Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-02-08
County Organization-County Offices.

The following couaty officers are to be elected
by the people under Article seven, viz l. a
Sheriff. From the theory and practice OF the
States, which our organic law follows, THIS OF
fcer will perform the duties required by existing
| laws of Virginia, except, 1t IS UNDERSTOOD, tnat
this publican will not hereafter sit at the re-
| ceipt of custom, and will not collect and dis
burse county and State taxes. These revenues
go through the hands of county treasurer and
township collectors. IF this be true, then the
sphere of usefulness of the Sheriff lin the little
matter of shduing) will be curtaled Of Its fair
proportions. If the people wish the revenues,
paid by them, to be used for the purpose Of
shaving them, this work and labor Of love must
be performed by other repositories OF the pub
lie funds. And not content with diminish hing
the attractions Of this official position it Is eX-
pressly provided, that he shall hold no other
Office Cart. 7, Sec. g. This prohibition ap-
plies to no other official.
| 2. Attorney for the Commonwealth.
| 3. Clerks Of the Courts
These officers will probably be required to per-
form their duties as under existing laws except
SO far as the duties Of the township clerk may
modify those of the officer above named.
| 4. County Treasurer Office has been
hitherto unknown in Virginia. He receives and
disburses all the public monies, including State,
county, township (probably,l school, poor, road
and other funds. He states and settles, annual
| ". before a Board of Supervisors (of whom we
| shall speak on another OCCASION his accounts.
He ought specially to be forbidden by laws un-
der sufficient penalties from being directly or
Indirectly interested in contracts for public pur
poses; nor should he be permitted to buy at
any discount whatever, any warrants of, or
claims on, the county or State He ought to
publish in the county newspaper or otherwise.
| periodically, for the information Of tax payers.
full accounts Of his receipts and expenditures.
This performance of his duties will not material
ly interfere with his other business.
| 5. Superintendent of the Roor.-Overse ers Of
| the poor are elected In the several townships.
This superintendent may possibly be the presid-
ing officer of Board of Overseers, though no
thing, in the constitution seems to indicate any
such board. The poor we have always with us.
Few more important duties will devolve on the
Legislature than the revision of our poor laws,
and making a wise benefcent and practical
provision for this class of our people. The seec-
ton OF proper man to place In this position,
ought to call for great prudence and thought on
the part of the people Of each county.
6. Superintendent of Schools. The 9Th
article of the Constitution is devoted to the sub
ject of Education The legislature is required
''to make all needful laws and regulations, to
provided for by this article. And by Sec 8,
art. 7, leach township shall be divided into SO
many compaclly located school districts as may
be deemed necessary; provided, that no school
district shall be formed containing less than one
hundred inhabitants In each school district
three trustees are to be elected Men best
qualified, by education and practical WISDOM
should be elected to these Offices; and although
our manifest destiny is in the direction Of the
caucus system with ali its many evils) yet it
| is to be hoped, that the people regard these
how
with party politics, and will unite in calling
coed and true men to the execution of these re-
sponsible trusts
The above constitute the county Offices named
4 in the Constitution to be elected by the people,
Enquirer.
i On Wednesday last, the General Assembly
Of Georgia adopted the l4th and 18th amend
ments.
a. The House adopted the fourteenth amend
ment by an unanimous vote, aud the fifteenth
amendment by SO to 10.
The Senate ratified both amendments by a
vote Of 81 to TO-
The time will come, we are inclined to be-
lieve, when the party Ia the North which pro-
posed and caused the adoption of the 18th
amendment, by compelling four of tie South
err States to adopt it, by making its adoption
a condition precedent to re-admission will sore
ly regret it. It is one Of those inventions
which will return to plague the inventor
THE DILEMMA OF RECoNsTRUCrIoN.-So
ern States were required to ratify the fifteenth
amendment as 9. condition Of restoration to the
Union. As they could not be trusted to come
in and then ratify it, they ratified first and then
came in. They were, therefore, not in the I'm
ion when they acted on the constitution, or else
they were never out of the Union. Either
them all the reconstruction laws of Congress
are invalid, or these Southern Publications Of
the fifteenth amendment are invalid IF the
; States were in the Union there was no need to
admit them, and if they were not in the Union
they could not participate In making laws for
States that are 10.
MANUFACTURING COMPANIES In Wood
stock Shenandoah county, steps have been ia
ken to establish manufacturing company, to
be knoRn as the Woodstock Manufacturing
Company" Seven Or eight thousand dollars
have already been subscribed. Books will be
opened in Woodstock on Saturday, the 9Th of
March, and remain opened for ten days, for
the purpose Of receiving subscriptions TO the
capital stock Of that company. We would be
pleased to see such companies established here
and at other places in the State-in the Valley
especially.
REVIVAL. The Martinsburg papers an
nounce an interesting revival Of religion ia the
Nj. E. Church, South, in that place. The Rev.
Mr.. Clarke, preacher in charge. has been assist
ed BY the venerable DR.. Rosser and Others.
whose eloquent searching and telling discour-
ses says the Winchester Times, have produced
a very decided religious impression in the com
munity. The altar is nightly crowded, and
some have professed conversion.
RE-CAPTURED. JAS Madison, the Federal
cavalry soldier, who shot and killed young Be-
ley in Lynchburg, in December, and who es-
capped from the guard in Washington, has been
re-captured and taken to Lynchburg for trial
by military commission. He confesses that he
fired the fatal shot, but claims that he did ii in
self-defence
| The New York Tribune thinks that there "a