Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-09-25

elected, reject the nomination, and no.
tify the mayor of such rejection.
The majority of the Democrats in the
Common Council was not two thirds, so
to retain few petty officers in power,
they have stopped the entire machinery
of government, and violated the laws OF
the State, by refusing to meet for the
transaction of business. On Thursday
the members thought they bad discover
ed chance to bring the dead lock to
close, by stealing the city government.
1t was rumored that Mayor Kemp
would be out of the city that night, and
they Immediately issued call for
special meeting of the Common Council
at seven O'Clock, to appoint a mayor
pr0 tenn during the temporary absence OF
Mayor Kemp. The scheme was all ''cut
and dried" TWAS arranged that John
FL. Flagg should be elected mayor, pro
tenn. The City Clerk prepared the oath
of office, and had it signed in advance.
Mr.. Flagg made out his list of appoint
ments, and was conyiently near, that
there should be no waste of time in
committing this grand larceny. The
evening arrived, and the Democratic
quoram convened. The President, Mr..
OLoughlin, too his seat. The roll was
called, and a quoram answered, when, to
the disgust of the thieves, Mr.. Harvey,
the private secretary of Mayor Kemp,
appeared, and read the nominations of
that functionary, for officers during the
ensuing year.
Here was joke-the Common Coun-
Gil had been disobeying the law for
months, and had just convened to com
nit further impositions, when the nomi-
nations were read, and all their schem-
ing, all their violations of law, and all
their perjury, under their oath of office,
went for nothing. They, however, went
to work, ignored the nominations, and
appointed Mr.. Flagg Mayor. Mr.. Flagg
sent in his nominations, and the Com
mon Council confirmed them, and the
matter rests, for the expiration of the
ten days, for some litigation to be insti-
tuted, to see who shall govern the city.
Mayor Kemp and his appointees, OF
Mayor Flagg and his appointees. In the
meantime the city government is in an
| archy and confusion, all on account OF
the partisan zeal of a majority of the
Common Council, which led them into 8
disobedience of the law of the State.
This particular instance affects the
good order and prosperity of the city OF
Troy, but this general spirit of insubor
dination among officials and men, is
showing Itself all over the land, anG
ought to be corrected. The law of the
land should be strictly enforced, and
| every violator of law, whether it be il
stealing a city government, or in contriy-
ing ways to subyert legal functions, anC
shield offenders by prosecuting A. j.
| Smith, instead of a known and recog
nized criminal, merit the sternest public
| disapprobation, and the people ought tC
| rise en- naGsSe and demand of the crimina
courts that the offenders who nullify
and subvert the laws they have sworn tC
maintain, should be punished to the full
extent that the outraged sovereignty Of
the State can inflict. We want some
thing more telling than sermons or finan
cial arrangements. The people of our
State have the remedy in their owr
hands, and they can use it, or wink al
the offenders. In Troy the mandamus OF
the Supreme Court will probably be the
only correction applied, and we are
waiting to see what shall be done to vim
dictate public law everywhere.