao.
and acted upon by the Board of supervi.
sors, is of vastly more Importance 70 ~,
FOOD people of West Virginia than any s
question of fact involved in the case
In our opinionthe registration act w.s
conceived in iniquity, for the purpose Of
maintaining the Negroite party in pow.
II; yet even if this act, bad as it is, had
zen fairly administered, and free dis ,