The Rugbeian. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1881-1882, 1882-09-16
FENTRESS COUNTY.
THE LATE COUNTY ELECTION.

OF James george, IN reply, as ne says, 10 a
short article had sent you, and published the
18th of August, as your correspondent from
jamestown. | felt it duty owed to the
county to write that article However, | did
not perSonate James George or A. j. Mace
He writes as if they were the only two men
implicated in the charge. deny most
positively one remark of the Judges, that is,
that feel sore over my defeat, for he has
heard me say a number of times that really
did not covet the office and that had a much
greater anxiety for the people to have a good
clerk, than anything else; that the Office was
Tot very lucrative and that the responsibilities
were much greater than the compensation,
| | do not attribute A. j. Mace's success
altogether to his offer to issue seal certificates
free. Some days before the election gentle
man was filling bond not to adulterate in
making liquor, which is a very long bond, and
stated that my opponent, Mace proposed
giving all those bonds free. The code of
Tennessee is made up of the Acts of the
Legislature; and therein all certificates from
the Clerk Oh deed, certifying to Justice of the
Peace authority, power of attorney, ETC., are
set at 70 cents for certificate. The Scalp
Act of 1879 is mute about who pays the Clerks
fee for the certificate The Acts says 1.-THE
court may order the Clerk to issue certificates"
| was of the opinion, and it may be the opinion
of my friends, George and Mace, that the
county should pay for said certificate, if so.
Esq. George talked quite different on the
subject in a County Court session. For some
time after the Act took effect issued certii-
Gates for number of persons, some of them
deducting certificate fee out of the value of
their claim and when | presented my claim
to the court not one cent would they allow me-
Esq. George was not chairman at that time.
| lost. and the men who deducted out of their
claims lost every cent. Esq. George was one
of the court who decided that the county
should not pay for the certificates, but the
applicant. My impression has ever been that
every thing the court orders the county is
| bound for, but the County Court overruled my
judgement. | am creditably informed that
about all the counties in East Tennessee pay
the clerks fee for such certificate will now
say suppose | have received pay for about one
third of the scalp certificates | have issued.
No man has had to leave his certificate in the
office for lack of money to pay for it when he
wished to take it out. Mr.. George would
make the impression that exact fees where
am not entitled to them; does he or Mr.. Mace
think clerk should furnish his paper and ink,
and write all such certificates free of charger
MIR. Editor, feel perfectly satisfied that my
defeat for County Court Clerk is to be
attributed to the whisky bottle, bribery, fraud
and talsehood in which the most wicked class
of the county were actively engaged in
Quite number of good men, and the first class
of the county, have said to me several times
since the election, that from all they could
learn no man has ever been so unjusty and
badly treated as myself but when Mr.. George
says under the 'garb Of religion" would like
he would explain himself in that and whether
he has reference to my religious character or
some one else | will now say to Mr. George
that was traled or led by no candidate at
all, and any statement to that effect was
absolutely false. rode more with Mr.. George
than any other candidate on the track, except
p. l.. Phillips, who was candidate for
Circuit Court Clerk. And think ought to
know as much as Mr.. George or any other
man, the officials of the Methodist church in
this country, and am sure he mSrepresents
when he calls the candidate alluded to a
Methodist exhorter
find my friend Mr.. George is quite ready
to personate and suppose he will allow me
the same liberty. | suppose the detective
Chief" he speaks of was his opponent, Hon
J. G. Taylor. guess he thought that as he
had got very highly exasperated in his feelings
at J. G. Taylor, that everybody else should be
mad at Mr.. Taylor too. can't understand
what he predicated his jealousness on. Myself
and brother Taylor have ever been upon the
best terms of friendship, witnessed some
years ago, Hon. J. c. Taylors happy con-
version at the Christian altar, taking him in
the church and baptised him, and regard him
to-day as the Christian gentleman in the
most significant meaning of that word. have
ever spoken in the highest terms of Mr..
George however, see from his letter he now
thinks my praise of him as good Judge was
faulty or deceptive. | did sign his petition to
the Hon. Governor of Tennessee, to be COM
missioned Judge; but the Circuit Clerk of
this county will bear me witness that more
than once told him did not like that under
bidding. thought it would make an untavor-
able impression on the Governors mind either
in reference to Mr.. George or Fentress county.
Mr.. Editor. am curious to know if there is
another county besides fentress in the State