The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-10-19
& Va wu e y 81 u "a E1'


"A Noisy RFrUBTICAN of this township i:
trying to persuade Democrats To vote against
Charley O'DOnncll for PrnthonotaTy on the
plea that he is too young man for the office
Hs Dt putty Sheriff. Democrats cannot be hum
3 hugged 10y such timsy arguments, and will pol
solid vote 'or the whole county ticket. ouI
only trouble will be to get out the fun Vote
The above is an extract from n letter
written to us by an &C i've Democrat in the
northern section of the coun'y. just at
what age a man becomes competent to dis
charge the duties of county Office has never
been judicially determined, as his fitness
depends entirely on other considerations.
a man may be too old for an efficieut
discharge of the duties of Prothono;ary,
or of any other county office, but he is
( never too yoUng if lie is legally eligible and
possesscst the necessary qualifications. Com
potency, and not age, is the standard by
which n candidate must stand or fall. The
man to whom our correspondent refers
would no be fool enough to assert that o.
Dounell is not fit for the eff, uf ProthOno-
tary. Any active, intelligent young man
Who knows how to handle pen, who un-
d"Istands the purposes of the different
dockets, and who has fair knowledge of
the general run Of the business pertaining
to the office, cannot fail TO make an eff
cient officer. That Charley O'DOnnell pos
scsses all these requisites will not be ques-
toned by any one who knows him. His
duties rs Deputy Sheriff enabled him to
acquire an accurate knowledge of the bust
ness required to be performed by Pro-
thonOtary, and lie would not therefore have
to learn it from the beginning. For this
reason he is as well if not better equipped to-
day to take charge Of the office and correctly
'ransact its business than either of the other
fur candidates would be at the end of :he
first years experience. The other allcga-
ton, that he made large amount of money
out Of the Deputy Sheriff1s office, is too
silly and ridiculous to require any notice.
Whatever salary he was paid was earned
by faithful discharge of his duties and
to the satisfaction of the people.
Here is a candidate who is fully COM
petcnt and who was nominated by con-
ventiUn representing the entire Democracy
Of the county. lie struggled manfully, as
hc had right to do, Cor tie nomination,
bu' he rcsorted to no base or d;sbor orabie
means to secure 1t. The battle was square
ly fought and fairly won, and what true
DemOcI at will refuse to sustain tile decision
of the convention? No Democrat deserves
he name Who withholds his support from
n competent man for an office after he has
been fairly and honorably nominated by a
county convention. If Charley O. Donnen
should be defeated nOw-an event we do
not fear--the same fate may uvertake some
other candidate next year, and the year
after that, and then the Democratic party
in the county, with its organization des
trOycd and it's ranks shattered by personal
and sectional animosties, will stand naked
and helpless before it's enemies There
is no safety for Democrat outside of a
regular nomination-no halfway house at
which he can afford to stop. Party supre.
macy depends upon fidelity TO party organ
Iza'ion, and that can only be maintained
hy sopp"rting nominations honestly and
iahly made 10y a county convention, which
is the court of final resort in settling the
rival claims Of candidates for county of
ices.