Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-08-17
The Question Settled.

Mr.. EDIToR: Every man disposed to
get at the truth has been much interested
in what has been said in your paper dur
ing the week concerning the sheriff's cleo
ton. The cards and counter-cards and
your own articles and comments have
brought out the full truth, no doubt, and
so far there is no occasion for any fair, un.
preiudiced man to charge Mr.. Reeder with
corruption, or even error, in his action in
the premises.
There are always two sides to every con-
troversy-to every contest, in court or out.
In political contests such as this we have
had it is scarcely possible to have even
from the most dispsssionste, calm, uR-
biased judgment. Ones desire has much
to do with ones judgment. no matter how
strenuous may be his effort to be fair. The
number of minds changed on the subject
of the sheriff. election by the contro~
versy and facts since had would
not, doubtless, be half dozen. The
Anderson men will believe that he was
elected. and Gossett's friends, in spite OF
Maj. Webb's convincing cards." do still
firmly maintain that Gossett was elected.
have been on both sides since the cleo
ton. One day | was fully persuaded thai
Reeder had done wrong, and the next that
his decision and award were correct. Al
last the
| QUESTION rs SETTLED
In my own mind, unless some crookedness
comes out in the matter of the 9th ward
certificate. l think, as to this, that Mr.
| Reeder should let all the facts out. dc
! hol; hol - ~ toz,
that certificate which he cares to keep from
the public. But whatever may be the facts
in that case, and his connection with them,
the result of the election from the face Of
the returns) is not affected thereby.
will show you how settled the matter
Perhaps some of your readers, as honest
and as fckle as I, have been or may be
brought to conclusion.
Maj. Webb says: "Only the copies o.
the poll books that are filed with the clerks
of the two courts are required to be certi
fed" 'These tally. sheets are not required
by law TO be certified they are mo-
even required to be filed with the clerks .
This is certainly true; and. he might have
added that the law says nothing about tai.
lys or talLy-Sheets. This being the case, i
is curious how it can be argued that said
sheets form part of the returns to which
the returning officer is to look when deter
mining the result of the election.
AS to the first ward, therefore, Mr.. Reed
er said: II take the certificate of the judg
es and clerks and give Anderson 1873 votes
I will not look to the tally-sheets, because
they are no part of the returns"
Wasn't that right?
rule, he said: II think the figures are 81
for Gossett."
Was that right? Admit the figure
were doubtful-so that "it was impossible, )
as Mai. Webb says, ito know from inspec
ton" whether they made "a or 85-woult
, not Mr.. Reeder have gene behind or be
yond the returns" if he had consulted
the tally-sheets, the witness for Anderson
Didn't he have as much right. or a bette
J right, to have the judges called in simply
T to read their own certificate and figures
But we will suppose he simply shut hi
eyes aad said, 1T is 85." Who can com
= plain? 1t a0as 85 according to the certif
cate and according to the facts. Whethe
, one or more of the votes cast for Gossett il
that ward were illegal is of no sort of con
sequence in considering Keeder's duty ant
action.
Now. taking Gossett's vote in the 5tl
ward as 189, (the number admitted b.
Maj. Webb there would be tie, ant
l Reeder had his election as to which G
the candidate he would give tn
certificate. Now where is tn
, evidence of the great outrage whic
3 Reeder perpetrated2 If any one is nc
convinced that Reeder did right, suc5 per
= son will at least be compelled to admit tbs
1 nothing more than an error of law (whic
) any honest man might make) is involved
CANDID INVESTIGATOR.
August "A.
The foregoing is from an intelligen
gentleman, who is not partisan, an
whose woid and whose judgment Wi
:, carry as much weight with it as tha
of any man in Knoxville.-L Edito
CHRONICLE.