Gloucester County Democrat., 1902-05-22

was going to do 1t In much less time, will
use up much more time yet The city
paid 900 to save three months in time
which it does not get. Does any one
doubt that the contractor will get his
money just the same as if he had COM
piled with his agreement?
The heading of that editorial from
the facile pen of Hon. Charles Emory
is "A Contract Craft" which perhaps
most fitly describes it. A forty thou
sand dollar graft is valuable asset.
MirabIe Dictu!
Wonders will never cease. Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt. president of the
United States, the most strenuous fig
ure in current history, has been ac-
cused of being lacking in backbone,
Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in
the streets of Askelon! 1 would never
have believed that any human being
had gall enough to make that prepos-
ferrous charge if l had not seen it in
cold type with my own eyes. Might
as well call Cyrus Sulloway of New
Hampshire pygmy or Henry w. Glib
son of Tennessee a giant. AS truly
charge that Senator Chauncey Mitchell
Depew is ever serious or that General
Francis Marion Cockrell ever jokes.
The correspondent of the New York
Times is the man who has the effron-
terry to intimate that Teddy's spinal
column is out of whack Surely there
never was anything more ridiculous
put into print since Gutenberg invent
ed movable types. 1t proves beyond all
controversy the illimitable expansive
ness of the human Imagination. But
here it is. The New York Evening Post
says:
We are not sure that President Roose-
velt ought to be '1et off" by the Grand
Army people for his eliminating offense
In the Evans case. Washington dispa tches
say that the appointment of Evans to
the office of consul general at London, the
most highly paid place in the foreign
service, is regarded as a slap in the face
by all the magnates who fought so long
to secure his removal from the pension Of
fee. According to The Times correspond
ent, they say that ''if it was right to re-
move Mr.. Evans, there was no need to do
anything more than to remove him. Their
judgment is that the president has shown
weak backbone in this matter. He
should not have removed Mr.. Evans if he
was satisfied with his conduct of his Of
fice." In this matter they are more log
ical than usual.
Hon. Thomas S. Carter's Invention.
1t has passed into a proverb that ga
Missourian must be shown" He also
sometimes shows divers people sundry
things. Out in Sturgeon, Mo-, l have
friend who is successful lawyer.
His name is Thomas s. Carter, and he
recently by reason of his ingenuity
conferred a blessing not only upon the
profession, but upon all those liable to
infract the laws. He invented the
process of conducting court trial by
telephone-a great boon to suffering
humanity surely-and l am not certain
but he is entitled to a patent on his
idea. The Fulton Sun, edited by an
other of my friends, Colonel W. d.
Thomas, thus describes this interesting
performance first thought of by Colonel
Carter, which is brand new, notwith-
standing King Solomon's dictum that
there is nothing new under the sum-"
Recently man named Lawrence com
mitted the offense of playing poker in
Centralia, and warrant was sworn out
for his arrest. In the meantime he had
escaped to Sturgeon. but was followed
and captured by the marshal. who was
about to return with him to Centralia
He consulted Attorney Thomas S. Carter
and he told him the case could be tried by
phone. So Recorder Harris of Centralia
was called up over the New Century Tele-
phone line and the case stated. The war
in open court, the fine was assessed and
the money paid over to the marshal, and
he returned minus the prisoner. but with
the fine and costs paid entered on the
records books. We have heard of people
being married by phone and many other
things, but this is perhaps the first case
on record where q man was tried by such
means
Lawyers and defendants in criminal
cases will readily see the advantages
in Colonel Carter's plan. 1t will save
much embarrassment and waste of
time. Brother Carter deserves the
thanks of the whole people.
A Rising Democrat.
1t is curious what committee assign
ments enable members to make reputa-
tions. AS rule few men seek as
signments to any of the three COM
mittees on elections because usually
such assignment means much drudgery
.rk and little glory. 1t will be re-
membered, however, that Henry Cabot
Lodge made great reputation in the
house by serving on an election COM
mittee. Unless I miss my guess, Mr..
Bowie of Alabama is in a fair way to
rival the reputation made by Lodge In
that line of work He has made a re-
port in the Butler Horton case from st.
Louis which for lucidity and strength
has never been excelled in the house
and which is certain to attract much
attention and to bring Bowie into prom
inent notice. He cuts up the majority
report by the roots. Although Butler,
Democrat, was elected by 1858 major
ity, the Republican majority of the
committee brought in report which
says that nobody was elected and de-
clares the seat vacant. Bowie mer-
cilessly analyses the modus operandi
of the Republican majority. Inter ALA,
he says
There is no competent evidence in this
record which remotely tends to invalidate
a sufficient number of these votes to make
this majority even doubtful. Much Is said
in the report of the majority about the
fact that the election law known as the
Filley law, adopted in 1895, was repealed
by an act known as the Nesbit law in
1899. We are unable to discover what
legitimate connection this fact has with
this cause. 1t surely will not be denied
that the state of Missouri sovereign
state of this republic, had the lawful right
to pass any act which commended itself
to its judgment, acting through the law
making power -
Again it is contended that the legisla-
ture of Missouri wickedly enacted another
law in reference to the police of the city.
1t is claimed that this was the result of a
conspiracy on the part of the managers of
the Democratic party, that the police
force was greatly enlarged in number and
their pay increased and that the police
force was reorganized under that law in
the interest of the Democratic party.
The evidence in the record in this case
completely refutes this proposition. The
contestant himself caused to be examined
in his own behalf and literally quotes
from the testimony of Mr.. Harry Hawes,
the president of the police board. Mr..
Halves, on page lib of the record, ct seq.
shows the reasons for the passage of this
law. 1t appears from his testimony that
the city of st. Louis had nearly one-third
less police than any other city of Its class
in the United States. There were con-
slant complaints made Of the fact that
policemen did not appear in neighbor-