The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-12

DEBATED NEARLY
THREE HOURS
A PROSECUTE C COMMITTEE App0ISTtO
t Con ISIS Of Judge Ain, Mr. Gag and Mr.
Foushee. Tney vii 'fe5ynt and WI
{ lead the Csst At lhs Bar
Of ne Senate.
Of the Senate,

VI ~ 9THo'Cf
Judge Norwood viii b. impeached.
Two years ago be came perilouzly near
the abyss. This time he has foppIed
OVER.
Then he escaped by writing ont his
resignation and placing it ia the bands
of the chairman Of the judiciary Com
mittce. v. :. Lusk. 10 be sent 60 tac
Governor in a certain event.
That event happened, viz: he eol
beastly drunk The resignation WAS
sent 10 the Governor. The Governor
accepted it, As soon as Judge Nor
wood sobcred up enough to know what
was going on b. wrote TO the troyefnof
withdrawing his resignation and to 1r
Lusk repudiatInr any agency he had
imposed in him.
since then Judge Norwood has haeu
exercising the duties Of bis office Even
since the Introduction u the impelen-
ment resolution he has been signing or
ders and injunctions.
it was on these facts that the JUDI
ciary committee based its first finding:
THAT Judge Norwood is as a matter
Of law, liable to impeachment.
The next question was ought be 10
he Impeacae0E
On this point witnesses were sum
moned and il was found that at uum-
her of courts. in all parts Of the State,
he had beeu drunk in public aud 0n the
bench. and unable in many Instances go
hold court at all.
On this evidence the committee came
to its second finding:
.rhat Judge Norwood Is an hauiEda
J,Tr 10 sr.v-0a ..k..,,g
On these findings the committee Ce-
commended the impeachment tf Judge
/ Norwood for high crimes and misde-
meanors: and further. that a committee
OF three be appointed to go to the Senate
and. in the name of the House of Repre-
sentatiyes and of the people of North
Carolina. exhibit articles Of impe8ch-
ment and make good the same.
1t was on this resolution that the
House was yesterday called TO act
1t came up shortly after the hour of
II, as n special order and was debated
until , o'clock. when the vote was TAX
ON. 1t resulted: Ayes. 90; noes, 81
Speeches were made in favor If he
resolution by Messrs. Allen. of Wayne:
Robinson. of Cumberland; Craig, Of
BuncOmbe; FouShee. of Durham, and
Gillian, of Edgecombe. The resolution
was opposed by MesSrs. Winston, of
BERTHE; Leatherwood, of Swain: Me-
Lean, of Harnett. and Davis, of Hay
wood.
Judge Allen. as acting chairman of
the House judiciary committee. was in
charge of the resolution, and therefore
made the opening and closing speeches.
His opening speech was a clear judi
cial statement of the case. He explain
ed the reasons that induced the commit
tee to make the report recommending
the impeachment.
I'VE considered the resolution in com
mittee for three or four days We did
this because we felt that it was a mat
ter of the very gravest Importance
not only to the man directly concerned.
bur to the people of North Carolina as
WE'LL
He read the resignation of Judge
Norwood. the acceptance of the reSigna-
ton TUNE 18th, 1881 and other cor
respondence between the Governor and
Judge Norwood regarding that resicna.
ton: also the Governors notice to the
Auditor Of the termination of Judge
Narwood's term of office
Judge Allen reviewed the action az
the Judiciary committee and the evj
dence on which that action was based
which evidence has already been pril,t5
ed in these columns:
THE committee found from the owl
dence that Judge Norwood is Judge dc
Jure. This determined. the question was.
Had Judge Norwood been drunk? Had
his drunkenness been such as to be n re-
proach to the judiciary of the State?'
Here he reviewed also the evidence as
to Judge NorwoOd's repeated and dis
graceful drunkenness.
Under this evidence Mr. Speaker
the committee could come to bur ono
concuSion-that he was impeachabln
and ought to be impeached."
The first speech for the defense came
from Mr.. Winston, of BERTHE. II was
an eloquent plea, appealing strongly 10
all who heard it,
Mr.. Winston began by referring 10 tbe
awful consequences Of an impeachment
lie dreWAa picture of the ruin it would
bring to the Norwood home, the sorrow
and disgrace.
lie argued that Judge Norwood was
nor JUDGE and therefore not impeacb.
ape, lie said on the 18th Of June.
lS9o-the day his resignation was ac-
fepted-Norwood surrendered his com
mine
The resignation he contended was nh.
Solute and unconditional and since its
acceptance he has not been Judge.
1T makes no difference how mncb be
pretends to be Judge Judge Norwoo,f
has no authority in law or in eoet ror
being a judge in North Carolina. lie
las had none since last June. Whatever
acts Of debauchery, therefore, he may
nave committed are not acts OF an af6
'er but of an individual.
lie argued that the conditions writ.
on upon the envelope, TO govern the
letion of Mr.. Lusk in hanf,ag 10 he
eslgnatlon. were against public policy
nd therefore null and void.