The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1905-05-25
THE APPROVAL OF THE
pEOpLFs

THE APPROVAL OF THE
PEOPLE.
Recently the people Of the State
were surprised, and we might say
shocked, when the information
leaked out that the governor o.
their state had left his high Office
and taken trip to Washington City
to appear as attorney for q violation
Of the law. The facts, as we under
stand them, are briefly as follows:
A certain man named Casper
was charged with running an Illicit
whiskey busine and besides ped
ding out over this and other state,
large quantities Of whiskey on which
no tax had been paid, had employed
a number of attorneys, among whom
was the present governor of NORTH
Carolina. OF course, be employed
this governor attorney before he was
elected governor. The attorneys fol
Casper were evidently afraid to &C
to trial knowing, or fearing, at least,
that their client would surely be
convicted and sent tothe penitentia.
ry if the real facts and the evidence
n ere presented in a court of law be-
fore an honest jury. Therefore, his
attorneys bent all of their thoughts
and energies toward inducing the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
at Washington, D. c., to compro.
mise the Casper case upon the pay.
ment Of fine and thus prevent a
trial in Court of justice.
Pending these proceedings, one of
the attorneys of Casper was elected
governor of North Carolina. After
he was elected and inaugurated and
was officially acting as governor of
the State, he took trip to Wash
ington in the interest Of his client,
who was charged with violating
the law, and who had it seems vic.
lated it so flagrantly that there was
no hope in the opinion of his attor-
neys of acquitting him in a court Of
Justice.
This being the situation, this gov
9rnor attorney so far forgot his oath
Of Office, his duty to the State and
70 the people whose protection de-
'ends upon the execution of the law,
IS to take the aforesaid mentioned
rip to Washington in the interest of
lis client, who seemed to have been a
most fragrant violator of the laws.
which the Governors oath of Office
equired that he should uphold.
We will not charge that this gov
'rnor attorney used his exalted po-
ition as governor of the State to Sc
ure practical acquittal, that is a !
ompromise, of his case, so as to pre-
'ent a trial and the bringing out of
he real testimony, but one thing is
ertain. and that is, that he was the
ne attorney of many representing
his client who was either selected
r who saw fit to go to Washington
the interest of this man who was
harged with being a notoriouse vio-
tor OF the law. If heWas not selec.
ID or did not volunteer to
0 onaccount of his official DO
ton and the influence it might
ave, then it must have been on &C
'unt Of his widely recognized and
Universally accepted wonderful abil-
y as a lawyer. So, either on &C.
'unt of his official position as gov.
nor or on account of his wonder.
Ii ability as a lawyer, the fact is
at he succeeded in keeping his I
lent from the penitentiary. And
few of the facts with reference '
his case are as we understand
EN-, sentence to the penitentiary
IS never more richly deserved than
this case. +
1t is fresh in the minds of the
ople that United States Senator s
8 recently been indicted and con )
cted for representing certain clients
fore the Post Office Department 7
no had violated the law, while it =
's his duty as Senator to help the !.
vernment to enforce the law. Can =
be possible that the governor of a
eat state has committed q less ,
'ong in thus using his official posi- 4
N to protect criminal under the o.
', than did that Senator who is >,
W under conviction to a sentence =,
the federal penitentiary, and who :,
sent to the penitentiary will, of o,
lrse, be expelled from the United :,