The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-11-07
SAMPSON COUNTY Con PENSIONERS
ExoaEssTEn ~ COURT.

Il story CT indictments Brought -
-smpson ceanty-- aesagnatlon Of
Democratic aepoInssss sagxe@ssa--
4 Boomerang.
1fsIn.trIaI News.l
Clinton, y. G.. Oct 2a.-superior |
Court l. In session here, Judge Bisss
presiding. The e4sss against cur
County Commissioners we're de
posed Of at this term. 1t Will he
remembered that 81 effort .as made
by certain democrats In this County
during the last session Of the legIs-
laiure to appoint four Democratic
Commissioners over the Commits
sioners elected by the people. The
measure was heard before q full
committee OF the legislature aud
failed to get 9 favorable report.
The committee was against such nn-
democratic legislation.
These democratic politicians OF the
county then succeeded in getting al
indictment against our board of
county commissioners, charging
that they failed 10 take from The
county treasurer separate bond
for the school fund, when, as mat
ter of fact, the treasurer had already
made a bond to cover the school
fund, the amount and soivency Of
which was not questioned. While
he did not make q separate bond for
school fund on the day he qualified
as treasurer, yet he did soon there
afterwards, at the request of the
county cong missioners, and all OF
this was done before any indict-
ments were found, yet the board of
commissioners were indicted for that
alleged offense. To aid in this in
dictment and for the further pur-
pose of carrying their bill through
the legislature, bill of indictment
was found against the old board of
commissioners, whose term had ex-
pired last December, charging him
with failure to take separate bond
from the sheriff for the school fund,
when there Is no law on the statute
books making any such require
ment. Yet upon the strength of
these bills of Indictment. these
democratic politicians returned to
Raleigh and lobbied the legislature
for a week and secured caucus of
the democratic members, and upon
an ex.party hearing got the mem
berS pledged to pass the bill to add
four democrats to our board of COM
missioners. They charged, before
the legislature, that our commits
lsioners had been indicted, and by
failure to take the required bonds
from the sheriff and treasurer that
the school fund of the county was
in danger of being wasted Or lost.
The legislature acted upon these
false representations and appointed
the new commissioners.
The new and old board of Repub
lican Commissioners of our county
had a hearing at this term of the
court upon those bills of Indictment
found during the last legislature,
and the judge. held in the first case
that neither the county nor school
fund had suffered any loss by reason
of those bonds, and he dismissed
the case without any cost to the de
PENDANTS. In the second case the
4 Judge held that there was no law
requiring the sheriff, who was ex.
officio treasurer of the county, tc
make a separate bond for the school
fund, when as sheriff he had execu-
ted bond sufficient in amount and
solyency and conditioned to cover
the school fund, and the solicitor
. thereupon promptly took mol. pros
, as to this bill.
Thus both bills of indictment
were disposed of without the slight
est imputation upon the character
or administration of the Republican
commissioners Of this county.
The legislature made the appoint
ment of four additional democratic
, commissioners upon the strength Of
those bills Of Indictment, which
were conceived for political effect
and for the sole purpose of infin'
encing the legislature, which it did
, and it is the opinion now of our best
citizens that these useless aud un'
necessary commissioners thus ap
pointed by the legislature, upor
false statements of fact and law
should resign.
They would not have been ap
pointed but for the fact that the
. Republican commissioners had beer
indicted and charged with neglect
of duty and misfeasance in Office
but now, when an honest judge says
that in one of the cases the indict
ment was technical, and no loss hal
, resulted to the county or schoo
fund, and disposes of the case with