Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-05-24
From the Raleigh Sentinel.

We said the other day that the line Of
attack that would be adopted by Caldwell
and his allies in the campaign, would be to
m1Srepresent facts and manufacture false
charges against our candidates. According
to Caldwells own confession, he and his
friends are in the PRISONERS BOX, and in
order to induce the jury who are trying
them for high crimes and misdemeanOrS to
find favorable verdict, they are not only
pleading innocence, but are endeavoring to
fasten guilt upon the prosecuting attorneys
of the State. At PittsborO' the Radical
candidate for Governor attempted to as
sumo the offensive, and putting on a look
of injured Innocence, endeavored "to go
for Judge MerrimOn after the style Of Bill
Nye. The result was as glorious to our
candidate as disastrous TO Caldwell. He
was fOored at every round, his political
heels were knocked from under him most
completely, his legs were seen flying above
his head and his head went down into the
mud and filth of his party shambes.
The main attack was 10 charge by
inuendo that our candidate was implicated
in some manner with Swepson. The form
Of his charge was that Judge Merrimon
was the legal adviser Of Swepson and had
drawn certain railroad bills for him,
| through which means the State had been
robbed of millions of dollars.
| The reply of Judge Merrimon to this
silly attack was manly, direct and over
whelming. He acknowledged that Sweep
son had sought him Gs q laocyer to get him
to draw up the bills; that he had done 80
and had received pay for it; that there was
no fraud or wrong in this, for what he had
done was only in the regular course of his
profession as a lawyer-only what any
lawyer would have done. The bills were
not drawn by his advice but as directed by
| his client.
And, now reader, would you suppose for
a moment, that man who had been gull
ty of the temerity of such an assault upon
the reputation Of so pure and honorable a
gentleman as Judge Merrimon, aoCs hinlSeiJ
the least implicated in this very matter he
would saddle upon our candidate for Gov
ernor? And yet so it is. Tell it not in
Gath, preach it not in the streets of Aska
lon! that CdldweU himself left no stone
1ultIuned that StcepsOn'S plans might b.
carried into successful operation.
Judge MerrimOn drew the bills as law
yer for client who had sought his ser
vices. But what did Caldwell do, the MAJ
who is so pure in heart as to have his spiri
troubled because a gentleman acting in biz
capacity as lawyer actually for fee drew
up some railroad bills? What agenc,
had Caldwell in what followed ? Let IL
see.
After Judge Merrimon had written tn
bills as a professional duty, Caldwell-th
immaculate gentlemanupon whom no tain
of suspicion can be supposed To rest-o
, no, of course nOt-this veritable Tod Cald
well, who for vile party purposes had as
sailed our GubernatOrial candidate-thi
, Caldwell did actually take these same rail
, road bills, did remodel, alter and chanc
J them to suit his own purposes and the pun
poses of Swepson and others, introduciD
, new features that placed the stakeholder
r of the eastern division of the Western rOa
5 wholly ut the mercy Of the State Director
: that had been appointed by Governor Hol
: den. This same Caldwell at the time h
5 thus manipulated the bills was Presiden
: of the Senate branch of our Legislature
and welded necessarily considerable in
2 f1uence among the henchmen Of his party
/ 1t 1CdS mainly through his inStrullentdlH
f thdt the great injury acGs done the Stat
+ and the stockholders Of the Eastern ID
riSiOn Of the Western Road. But for hiI
r the millions of dollars that were stole
: or squandered by Swepson would nov
be i'll the hands Of the people to whom the
? belong. But for Caldwell it would nevc
= have become necessary for Judge Nerr
/ mon and Gov. Vance to exert their unfit
: ence against and to defeat the organiZatio
VI ChS company IL HeAo IHIOuSh OilC u
forts that the conspiracy of Swepson an
, Caldwell was overthrown and defeated.
: The BILLS AS ALTERED AND REMOD
: ELLED BY CALDWELL ARE NOW ON FILL
? IN Ills OWN HANDWRITING.
} When he was challenged to stand u
, and say whether he believed that Judg
Merrimon had acted either false or fraud
ulent part i'll the matter, either as a lawye
or as a citizen, he dared not say he did
Thus was answered the trumped up charge
Exit CdIdUreU.