The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-07


The protest of Senator E. t. Clark.
Populist Senator from Halifax, against
the appointment and retention of DR..
Babb as chaplain of the States prison,
will be remembered. The actions of the
ministers of the Chowan Baptist Associa-
ton in unanimously sustaining serious
charges against Dr. Babb, will also be
remembered. Among these charges were:
1. That he drank habitually and some
times with public drinkers.
2. That he occasionally ordered drinks
from bars and frequently had bottles
filled at bars.
8. That he even drank at public bars
and had been perceptibly under the in
fiuence of liquor
f. That he was culpably Indifferent to
his financial obligations, and persistently
refused to pay his debts, and that he
collected money for church and Sunday
school purposes, for which he had never
accounted
j. That he repeated falsehoods, that he
paid questionable attention to a young
lady which tended to iniure her reputa
ton.
While all of these charges were sus-
tanned unanimously and while they were
such that the penitentiary directors could
not continue him as chaplain, he was
transferred to the position of steward of
the Halifax Farm, and remained there
until the scandalous conduct and the in
competency of himself, the supervisor
and the physician, led to the discharge
of them all. Dr. Babb preferring the
charges against Hughes, the supervisor,
and Harden, the overseer, which were:
t. Incompetency; 2. Total lack of dis
cipline; g. Too much fondness for and
familiarity with the negro female con-
victs.
The attention of the people is respect
fully invited to this part of the 'clean,
able and economical administration" to
which Senator Pritchard refers.
The Martin defalcation is fresh in the
minds of everybody with the possible ex-
ception of Senator Pritchard and his CO.
platmorm makers at Greensboro. 1t will
be recalled that Major w. H. Martin, the
institution clerk of the State Treasury
Department, under the "clean, able and
economicable administration, during his
term of office misappropriated and there
by embezzled some $4,000 of public funds
by figure juggling method that ran
through several years of his term of Of
fee which was not discovered or exposed
until the present Democratic State Treas
urer had taken charge of the office, and
while Senator Pritchard is directing the
attention of the people to this feature of
the "clean. able and economical fusion
administration, Major Martin is serving
a term of ten years punishment in the
States prison for his part in conducting
the "clean, able and economical admin
istration," the sentence of ten years hav-
ing been pronounced upon him, after the
facts had been submitted, by a fusion
Judge.
But worse than any of these yes worse
than all of them perhaps, was the DR..
Kirby Smith scandal. The facts con-
nected with this part of Senator Pritch-
ards ideal administration have all been
published and will remain in the minds
of the people forever, because of the re-
voting nature of the offense of this
fusion official. The truth of the charge
of his intimacy with demented female
patients in the dangerous insane depart
ment Of the States prison, while he was
the physicien in charge thereof, have
been completely established by indispu-
table testimony. While Senator Pritch-
pie to the "clean, able and economical
administration, the perpetrtor of this
direful deed, is beyond the confines of the
State. He having been permitted to re-
sign, and escape just punishment by the
fusion board of directors of the States
prison, whose chairman. Claudius Dock
cry, said on September 81, 1897, few
days after the scandal was made public:
mr. = ton,
this morning it will be accepted and there
will be no investigation of the charges
made against him. If it is not in the
charges will be publicly Investigated.
The purpose of the board evidently was
to let the matter pass in the hope
that the public would not have full knowl-
edge of the disgrace, but Mr.. Benton Will
liams, a gentleman of truth and charac-
ter, who was the attendant in charge of
the department, having been abused and
threatened by J. R. Smith, the father of
the accused, who was at that time super
intendent of the Penitentiary, resigned his
position and demanded a complete in
vestigation. The investigation was sub
sequently made by the fusion board of
directors and DR.. Kirby Smith was de-
clared guilty of indscretion and gross
dlIiy III MS TeldIlOnS WIN the IN
sane female patients placed under his
care.
To these and many other similar fea-
lures of the fusion administration of 1897
1901, should Senator Pritchard, through
his State convention at Greensboro, have
invited the especial attention of our peo-
pie These acts and other acts in keep
ing with them characterized every de-
partment of Senator Pritchard's "clean,
able and economical administration and
these are the things that help to make up
the Senator's ideal of a wholesome and
healthy State government
PRITCHARD'S IDEAL TOWN AND
COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.
Senator Pritchard and his Greensboro
State convention mean also. of course.
TO direct the popular attention to the
Fusion control and management in the
cities and counties where such control
could be secured either by legislation or
usurpation. The people doubtless remem-
Der the cities of Greenville, New Bern
and Wilmington, and the counties OF
Craven, New Hanover BERTHE, Halifax,
Granville, Warren. and other eastern
counties 1t might be well to recall