The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-03-03
JUSTICES LETTER.
From Union Republican.


Crime is rampant in a State that
prior to the war had an excellent
record, good criminal laws, faithful
courts, heightened lawyers, and a
love of justice, when human life was
not cheap and homes were safe.
These are the closing worlds Of
that part of Mr. Kingsbury's letter
quoted in last weeks Republican.
This is the solemn truth. Before
the war no State had a better record
for good government, pure courts,
just laws, honest juries and fair cleo.
tions than North Carolina. Today
under the rule of the Democratic
party but few States have worse and
those who have done most to pro-
duce these conditions are claiming
to wonder why, and are doing all
they can to muddy the waters and
to keep the people from seeing the
real reason.
In their efforts they remind me
of little negro girl that was walk
ing down the street in town / once
lived in, swinging a little brush in
her hand. She had hold of the little
end and it broke as she swung it
round and round and flew right
against window and broke about
half dozen lights. When she saw
what she had done she yelled out,
"who's dat flung dat brush ?" She
knew we'll enough who ''fung dat
brush" and so do these men know
what is the matter with North Caro-
lima for they have helped to do it..
Let us trace the history Of the Demo-
cratic party a little since the war
and see if its very inception was not
opposition to the constitution and
laws of our country. In the first
place who was it refused to adopt
the constitution Of 1865 and 60 back
into the Union? We all know it
was the Democratic party for there
was not negro or carpet-bagger that
voted in these elections.
The next step Of the Democracy
was to form the kuklux under an
oath bound compact to oppose the
constitution and laws of the State
and the United States and to do it
for no other reason than that this
State had been voted back into the
Union. To show it's utter contempt
for the law this brand of Democracy
dragged Outlaw from his bed at
hight and carried him to the county
seat and hung him right under the
shadow of the courthouse, for no
other reason than that he was a
county commissioner.
This was bad enough, but was not
enough to show their defiance of the
law, so they killed in lold blood a
State Senator in the very temple of
justice itself in broad open daylight
and not man has ever been called
to the bar Of justice to answer for
either crime in Slate court in North
Carolina. The condition grew so
bad that the Governor tried to pro-
tect life and property in the State as
he had sworn to do and the Legis-
ture Immediately impeached him,
drove him out of Office and let him
die a political outcast in a State he
had given the best years of his life
to serve. The next act was to par
don all these criminals who had de-
fed the law, debauched the courts.
corrupted the juries and destroyed
the oath of witnesses, all of which
the Democratic press applauded the
Democratic speakers defended; the
Legislature protected and the preach
ers held their silence about, or if
they mentioned them at all it was
to approve.
To show how easy this condition
was to control had the laws been
enforced. the kuklux disbanded at
once when the United States passed
a law against them and gave the
United States courts jurisdiction and
began TO punish them. Randolph
ShOtwell was convicted under this
law and to show that they despised
the Union and its lave, he was cleo
ted Democratic member of the
Legislature of this State at the very
first election after he was released
from prison. What else but con-
dition Of crime can be expected in
State where criminals write its laws
and where their execution is intrus-
ted to those who despise law and
order?
But when open defiance became
dangerous then the Democratic party
sought to gain its ends by fraud in
elections; destroyed local selfgov-
eminent and made the county Offices
the premiums paid for election
frauds. The county commissioners
appointed the election officers the
election officers counted in the
Democratic legislators; the Demo-
cratic legislators appointed the mag.
istrates and the magistrates appoint
ed the county commissioners and
thus the ring was complete !. which
circulated entirely above the heads
of the people, upon whose taxes
they fed and fourished. No matter
what frauds were committed, all of
these were dulv protected by the
juries, for the county commission