The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-11-23
Augustus Vote.

~
when it says "if-there had been no contest
there would have been no protest" That is
.precisely the position which Mr.. Craig, as the
representative ofthe party, occupies He was
perfectly willing to abide the decision of the
voters at the polls, aud had that decision been
adverse to the candidates whose election he
sought, the legality of the vote of Augusta
county would never have been questioned by
him. John Paul 60ud Scorn to accept a seat IN
the National Congress to qoltie3t he had nat been
fqtrly aqd sopestt9eleete9. Butlle would be un-s
worthy of that seat-unworthv of lie conf
rdence repesed in him, did he calmly fold his
, hands, whilst, partzan bigotry sought to out
rage the people of his district and disregard
and defy their will as expressed at the ballot
box. And John Pauls friends and the friends
of good government generally would have to
'abrogate every clam to manhood, and all that
becomes a man, did they fail to resent by ev-
cry means intheir power such a barefaced and
shameless attempt to override the rights of
Hthe people 50 long as the Democrats thought
they could gain partizan advantage they con
tended that the -strictest construction of the
law should be observed. No matter what the
consequences might he, no matter what the
will of the people was, Shylock-l like, they de-
rnanded their pound of flesh. And now we
bid them prepare to cut OFF the flesh #gatFl
~ AZ - Nor cut thou less nor more, but just one
pound of flesh" We too Shall claim the en-
force1nent of the Law to its ultimate letter. t1.u
| When the Democrats could throw out Paul
precincts for little technical nformaities-A
such as the poll books not being sealed andt the
ke-they craved the Ia ", but When their OPP.
ponents demand d recognition of'their plain
legal rights, they denounce it as d nionstrobs
proposition in equity" Their estimate of
equity depends altogether on whose bull is
being gored 4'oh"H nR"" '@"'"i''
al THE Vi1aditdto7's position that the illegality
of Augusta s vote is due to tile omission of
Readjuster judgeis not a tenabie one. 1t was
not'Judge Quarles' duty to review the acts and
doings Of his predecessor in office. He had
right to suppose that that predecessor knew,
the law, and enforced it, More especially did
that right inhere, when it is remembered
that Judge Hendren, whom he succeeded, is
ohei0f the ablest lawyers in Virginia, and so
regarded by the profession AS well might it
Pbe claimed that Judge Quarles should have
'scrutinized every order entered for years be-
fore he was called to preside over the court,
and every construction Of law announced
Y from the bench The system Of registration
which is now found to be illegal had been in
force in Augusta county for ten years prior
Judge Quarles' election to the position he
4 holds. His predecessor, as stated, was recog-
nized as learned in the law, and the bar prac-
ticing before him had the reputation of being
one Of the ablest In the State. For decade
the Statute had been construed as requiring
4 but one registrar for each township or magis-
I teriaf district That construction was accepted
Fly the cotirf and acdIiesced III by members of
the profession, and under ii elections were an
'ndaIIy held . TWAS but natural that the new
Judge should take it for granted that the law
\ had been duly enforced 1t was not question
to Which his attention had been specially d.
4 fected, OF TO the Investigation of which he had
been called. He was perfectly justitiable in
assuming that the elections held in Augusta
for ten years were legal and in following the
rule established by his predecessor in the APP
pointmeht OF registrars .'.z ri''t
NJ Al. ,ll.sIlt IgYll .Ll.,. ,agL ~
but icy us trace pach the fecolu ''lu see upon
whose shoulders the burden rests. The law
requires that there Shall be u registrar for
each township, ward, and voting district, and
the question turns upon the definition of"vot-'
Il 81 IL, IL. !, ;;"'f" 7AM 'f'A '' "''1
! ] s1''T'mE, '0"' ,.'' - -"
Ih'Hs. ~" Nf''p' 'e' .'''' ~ Nn' ~
one NJ aiocinn aiStr;c, nuess snn
| ship is now or hereafter may be divided by
| law into more districts than one the election
70 oe hea az sae't pIe'ce Or ps,ces w sucl toMn,
s snnointqd for that nnrnose Tor bv the County
Court When changes are hereafter made may
direct: 1't" WI "''" '''' '' ''''' '''.'' t'n .si
I "Undeer' this act the Board of Commissioners
| laid off their respective townships in Augusta,
and filed their report with the county clerk on
| the 18th Of May 1870 Under the law as it then
stood this action was legal. .''' i.a'' no
On the 18th Of July, 1870, Acts 60 70, chap
275, Sec y, it was enacted THAT in each town
ship of the State, in which more than one vot-
ling place shall have been established by law,
| it, shall be the duty Of the township Board to
designate by proper and well defined bounda-
res the election district Of each 00tinq place within
the township, and they shall at the earliest
practical day thereafter make written report,
describing as accurately as they can, the bound
arss 2, every sufh nGRg dsGc ana cd make
oTiIpi, 'JGYi '.'ItTi f'.'1 III = ''''
II n i'f"' '' "' 7''"'l 7''1''' '''''''HF ''.
rms act coming SO close on the neeis Oh 'n"'
quoted before II anu Almost ihheuia'eiy a,'ei
he'report OF the township commissioners hau
peen completed, seems TO nave peen entlrey
overlooked. The new law made an additional
survey necessary out the BOARD doup.less re-
garded It's duty performed IN suomltling tne
report made under the Old law and PRIOR 70 Hts
'e''aetnentot' the ner0.l AT least no report was
ever made TO the CLERK once unuer 'ne he"
law, ana so lar as Inc records snow no a''eh-
ton given the matter '.., ,l.-.'...''.'..s.
When the township system was superseded,
the duty OF defining tue Young dist rlc's Oh
each precinct devoived upon the county court
Section 5, chap, .1o9, Acts 1917, reads BE
it enacted by the General Assembly that sec.
~ oata9. 90 % f Snoe o"''' NC "''o
THAT in each maglsterial district ia each coun-