The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-05-09
A Plea For The Old Clerks.
why THEY SHOULD BE RETAINED.
The Poor Mans Friend.

Port Royal, Va. May oeh' 1000
To The Free Lance
The Free Lance is an always welcome
Ouest In the homes Of its Caroline sub
snribers. Especially do some of us ad-
miro the conservative sentiments 1t ex-
presses not only upon national politics
but also upon matters of local and
domestic concern. One such matter, Is
the election Of the clerks Of our Nir-
GINA courts. Herein is field for the
display Of that most sensible trait of
the old-time Virginians to continue In
office the faithful and well-instructed
clerks. In this connection l was much
pleased at the complimentary report, in
your paper, Of the committee appointed
to investigate the condition Of the clerks
Office Of Spotsylvanis; and l am glad to
see that our worthy friend Orismond
has no opposition for reelection to the
Office he has so creditably discharged.
He is an ornament alike to the secular
and the sacred desk; and is approved
alike as pensman and preacher 1t is
gratifying to note that in Richmond
County there is no opposition to War
ner, the present clerk, who. if we mis-
take not. is Republican. With sensi-
Bile men politics, when decently observ-
ed and not Extensively obtruded. do not
figure in the selection Of competent
public officials. l see that MOntcalm
Oldham, recently renominated in Acco
mac by the Democrats, has no opposition.
This is all right and we presume the
same thing will happen TO Southworth
in Essex. Even the discordant Demo
Gratis in Lancaster united on the present
clerk, Chiffon. These are all encourag-
ing indications. We hear great dea
about the decline Of public and patriotic
sentiment but the obvious and incon.
trovertible spirit Of the times to con-
tinue in office the faithful and competent
clerks is a happy augury for the future.
Conservatism in the administration of
our public affairs is much to be desired,
but in nothing more than in the dis
charge of the duties Of the Clerks Of
fee. Consider for a moment the num-
Der of people. and the number of mat
tiers Of moment, with which the Clerk
of the County comes in daily. and al
most hourly, contact. II he is thorough
IL familiar with the records of mis- of
fee he is q public benefactor in the
widest sense Of the word. He is pre-.
pared to give answers to the innumers
BILE inquiries Of the plain and poorer
class Of people who are not able to en-
ploy counsel to examine the books in
the Clerks Office. But if he is a no.
viate in the Office he cannot answer
these inquiries But an old and exper-
fenced clerk, who has the records of
the Office at his fingers ends, can give
the desired information in tens and
hundreds Of cases of the honest but
poorer classes who cannot employ regu
lar attorneys.
We may gather a lesson of wisdom
from o momentary contemplation Of the
esteem in which the olden-time clerks
were held In many counties, and
many communities, these clerks held the
Office by q seemingly hereditary right
See how it was there in your own town
From the revolutionary era down to
q comparatively recent period the Chews
were your clerks Upon the death
in 1868 of John James Chew, the clerk
who held for nearly half a century the
office which his father had held, Col
Bob Chew, then living in Memphis,
was summoned home to take the office
his father and his grandfather had
held. This was no unusual thing. The
Clerks Office in Essex County was filed
by the Mucous for three quarters of a
century. The Clerks Office in King
and Queen county was filed for three
quarters of century by the Christians,
one Of whom occupied the supreme
bench in the state since the civil war.
Robert Hudgin was clerk of our coun-
ty for more than half century There
never was breath Of opposition to his
reappointment or reelection.
Some of the old clerks who were
trained in the Office by their fathers be-
fore them (like the Ohews in Freder-
icksburg) came to be expert beyond all
comparison in drawing difficult orders
Of court. Judge William Leigh was
accounted more intellectual man than
his brother Benjamin Watkins Leigh
But IL is we'll known that when he had
3 very intricate order to draw he turned
il over to his clerk, Branch Worsham.
the clerk Of Prince Edward county
Equally famous with Branch Worsham,
in the expedite drawing Of court orders,
was Rolfe Eldridge, of Buckingham
county, father-in-law Of the late and
widely lamented William Cabell, one of
the formest jurists ever produced by
Virginia, 30 fertile of legal talent.
Caroline