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

LET THE FRAUDS BE PROBED AM
THE BLAME FALL WHERE
IT BELONGS.
We notice that the Raleigh New
and Observer and a number of othe
Democratic organs are having muci
to say just now about certain sup.
posed irregularities and possible
frauds and corruption in the reve-
nue. service in certain quarters. They
charge that in many places illicit
distilleries are being operated and
that the federal Internal Revenue
agents must know of such violations
of the law and that they fail to in
vestigate and arrest the supposed
violatOrs of the law.
These Democratic organs even 20
further and charge by insinuation,
without using names, that certain
revenue agents who were Door q
few years ago have accumula ted
considerable wealth on nominal sal
aries and that they must have been
paid thousands of dollars of hush
money by illicit distillers or IL
censed distillers who have been vio-
lating the law by producing an
output largely in excess of what
their books show.
Now, if there is any foundation
for these reports and charges, it is
the duty of those who have this in
formation to furnish the same to the
government, and if this were done,
every fairminded, honest man in
North Carolina or elsewhere knows
that President Roosevelt and his
administration would as quickly in
vestigate and ferret out such irregu-
arities, frauds and corruptions, if
'uch exist, as the administration
has done in the Post Office cases and
n the Land cases. Everybody
Knows that the Post Office frauds
we're fearlessly and thoroughly in
'estigated and that every criminal
vas run down, tried and convicted
nd is now in the penitentiary. AL
o, everybody knows that those i'm
'licated in land frauds have been
indicted and either convicted or
heir trials pending. The same hon
st and fearless administration oil
ustice to wrong-doers will be melted
ut to the violators of the law in |
ny and every department of the
But in this connection it is peril
ent to ask why those democratic
and organs who seem to
9 SO much concerned about the al
eyed failure of certain federal reve.
ue officers in performing their
uty, should not turn a part of their
ttention to investigating why the
office. holders under state
nd county governments have not !
lvestigated the same said alleged
auds under the Watts law. Nearly
very one of these supposed or
larged violators of the federal in
rnal revenue laws is equally the
olator of the State Watts law, h
We have in mind now q recent
atement by one Of these democrat j
organs to the effect that it was \
ell known that there were several
llclt dlstilleries within few miles1
certain county seat and that the +,
venue agents had been to that,
unity only few times and them '
ID never gone out to investigate '
ose illicit distilleries. 9
If these facts are known to the i
machine, why is it that | g
g democratic sheriff of the county '
ferred to (Which, if we remember t
rrectly, was the county of David L
~ has not himself investigated n
is matter? The democratic sher- il
of the county is always on the il
OF. while the revenue agent must G
YER large territory and can only S
casionally visit specific spot i'll
does his duty toward the remain. Fl
+ of his bailiwick. Isl
We have no sympathy with any o
olator Of the law and less with any D
icer of the law who fails to do his o.
ty, and if there is q federal office it