The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-01-11
COUNTY AFFAIRS.
Communicated

1
There is an old adage that "a bad
beginning makes a good ending
If this be true, then the ''tother' end
of the official life of the present board
of county commissioners will be
very brilliant and successful, for
hey have made a very poor show in
the opening of their official career.
At their last meeting they seem to
nave been inspired by the acts OF the
seventeen little lords who met as a
board of county magistrates just the
lay before to elect county commits. |
sioners in the place of James NJ.
Grizzard resigned; and determined
that seventeen constituted quorum
of thirty seven and if not legal
quorum a sufficient quorum for Hall
fax county. and thereupon the chair.
man announced THAT they would go
into the election of a commissioner,
and. if the election was not legal, he
could resign and take chances again"
A petition was handed to the
board of commissioners at their last
meeting afterone of the board had
gone home by DR.. Green asking shat
John Ponton be appointed super.n-
tendent of the poor house in place of
w. w. Carter the present incumbent.
And this petition was backed by w.
H. Day as ATTORNEY for petitioner. A
motion was made to elect or appoint
the petitioner. A counter motion
was made by DR.. Wood to post pone
the matter till Sterling johnson the
absent commissioner could represent.
The first motion was put and Mont
Whitehe ad and Aaron Prescott, the
chairman, voted to 60 into the cleo.
ton then.
| Wood and John Norfeet voted to
co utinue Or postpone, whereupOn,
. upon the advice Of w. H. Day. and
, we presume with the consent Of his
own mind, the chairman voted again
as chairman to make a majority and
carried the point and elected John
Ponton.
| This is what we would style, en-.
phatically, cumulative suffrage.
This is the first instance we re-
member under Democratic rule
when two constituted majority Of
f four without some legislation to that
y effect. Aaron Prescott voted te
. tie, and then voted to make a major
ity.
And this we are asked to consider
g Democracy. If this is Democratic
d doctrine and Democratic practice
r. please excuse our Democracy.
We have known for a long tim,
: that we had no guarantee for GU
lives in this county-that for murde
W man could not be hung, but we die
1t not know or believe that such ute
=. disregard for law, order and public
opinion existed among those we hav
- been taught to regard as our bes
q and most trusted citizens.
t. We verify thought in the simple
ity of our souls that the old board o
- county commissioners had littl
- enough respect for public opinion
IS and what We conceived to be law
s, but we must confess that in no &C
IL of their official life, from our stand
" point, did they show such utter dis
:. regard of law. public sentiment, an
Democratic doctrines as was mani
lie tested by the board of county magis
S, trates in the election Of Mont White
~ head as commissioner, and by tn
board Of county commissioners i
the election of Ponton as superintenc
% ent of the poor house. If such Den
a ocratic folly and stupidity as this
o. to follow in the wake of the Democ
Id racy, whether it has its origin in th
70 distempered minds of the Democra
!. &c board of county commissioners {
l" in the brain of such men as W.
to Day, we had as we'll abandon all hor
III of ever permanently governing til
ne country.
A party whose leaders are such 8
Senator Pendleton and whose sub.o
~ hcials, the board of county connie
d. aionsrs act Is this Senator and the,