| Show MORE THAN HE WANTED We occasionally hear of men biting off more than they can chew and others who get more than they ask for Mr A L WILLIAMS WILL-IAMS late Liberal candidate for the office of county collector of this county will go down to history as the gentleman who found a good deal more than he sought When the votes cast at the recent election had been counted it was ascertained that Mr WILLIAMS had a pluralitynot a majority ma-jority as he alleged in his complaintfor I thecollectorship That circumstance should have been very gratifying to the gentleman gentle-man and if he had been content to abide by the result as declared and by the law as it read the probabilities are that he would have enjoyed the occupancy for two years of a very fat office But Mr WILLIAMS was not content He wasnt satisfied with permitting matters to take their course He insisted upon hastening things He wanted office and wanted it mighty bad and in a very great hurry The law says that the collectorelect shall take office in June following the August in which he was elected and in the past that rule has been observed But Mr WILLIAMS couldnt wait He was in an awful hurry No sooner did he receive official notification of his election and get possession of a certificate certifi-cate setting forth the fact than he filed his bond and proceeded to demand the office of his predecessor Mr L G HARDY The lastnamed said he j was not ready to retire that he could not surrender the place until next June by which time he would have collected this years taxes and made settlement with the county when he would be pleased to turnover turn-over the office in proper shape as the law required But the delay was disheartening to the longing Mr WILLIAMS He couldnt think of loafing nine months when he might be drawing a handsome salary and have the fun of handling200000 or 300030 of the public money His impatience was too much for his judgment and he flew to the court to give him what had not been surrendered at his request The question was argued bafora the chief justice a few flays ago and yesterday yes-terday his honor handed down his decision which latter is themore than he asked for received by Mr WILLIAMS Judge ZAKE decides de-cides in short that Mr WILLIAMS was not elected in August notwithstanding a plurality of the votes were cast for him The judge says the law did not provide I for the election of a collector in 1891 the i statute requiring that the official indicated must be chosen in the years of even number num-ber the successful candidate taking the office in June of the years bearing odd numbers teat the fact that a few years ago through the resignation of a collector and the appointment of a successor the election elec-tion was changed to the oddnumbered years did not change the law as to the beginning be-ginning and end of the official term The chief justice holds that inasmuch as there was no election of a collector in 1890 the Incumbent Mr HARDY is entitled under the holdover provision of the law to the office and its emoluments until the election and qualification of his successor and to the end of the term now running une 1893 Thus a collector cannot be elected until the general election in August 1S92 and he cannot take office until June 1S93 It will thus be readily seen how Mr I I WILLIAMS in his eagerness to deprive Mr HARDT of nine months of office holding has deprived himself of office entirely By the next general election In August there will be no Liberal party to voto for Mr WILLIAMS I WILL-IAMS and in the light of recent political events it may reasonably be doubted that any other party will vote for him It is a clear case of ambition overleaping itself the punishment following fast upon the V heels of the offense |
