Evening journal., 1902-05-27
ruosE ARRESTS

Yesterday this community WIS auihO
what startled at THE arrest OF certain
prominent officials. There had been fn-
mors ON She streets for some weeks
but the people were not altogether pre-
pared for this action. 1t requires cour-
age on the part of a prosecuting officer
to perform what he must regard as
an unpleasant duty, and there is
nothing TO do but to presume that sub
sequent events will justify his course
In such cases there is a tendency to
demand that the law shall be upheld
without fear or favor, as long as IL
dtags into the net the other fellow,
hut to vince when personal or polit-
cal friends come within it's reach. The
people. as well as the officers of the
law. must endeayor to be impartial
and Just to the end that the public in
terests may be served and justice done.
Therefore at this stage of the proceed
ings little may consistently be said, al-
though there are certain features
which the public may discuss with per-
feet propriety.
Some weeks since the people OF the
State We're surprised when they learn
ed that the Board of Pardons had rec
commended the pardon of one Montya-
loo Cole. who was serving a term for
the brutal murder of a citizen OF Della
ware. There was q storm of indigna-
ton at the time. but The Attorney-Gen-
Al. al t1,t
that his reasons would be made known
at some future date. There IFS a gem
eral impression that in these prosecu-
tions we have The reasons which are
supposed to iustify Coles release. To
put it tersely, il seems uhat Cole was
released from Jail TO put one or more
OF these defendants in. If such is the
case. no comment is required from us.
There is a feeling THAT these arrests
mark only a beginning of an investiga
tion into the workings Of the sheriffs
Office There is a prevailing opinion
that whatever the system of conduct
ing the Office under the present in
cumbent has been it has been inherit
ed from his predecessors. II this is
true. the public viii expect to see the
investigation go far enough to embrace
every official connected with the Office,
and not rest with the prosecution Of
the present incumbent OF course we
40 not mean to intimate that there Will
be partiality, but the suspicion Of it
must be avoided.
10 is q grave matter to arrest a high
officer of the law, and we are bound
to presume that the subsequent pro-
ceediEgs VIII justify It. But il is due
TO the present Sheriff and his prede-
cessors TO say that whatever bills they
have presented to the county, have been
scuunized by the Levy Court and or
dered paid by that body, And whor
so scrutinized, and ordered paid, IN,
Sheriff had some reason for presuminl
that the general system OF charges ha,
been endorsed. We take it for grant
ed that in honoring the commitment
OF the Mayor of New Castle there wa
no false pretense. since it was general
ly known that Those commitments wer
honored and charged for.
An ex-sherin informed the writer re
Gently That under his administrator
each commitment represented a man
if this is true, there could be no falls
pretense in his case. And we may pre-
sumo that il is held that the preser
incumbent charged for the beard {
prisoners not in custody; If this sha
be proved. there viii be nothing to sa,
There is just one more feature whiC
the people are discussing; whatev'
system has been in operate
in the shepiff's office; whatev'
abuses have grown up, they are now
the past. since under the operation
the new law the Sheriff is a aalaried @
ficer and the prisoners are no long
under his care These prosecution
then. are not to break up an evil viii
exists. and is likely to continue, b
TO punish past alleged offenses.