The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-08
Investigation to be Made
in Carolina Waters.
CAN CARRY ILLINOIS
Congress Adjourned Without Passing
Bill to Punish Men Who Try
to Kill the President or
Other High Of
fiCiaIs.
Especial to News and Observer.)

ly Representative Small called the
attention of the Fish Commission to
the decrease in the catch of shad and
other fish in North Carolina waters
during recent years and asked that an
investigation be made into the causes.
In compliance with this request Com
missioner Bowers has sent two agents
(Profs. Cobb and Stevensom to East
ern Carolina to visit all the fisheries,
collect statistics as to catch, nets used,
conditions prevailing and the like.
These facts are to be compared with
similar facts collected for former
years. as a basis on which to work
out the problem proposed by Mr..
Small.
Congress adjourned without passing
the bill to punish assassins or luna
tics who attempt to kill the President
or other executive officers of the gov
eminent. The House passed q meas
ure, which was not constitutional but
the Senate didn't pass it. Five Sena-
Iors-Bacon, Pettus, Culberson,
Blackburn and Patterson--report ad-
Versely tire House bill and say the
bill should properly be entitled "A
bill to prescribe the punishment Of
kill the President of the United States,
or the Nice-Presdent of the United
States" and SO on down through the
list Of the executive officers and for
eign ministers in this country, desig-
mating each one by title. The pur-
pose is say the dissenting Senators,
"to set apart these four dozen men as
n superior and distinct class under the
law of the land, entitled in a higher
degree of protection than other offi-
Gals, citizens and inhabitants of the
United States, and to make an oifense
against the person of any one OF
them higher and greater oifense,
punishable with q severer penalty than
If the same oifense were committed
against the person of any other DILL
cial. citizen or inhabitant of the
United States. The enactment of Il
law prescribing Il punishment for one
who shall kill an official can only be
considered as an act for the proven
ton Of the killing of that official IN
so far. as the knowledge OF the pen
atty to be inflicted will act as deter
rent upon one who may contemplate
the commission of the crime. Nor
does the knowledge by the assassin
that he is to be tried by Federal
Court act as any greater deterrent TO
him than the knowledge that he Is
to be tried and executed by state
court. The execution of an assassin
is a proper punishment for the crime
of assassination. but it does not re-
store the life of the person assassin
ated.
THE minority members Of the COM
mittee yield to none in their desire to
protect the President from assassina-
ton, and they, to the utmost, detest
and abhor the crime and the enemies
of government and of social order by
- &c. II
accomplishment of this laudable de-
sire we are unwilling to put upon the
statute book q law which Will invade
and destroy the most valued principles
of Republicans institutions: which VIII
take from the States their rightful
Jurisdiction over crime. which they
have never surrendered to the gem
eral government; which will overturn
the recognized policies and procedure
Of q hundred years. and which, not
content with provisions respecting the
President, sets apart some 1orty-EVe
or fifty other men as q separate class
whose persons shall be more sacred
in the eye of the law than any others
of the S0.000,000 inhabitants Of the
United States.
.In the effort to destroy anarchists
and 10 safeguard against the commits
sion of their detestable crimes we are
unwilling to establish in this country
classes one of which shall stand high
er than another class before the law.
Protection from lunaticS can only be
had by physically guarding the Presi-
dent so that they cannot have the
opportunity to3approach him. and the
same thing is true of the anarchist
assassin in almost, if not quite, the
same degree.
There should not be one law for
one man. even though he be Presi-
dent of the United States. and another
law for another man, even though he
be the lowliest citizen of the United
states. There should be in this coun-
try no classes before the law This
bill if enacted into law will make
such classes. Under 1t, if the Secre-
tary of the Navy walks down the
street and n man assaults him and the
Jury say it was with fclonious intent
that man will be adjudged to death
If the chief justice, or the Speaker
of the House, or any private citizen,
is assaulted under the same circum-
stances and the same intent is found
by the jury the assailant is put in the
penitentiary for short term of years.
The Secretary of the Interior assaults
n private citizen with felonious intent
and under the general law OF the State
i'm which the offense is committed. he
is only liable for imprisonment for a
term OF years, Dut reverse the case
the private citizen under the same
circumstances assaults the secretary
in the same State, and by the provis-
ion of this bill the private citizen must
be executed"
The Democrats recognize that to
win they must carry both New York
and Illinois The belief is general
that New York will vote against
Roosevelt What about Illinois? The
wisest Democrat from that State Is
Representative Williams, who has been
i'm Congress fifteen or more years. and
is a probable nominee for Vice-Presi-
dent. Here is his diagnosis of the
Illinois situation:
IT think that with good Demo-
cratic platform on the issues before
the people today and a good candidate
the Democrats have excellent pros