The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-03-08

punishment for his violations of
of the law, at least let the people
know that he he has been guilty,
and let him have the punishment
that comes to men when their sins
have been found out on them. His
pleading ignorance of the law is
most preposterous. Does ne ex-
cuse all who come into his. court
and plead their ignorance of the
law? IF 80, that would be o good
place for all these revenue thieves
and robbers to go to be tried.
There is no moral t~erpitude, some
one says, in violating laws mala
prohibita. Well, that may be SO.
but that fact should be taken into
consideration by the judge in pass
ing sentences on the convicted
criminal. More than half the vlo-
lations Of statutory injunctlons
are in ignorance of the law. We
have not before heard that they
were any the less violationso of the
law. In fact we have never be-
fore heard that the ignorance of
the law was any excuse for it's vio-
lation. If that gap should be open
ed up, most all criminals would
escape punishment.
If Pritchard has failed to cover
up his tracks as he has journeyed
along hand in hand with Butler,
Russell, George White, Abe Mid
dleton and the other sweet scented
gentlemen of the fusion reign. it
is his misfortune and the demo-
Gratis of the state are in no way
responsible for the odors that may
afterwards arise from too much
stirring up Of radical politics.
Some good republican, Judge Ew-
art, we believe, said in a public
speech some time ago that there
had been a time in North Carolina
when the very name republican
was q stencil in the nostrils of de-
cent people. That time seems to
have come back upon us and 1t
does seem that democrats should
let the stencil alone-certainly not
attempt to protect those who are
responslble for the conditions from
which the stencil arises. Who but
Pritchard is responsible for the
appointment to office of all this
crowd who are 50 rapidly being
sent to the penitentiary that r. q.
Linney thinks the next republic
can state convention will be held
in the Atlanta Federal penitenti-
ary? Does not, he in a sense stand
for this crowd? Have we not good
republican authority-the afida-
Wit of Hon. III. S. Anderson-that
all this crowd of thugs, thieves and
robbers owe their appointments to
Office to Pritchard, or Pritchard's
son-in-law Rollins, and that most
Of them are of kin to one or the
other of these men2
If we are to protect Prltchard
from punishment and criticism
for his violations of the law be-
cause of his ignorance, why should
we not also protect his creatures?
The family will hardly get better
than it's head and we cannot ex-
pect the fellows appointed by
Pritchard's recommendation to
have a greater respect for the law
than Pritchard himself has. If
he can violate the law with impu-
nifty, they will expect to be able to
do the same and should. If the
democrats are to protect the one
they should protect the other
We have reached a strange stat
us of affairs in North Carolina
when lawyers, who are supposed
to love the law, and other leading
citizens will attempt to prevent
even criticism of a man for his
violations of the law which he has
sworn to uphold and obey, when
and because he has reached the
high position of a Judge of the
Federal court. Will these same
lawyers and citizens put forth the
same efforts to shield add protect