The Green Forest tribune., 1908-08-28
County Candidates Formally
 Declare Their Platforms
AT CONCORD LAST MONDAY
Good Crowd of Dear People"
 Were Out to Greet Them

been formally opened at the Concord school house in Winona township last Monday. Not withstanding Concord is situated in busy farming section, a fairly good sized crowd was out to hear the pleas of the hungry office seekers.
 Squire Joe Clark was chosen chairman of the meeting and he proceeded at once to turn custom top side down by putting the long -winded orators at the bot tom of the list. He said he want ed to hear from the other fellows first and informed pr. Poynor and Granger that they would have to "wait."
 A. J. Russell, candidate for re election for Circuit Clerk, was called for to head the list of speakers and the ball was started to rolling in short order.
 Russell said that it was a rather peculiar fact that he was the last to quit running for office from the campaign of two years ago and the first to formally begin running again this time. He came before them as a sort of a standing candidate; that in order to hold the office after he was elected two years ago he had to just keep on running. He had hardly got comfortably situated in his office until it was time to run again if he desired a second, term which he does very much. He gave brief account of his stewardship while in office and ask for an earnest consideration of the record he had made, be- lieving from a standpoint of faithfulness he was entitled to a second term.
 Henry L. Bunch followed Russell, asking for the same office. He said he was sorry that hardships had been worked upon his opponent in order to hold the office after being fairly elected. Bunch said he himself stood for fair elections. He said that Russell was not entitled to the benefit of the precedent of giving a faithful official a second term because he (Russell) had run aganist John McLoud two years ago, when the latter was seeking a second term in the office Russell now holds. Russell had also run aganist Claude Fuller once when the latter was seeking second term as Rep. res entative.
 Bunch criticised Russell for acting in the capacities of both Notary Public and Clerk, saying he should have turned all Mo- tary fees into the county.
 In short rejoinder Russell said he had acted in the capacity of a Notary. That he was a Mo- tary when he was elected Clerk l; that there are many duties a Mo- tary can perform that are not en- joined upon the Circuit Clerk. Russell said he knew that other officials had acted in both capaci- ties at the same time but in order to be sure of his right under the law in the premises, he had sub- mitted the matter to the Attorney General who informed him that he could as Circuit Clerk also act in the capacity of a Notary. He had not used the office to deprive the county of revenue it would have otherwise gotten.
 Short speech were made by J. E. Gregson and Clint Smith, both of whom want to be County Clerk. The only issue evolved between them was simply the question as to which wants the job the "worst," and and it is gennerally conceded that both of them have rather severe case of wanting.
 At this point the candidates for Representative, who by the edict of Squire Clark, had "took a tater and waited," were turned loose and they made things warm up just 8 little. In 45- minutes "direct" address pr. Poynor laid forth his claims for re-election to the office of Representative. He defended himself for having introduced and endeavored to