Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-05-12

.;.Ils winds ana StallOuAry
FICTION OFFIcERs.-Judge \. B. Meade
;r,nadiately on the opening of the Corpora
ion Court this morning, appointed the cleo
ION officers recently selected by The cleo
toral board.
Ia announcing the appointment of regis
,r,r, and Judges of election for this city
I,Jgs Meade said the law provided for
,h.iT appointment in January that be had
,;acIined to make the appointments last
rov,arv for the reason bill was then pend
inc in the Legislature, having passed one
bGnse relieving the judges Of the duty Of
,rnoiutmeut and couterrlug 1t upon All eiet-
.Ir,l board he therefore waited the action
1.-The Legislature which week or 50 later
,oss.1 the bill. Since then tue elect oral
,n,,i for this city, elected under said bill,
i.ra met and discharged their duty in the
-..l.rtIon of suitable persons to fill said posi-
lions, Recently, however, the Court OF APP
,rais has held that the act providing for the
r,r.,tion OF the electoral boards is uncon-
>ti,u,ioual, aud ii therefore follows, that tie
annoinlments made by said board ara null
nnj void, while the acts of said officials,
r,,a, is the registrars, while in office,
in his opinion, they being de tacto
,tirials, are leeai and binding. If he had
,,,,no,utcd registrars last January, as their
,,.,m OF office is for two years, there would
~, no vacancies to-day, and the parties then
arpoiutcd would, upon an order from the
rnir, for delivery of the books, resume
tn.Ir duties ami retain their places undls-
tprb,d by him. unless removed for cause;
,ut for reasons given he made no appoint
menls in January, and it, therefore, became
MS duty now 10 ill the vacancies occasloned
hy The expiration Of the term OF service OF
the registrars and judges of elections; In
doing 50 he must act in the light OF sur
rounding circumstances, and he would be
governed and controlled by precisely the
came reasons that induced him last January
20 make no change, but to wait the fate of
I'M, bill then pending before the Legislature.
Tina, the defect in the late law, declared
unconstitutional, would be speedily cor
IN, November election, hardly admits
Of doubt before that time it is un-
t,rstood there will be no contested
election in this city; what then, he asked,
would he the wisdom of a change if be was
disposed To make new appointments, in the
face Of the fact that before these officials
can he called upOu to act officially, the de-
feet in the law will almost certainly have been
corrected and re- enacted, aud the late
electoral board reelected, who would
promptly meet and reappont their original
selections He could see none, and as no o.
lection had been urged to the character or
!itness for the position of any of the parties
selected by the late board, and he did not
care 10 do the vain thing Of making
change, and appointing men to day to De
removed to morrow, he would, therefore,
!cappoint the late incumbents.
The following order was entered:
Whereas, the Supreme Court Of Appeals
Of Virginia on the Sth instant in the case
OF Black Vs. Thrower, declared that so much
Of the act of February Ii, 1884 as prescribes
Il freehold qualification tor members OF
electoral boards Is repugnant to the constl-
tuition aud void, and therefore the members
Of said board III this city having been cho-
sen under il, are not lawfully chosen ot1i-
GERS. aud consequently that their appoint
nrnt OF registrars and judges of election for
this city was without lawful authority aud
whereas the said Court having further de-
clarrd that the Whole Of said act is lnoper-
alive. and that the statutes sought to I've re-
peaIed are unaffected thereby,
Now. therefore, deeming it my official
duty to ill the vacancies occaSloned by the
expiration OF The term of office Of registrars
occurring on the lst of January, 1854, and
Judges Of election April, by virtue Of the du-
~ imposed aad the power and authority
III me vested by the laws of Virginia, in ex,
istence at the time of the passage OF SAID
act of Feb. lith, 1854, hereby appoint the
following registrars for the different wards
Of this city for the unexpired term of office
prescribed by law commencing Jan. 1st,
1854, and judges of election for twelve
months from the date Of appointment
The names are those now holding the
positions.