Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-06-02
COLONEL POOL.

eCut1fS OCunAtGSo ZOE uOG udfAnS
called upon Colonel Pool to resign his
position as. Superintendent of Public
instruction because of his possibly
temporary appropriation to his per-
sonal use of that portion of the Pea
body Frnd that came into his hands as
the agent of DIR. Sears. Admitting
for the sake of argument, if for no 9th
er purpose, that Colonel Pool has been
as guilty as he is charged to have been
by his bitterest accuser, we see moth
ing in the action of the committee that
is not. worthy Of commendation> Ii
our friends who are so quick to blame
the Committee had considered but a
moment, they would have remem-
bered that it was only a few weeks
ago the whole Democratic press
throughout the country was most
loudly denouncing President Grant
for accepting Belknap's resigna-
ton and declaring that by that accep~
lance he had made himself al Access
sorry after the fact to the crime, in that
he had aided the criminal to escape
punishment. If our friends had con-
sidered but O moment they would have
remembered also that the Senate of
the United States was sitting as a
Court of impeachment for the trial of
Belknap, and though for weeks engaged
in the discussion, has as yet been able
to reach no conclusion as to whether
Belknap's resignation had saved him
from trial or not.
In view of this state of facts it would
have been exceedingly nnwise for the
Executive Committee to have advised
or requested Colonel Pool to have sent
in his resignation unless they wished to
incur the imputation of desiring to
shield member of their party from the
punishment due to his crime. 1t was
clearly the duty of the Executive Com
mittee to take no step that could by
any possibility place such an imputa-
ton upon the Democratic party. 1t
was their duty to say, as by their con-
duct they have said, that if Colonel
Pool has violated the law ne must
also suffer the penalty and that with
their consent he should never be able
to tell the courts of the country that
by reason of his resignation be is not
amenable to their jurisdiction even
though he did appropriate to his own
use the Peabody Fund.
But suppose the Committee had
been thoughtless enough to call upon
Colonel Pool to send in his resigna
ton to Governor Brogden and he had
done so. Does any one suppose for mo-
ment that the cold man" would have ac-
cepted it !? We can see with our
minds eye the corners of his mouth
working at the very thought. The
sold man" is blind enough not to
see the necessity for making requisi-
ton upon the sGovernor OF Alabama
for two Radical negro voters who
wandered from this State to the Ala
bama Leglature, but he would have
seen as plain as day light the impro-
priety of accepting Colonel POOLS res
ignation. And what virtuous
homily and how many pages there
would have been of it, he would have
written in reply, declining to accept
the resignation for the reason that he
was unwilling to take any step that
might have the appearance even OF
sheltering from punishment man
charged with stealing the children e
money, money given to furnish intel
lectual food for gaping hungry mental
mouths How the old man would
have doomed! How virtuously he would
have returned to Col. Pool his letter
ofresignation and how quickly he would
have given to the press copy of his
reply for publication indeed except
for the looks of the thing, we would not
be afraid to lay little wager that His
Excellency the Governor had, or has
bad at some time, already in manuscript
portion, if not the whole, of his in
tended letter refusing to accept Colo
mel POOLS resignation, ready to fire it
off on sight, breast high into the ranks
of the Democratic party! ut Pool
did not resign. and so Brogdep, if he
would air his virtue, must send to
Alabama for his Radical rogues.
If Pool is a rogue, let him be i'm
peached by the Legislature, and let
him be indicted by the Grand Jury.
The Grand Jury was in session in
Raleigh after these charges were
brought, and the Solicitor and Judge
are both Radicals, why, then,
found against Colonel Pool? If
Pool is guilty he ought not to
be permitted to "resign' out merely,
but he ought to be kicked out
and in such way that he will find it
but step from his Office to the peni-
tertiary. The Democratic party can
not either give or take quarter in
matter of this sort, if it would do its
whole duty to the country.
It will be remembered too that as
Superintendent of Public instruction
not dollar of the public money passes
through Colonel POOLS hands so that he
cannot steal any of it. If DR.. Sears
chooses to retain him as his agent for
the distribution of the Peabody fund,
DIR. Sears and not the Democratic
party is responsible. The Democratic
party has no control whatever over DIR.
Sears or the appointment of his agents.
The DeE ocratic party nor its Execu--
tive committee viii interpose any OBJ
stacle between Colonel Pool and the
severest punishment the law can infict
for any crime of which he may have
been guilty.
Colonel Pool has not been charged
with any wrong doing as Superintend-
ent OF Public instruction but he has
been charged with wrong doing as an