Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-11-02
HAVE WE HAD AN ELEGTIoN2


HAVE WE HAD AN ELEGFION2
What have we realized by the late sham
election in this State? This is a question
difficult to answer with our present informa-
tiou, aud yet it is asked at every street corner.
The wires have not brought as the customary
Intelligence in time for this issue of our paper.
D Nor do we suppose that We will know any
thing definite until the returns have been
manipulated to suit the purposes of those who
alone seem to be interested in the final result.
That they will be SO manipulated seems
eefta:n if we judge the future by the past
The day has gone by when the people can
express by their ballot preference for the
~ men who shall rule. a pretense for an ex>
~ preston only is had; and that vouchsafed to
: as,by our present most infamous laws in such
.eiAf,1 e TO give the ballot only to those whom
= 4pernor, his chosen deputies, NAV
D &C. The law gives the Governor tho
- appoint all the Registrars in the
and he issues commission in blank
4 his most plant tools in each county,
S9oBs will do his dirty work for him
oyty, and they fill the blanks with
sartes ashley can rely upon to manip>
4 ale he registry books to render radical can
didates Certain of their election. This power
z to uppoiut is in open violation of the consti-
tuition of the State which makes all Offices
eicctire. 1t is thus that the Law sets the Gov.
ernor over the constitution and compels him.
willing or unwilling, to violate the very in
strument he is sworn to support. And yet
he swallows the perjury and executes the un-
) constitutonalaw in all its most hldeous colors
Not only this, but exceeds his authority and
delegates to others power vested only in him
by the Law. Not only this, but delegates that
authority to parties whose interest in the
result of the election is such that nothing but
the virtue of saint could by possibility save
Rtbe voter his right to vote if he was even
Inspected of holding different views on the
questions at issue in the canvass from those
held b the appointing power. Does any man
doubt t6isstatement? If so let him go to
the county. seat and ask the first honest rad
zeal he meets, 'twho appointed the last board
of registration},?" The answer will be "the
Governor sent,th commission in blank to q
certain party who was the radical candidate
for the Senate and he filed the blank" And,
if he presses the investigation little farther,
he will find that one of the registrars did not
suit exactly-he was little too honest-and
the plant Governor was. teegraphed to GUST
closed by The board. For what? To manip-
ulae the books SO to insure the election of
the radical Senators. They manipulated.
Manipulated after the books were closed
And possession of the books obtained from
their legal custodian by radical Post Master
upon order from the Governor of the State.
And, when he refused to deliver them to him.
was threatened with confinement in the county
al
knoHtha the Of legal voters were
49, etricken frem the registry after the books
werc delivered up. Who did it we do not
know nor do We care 1t is the fact we desire
TO mako public Nor is this ALL The books
for Grant township, which by law ought to
have been in the hands of the Supervisor of
the election for that township at sunrise or
the day before the election, were not forth
coming at the proper time, and the election
was held at place unknown to the forty one
voters whosc names remained upon the books.
~ Held atan out-oft hc-Uay cross roads, scuentecn
rriSes from the county-scat, and sic miles from
usual place of voting. 1t was thus eIcrcn
of the faithfal few cast their precious votes
1t was thus eleven candidates were voted for
Thus that ten of the eleven chosen to
8 fill the oVnShip Offices
2hiSSs the Thing called an election. Those,
thus sec1s5Iy chosen, the choice of the people.
lss=5-~Elevcn votes in voting population of 600
N Regal voters About 800 in county which
Gao vote 2g0O.egal voters.
We cab upon the people, who by the con-
ssitasiOn of the State entitled to vote, and
demand of them to know if there is no remedy
for this. Shall We continue to stand by and see
these shameful outrages upon popular suffrage
enacted year after year and do nothing to
arrest the evil or punish the guilty?
The perpetrators of these acts in mon
a. archial France would have been hunted by
8 the people and their wrongs righted with the
cue "to the lamp post
III IcphNT, TowNeuTp On rA1TpD