Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-10-29


place we have Democratic Mayor, who
reads the law and cOnsults his judg-
ment," and it grieves him. st Clairs-
vile once had IA Republican Mayor, who
did neither, ,and in consequence the Cor
poration will have to walk up and pay
costs to the tune $500. Bro. Hunt new
er tells his readers anything about that;
OH, no, it wouldn't be in keeping with
the rules and practice of the Republi-
can party. Instead of disorder and
confusion, as under former admins
tration, peace and quiet now reigns.
The above from the Gazette of last
week, is foot from the horn of t'His
Royal Highness," Riley, late candi-
date for Prosecutor, and Clerk of the
Court. He happened to be astraddle
of the editorial tripod last week, and
that is a sample of his effusions. 1t is
true that We once had a Republican
Mayor, and that he did not find it ne
cessary, in order to enforce plain COM
mon sense law, to examine Black
stones Commentaries, the English and
American Reports, Supreme Court Re.
ports of Ohio, the decisions of eminent
Democratic Justices of the Peace, and
all the laW sthSt ever was written Oh
pronounced, to determine hOW to issue
warrant of arrest. lie was not a pro-
found barrister either. He did read
the laws, as framed, and consulted a
Judgment guided by common sense.
His Highne5s intimates that the Cor.
poration has lost $500, because his pro-
found learning and legal celerity was
not before brought irto requisition.
'Tis all very sad; yet still our readers
may bear a little light on this question.
Let us see: The Books of the Corpora
ton Treasurer shows that during the
five years ofthe administration of DIR.
West as Mayor, from April, 1869, to
April, 1874, that there was paid into
the Treasury, fines collected amount
ing to-. $614 25
Peddlers' and Auctioneers' Ii
Fines for non-performance of
two days labor on the road 109 Is
Making total of 79S 90
Or an average of $3.50 per month du-
ring the entire period of his Mayor
ship. .-,
Riley has collected one dollar fine
and eight dollars license--nine dollars
in all, during nearly seven months of
his wonderful reign, or an average of
about 81, % per month.
How about the costs TO the tune of
$500? We presume reference is made
to the six whisky cases, and the two
for obstructing highway, wherein the
Common Pleas Court reversed the de-
cision of Mayor West. To begin with,
the cost in all those cases only amounts
to $209,25. The whisky cases arose un-
der all ordinance passed by Council
of the political friends of the present
Mayor, the provisions of which Mayor
West was enforcing under oath. The
ordinance was pronounced unconstitu-
tional by a Democratic Judge, and
hence the cost without any fault of DR..
West.
The other two cases were brought un-
der an ordinance drawn up by, and vo-
ted for by the two great Democratic le-
gal lights, r. E. Chambers andO. j.
Swaney, thenmembers of the Council.
SO much for the cost business.
Speaking of the confusion and disor-
der under a former administration,
surely the anxious Mayor, must refer
TO the lawlessness which went unrun-
ished before the Mayoralty of DIR. West.
Our citizens may recall the state of af-
fairs then, and answer to whom is the
credit due Tor bringing order out of con-
fusion. During Mayor Vests term,
through 1buse and opposition, he sue
ceeded il maintaining the dignity of
the law, and the peace and quiet of the
village, and now comes Riley, upon
whom his own party has stamped n
marks, hoice within two
years the seal of condemnation, and
claims the credit of having restored
order and quiet in the village. BE
ought to remember that his election
was signalled by revelry and flames,
and his administration is marked by
imbecility and incompetence.