The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-03-23

| Writ where man violated plain man
| date of Jehovah, and though he did it
| innocently he had to pay the penalty
| of his life. To show this he read from
| the sixth chapter of Second Samuel:
And when they came to Nachon' s
| threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand
| to the ark of God, and took hold of it;
| for the oxen shook it, And the anger of
| the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and
| God smote him there for his error, and
there he died by the ark of God"
Commenting upon this passage, the
| speaker said:
''Uzzah not one of the priesthood had
| laid his profane hand on the sacred ark
| of God; he did it innocently but that was
a sin that Jehovah could not forgive, and
he drew the sword of justice and smote
him. Shall mortal man be more just than
God? And that too when this offence
was wilfully and knowingly committed.
When these men have knowingly and
palpably violated the law and the consti-
tuition, shall we say they may go back
again and administer justice?"
Maj. Guthrie called attention to the fact
that the judges had five months after
the argument of the case in which to
make up their minds in a decision and
added:
And having decided they threw papers
at Judge Clark because he would not
agree with them and wanted to go on
record as saying so. Great God! what
spectacle in the highest court of the land.
Angered at him, because he would not go
with them-mad when he tried to reason
with them; and finally when he said,
Well, if you will do this thing, let me
enter my protest against it,, they replied
in hot anger: You shall do nothing of the
kind. .
COOK OPENS FOR THE DEFENSE.
Maj. Guthrie finished his speech at
1880, having spoken in all four and a
half hours He was followed by Capt.
Chas. M Cooke, who made the opening
argument for the defense.
Capt Cooke began by saying that before
he entered upon the discussion of the
position of the defense in this case, he
wanted to notice some of the statements
of the gentlemen who had just preceded
him. IF there IS one book that thought
this Board of Managers would ignore" he
went to say, at is that Book (the Bible.)
This whole movement is against the spirit
of that Book
He went on discuss with some warmth
Maj. Guthrie's reference to the striking
down of Uzzah and against it he said he
desired to place the life and teachings of
! Christ. He declared that the other side
was "perverting scripture to accomplish
a wicked and unholy purpose" Then
| he added: ooh, know I'm talking sharp
| ly and with some show of feeling, but
! I'd be false to myself and my political
and religious tenets did l keep quiet with
! the thoughts that are burning in me-
He wished to quote from the Bible a
little, too. Though in doing so / may
say that there is another member of
| cur family that is better versed in scrip
! ture than l am, and that member, / be-.
| lieve, is in the lady's gallery"
| Capt. Cooke wanted to call Maj. Guth-
! rie's attention to the fact that Israel
never knew the depths of her degrada-
| ton till she turned her back upon an
honest Judge" He therefore hoped that
the next time the gentleman quoted
scripture he would select a more appro-
| pirate passage or better occasion.
Having completed his religious dis
course, Capt. Cooke said there was poll
tics in this impeachment and added that
there was ALWAYS politics in impeach-
ment proceedings" He was sorry of this,
and he was sorry also that much had
been said and written that, judged from
judicial standpoint, should never have
been spoken and written" He asked
Senators to forget it, and added:
| All we ask at your hands is fair trial
| BY saying this. l do not mean that you
will not give us fair trial but / ask
that If there is any influence brought to
bear on you, on either side, lay it aside
| The speaker ANNOUNCED that this was
the first impeachment trial he ever fig
ured in. "and God grant that it may be
! the last
THE POSITION OF GOV. VANCE.
| And now he proceeded to pitch into
| every thing in sight and some things
i present only in his imagination. He said
The immortal name of Vance has been
! invoked in this impeachment proceeding
Well now what has Vance got to do with
1t! A distinguished member of the Board
! OF Managers, during the discussion in the
( House, said Vance had refused a fee of
$4,000 to appear for Governor Holden.
deny it, | don't know what actually did
| happen between Vance and Holden, but
y | do know Vance's character too well not
to know that he never did that. I'll tell
you what he said: He said, L have been
| elected Senator of the whole people OF
North Carolina, and | will have nothing
to do with this thing. While l am in
office ] will hold the balance of justice
1 equal and exact between all men And
later, when he went to appoint Chief
Justice where did he go? Did he go to
/ the prosecution? He went to counsel for
! Holden's defense. He appointed Chief
| Justice Smith. Oh, you can't sit under
that mans picture (Vance's) and yet de-
! clare that N the supreme crisis he re-
/; fused to stand for the right If that's
! to be the spirit that is to characterize
this trial l say that even though the
character of these judges be all that you
say it is, you will accomplish more hurt
TO North Carolina than they would to re-
main on the bench for life time. Was
anything like it ever before heard in this,
our Israel?'
/ Further discussing Maj. Guthrie's
speech, Capt. Cooke said he (Guthrie)
helped elect these judges and up to 1897
he condoned their offenses.
Now. gentlemen, that's so; that's
everlastingly so. He accepted theil
nomination for Governor. and now ne
comes here and asks you to impeacf