The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-22
The End is Not Yet.

"The end is not yet" significantly
declared the head of one of the di-
visions most directly concerned in
bringing Sprinkle and Angel and
Young and Davis to justice. These
four men," he added, "are men of
influence and means, and their. con-
victfcn is a notable and important
step in the work we have in hand, but
there are others. When you remem-
Der that these particular frauds in
North Carolina have been going on
uninterruptedly for about three years
that the government has lost about
$4,000 by them, and that finally we
had TO go to Kentucky to discover
them, you can understand that TO
make them possible there must have
been one of three things in the office
of the collector. in which district they
occurred: Gross incompetence, crfmi-
MAJ negligence DIP completely in the
crime. My own opinion is that it was
the latter"
Another official in the same branch
of the service said:
THE investigation has never stop
ped, nor will it stop for some time
70 come. There is a still bigger sem
sation in store. but the time is not
yet ripe for me to give the facts.
There are the facts though" point
ing to a pile of papers, (which I have
been collecting for two years. They
relate to the SmarteSt fellow of all
that crowd. You have no idea the
trouble we've had in trapping him"
Then coming to the question as to
how it was that these Irregularities
had been allowed to pass so long and
SO ulrinterruptedly through the coll
lector's office, he said:
THAT is matter we now have
under investigation. | cannot saw
anything further onthat point
One need not inquire very deeply
into the situation from this end, how
ever, to discover that the investiga-
ton of Collector Duncan has been
entered upon reluctantly, and will be
prosecuted with no more vigor than
circumstances make absolutely neces-
sary. Powerful influences are and
have been all along in this connec-
ton at work in his behalf.
You Scratch Me and I'll Scratch YOu.
And therein lies the secret ofthe
control Of the recent convention at
Greensboro, to which more than one
of the convicted men above named
and others under Indictment were
delegates. Duncan wanted endorse
ment. the convicted men wanted
pardons, and under indictment want
ed their cases called off and others
who have been defrauding the gov
ernment but have not yet reached
the courts all prosecutions along that
line stopped. In Blackburn, backed
by a father-in-laW, who lives in
Washington, and is a national COM
mitteeman they found a willing tool
to these ends, and they rallied around
him. Against such unsavory leader
shin and such a nefarious program the
respectab BILE element of the party has
naturally rebelled, with the result
that the matter in ali its phases has
been presented not only to the COM
missioner. but has been brought di-
rectlv to the attention of the Presi-
dent.
The revenue plotters have over
reached themselves. Not only We're
government officials at Greensboro to
watch developments, but since the
convention a number of the most
nronoinent and influential Republi-
cans in the State have written either
to fba commissioner of Internal Reve-
me or 70 the President, calling atten-
tion To the manner in which the con-
vention was conducted and the end
RI which II was directed.
Dis+,.;nt Attorney Holton, for in
stance in his letter directs special at
tention to the presence and activity
of at least two of the men recently
convicted and others under indict-
mani Judge Bynum did not send
1attar bnt came in person to present