Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-04-14
COMMUNICATED
"The Mayors ElisibiiiLy.''

A member OF the Common Council from the
First Ward, while commenting at the meeting
Of Tuesday, March 2S oD speech made BY
DR.. johnson on the subj ,ct Of the meanlng OF
the first eight lines OF section 81 OF the present
charter, said: The charter which was amend
ed in 1871 did not restrict the people 10 the
reelection of Mayor" We are sure the mcm-
Der in making the declaration did not do SO
with the intention of misleading any Que, but
simply overlooked the fact that he charter
does most clearly ''rcstrict the people In the
re election of Mayor" Section "a says: The
Mayor of the city of Alexandra shall be an
nualy elected by the qualified voters at the
times and places and 10 the manner that mcm.
bcrs of the City Council are elected provided
that the present Incumbent OF said 'tlce shall
hold his office for the time for which ne was
elected under the existing laws. lie shall hold
his Office for one year and until successor Is
chosen and qualified in his stead, al The explra-
tiou OF which period he may be re elected tor
two terms successfully aud no longer until ne
shall have been out of office Tor ouc y; ar. 1t
is thus seen that the charter does res rct the
people in he re election OF Mayor. Ii will be
noted that this provision provides that the
then "present incumbent shall hold his office
the existing laws Why was this provision
made II the then prcsen, incumbent did not ask
to have it IN 4ic 10. he says: Il felt that the
motive for amending the charter at that time
was to legisIate me out oil Office; and was this
provision only intended to relate to the then
"present incumbent, or was it designed to
apply to perpetual succession of "lresent 10
cumbeDts' of The Office of Mayor? Ii the pro-
vision meaDs anything at all, it meals that the
Mayor can be elected for TWO terms in success
sion, and not for three years; and that as the
then "present lncumbcnt" was 10 office for one
year, it would not have been ju+t to have count
ed that year, but to give him the benefit OF II
by providing, that as the charter was new
one, he ought, like others who had not hell
the office, be entitled to the same chance OF two
terms for The office of May or if the people de-
sired to rc-elect him Tor Two years luvrc in sue
ccssun. Ii the language Of the section does
not mean this, in our oplaion, 1t means 10th
| ing; and that the people are restricted 10 the
| necessity of electing but for two years in sue
cesslon the same individual 10 the office OF
| Mayor, and that he must then be out.ot office
one year before he can again be Mayor, is Ger
| tanly to our iud gm.nt, an honest ln1erpreta-
| ton of the first eight lines of section 81 OF the
present charter. Principle is the parent OF
consistency; and We ought not to encourage in
our own party or partizans, that which we
would deuouuce 10 opponents; and it Rcpub-
Iicsu we're Mayor, aud had been elected three
times 10 succession to the position ouce by the
City Council, and twice by the people, would
we not rise in unanimous voice, ii such Mayor
even iutimated desire for fourth election,
and proclaim him not only entirely ineligible,
but cormoraDt. who, when in Office, did not
know when to leave it. CONSISTENCY.