The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-03-07
a BLOW At LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT


sioners in Sampson County in sddi-
ton TO the three Republican MEM
bers Of the board who were duly
elected by the people of that County
at the last election.
Some weeks sgo the outgoing
Sheriff In that County defaulted for
several thousand dollars. OF course
the Sheriff did wrong and no one IL
defending him in the matter. 1t
seems that the Jaw requires sepa-
rate, other than the general bond,
shall be given by the Sheriff to
cover the school fund, but the Sheriff
had not given this separate bond as
he had not BEEN requested to do so
One democratic lawyer and one Re-
publican lawyer drew up the bond
and neither of them were aware at
the time that a separate bond TO
cover the school fund was required
by law, but 10 the face of this fact
the County Commissioners Of Samp-
son have been indicted for failing to
require the Sheriff to give this sepa'
rate bond. Whether it had any
thing TO do with the indictments
or not, the majority of the grand
jury, including the foreman, were
democrats, and the Solicitor went
before them and told them to find
true bill-and they did 80. The leg
islature claimed the four democratic
Commissioners were necessary to
collect the money from the bonds
men. But every bondemen had sta
ted that he was ready to pay his
amount on the bond, it was not
necessary to bring suit. The ap-
pointment of the extra Commits
sioners was simply to satisfy the
craving appetites of some of the
democrats in Sampson and to punish
the tax payers of the County because
the great majority Of them are Re-
publicans When the democratic
sheriffs of Moore, Carteret and sew
eral o.her Counties defaulted, no ex
ira Commissioners were appointed,
and in one instance the sheriff was
not even Indicted, and a prominent
Republican had to pay out $4,000
for the privilege Of being on his
bond.
When the bill was heard before
the House Committee both demo-
Gratis and Republicans from Samp.
son were heard, and the committee,
composed mostly Of democrats, re-
ported the bill unfavorably by an
overwhelming majority. But later
a democratic caucus was held behind
closed doors when only democrats
from Sampson were heard and the
caucus repudiated the action of the
committee and decided to pass the
bill anyway, without giving the
Republicans from Sampson an OPP
portunity to refute the evidence car
ried before the caucus. Messrs.
Owens and Kennedy, the Republi-
can representatives from Sampson,
fought hard for the bill to be re-
ferred to committee and let the
democrats from Sampson make their
charges in the open so the Republi-
cans could answer them. But the
House turned a deaf ear, even after
the representatives from Sampson
had said they were willing that
every Republican member of the
committee should be excluded and
heard only before the democratic
members. This was more than fair,
but the House would not hear-the
boss had cracked his whip and the
democratic members of the House
had made up their minds how they
should vote regardless of what the
facts in the case might he. The bill
was passed without according the
Republicans of Sampson as many
rights as even a criminal has in a
jury trial. We hope that each one
of our readers will read the account
of this matter which is published
elsewhere On this page. It was one
Of the most high-hsnded pieces of
legislation ever enacted by legis-
lature-and was doue simply be-
cause Sampson refuses to swing into
the democratic column. But it will
mean more Republican votes in
Sampson. The better element of
the democratic party in Sampson
did not want the extra Com mis-
sioners as they said the County was
in safe hands.