Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-08-28
THE MAJESTY OF LAW
0oVerRer Wilson'S Address
Before The American
Bar Association.
Reviews the Troublesome Time in
Kentucky-"YOu Cannot Push an
T.. Idea Through an AnglO-SaX-
On,s Head With BayOnet."


Detroit, Mich, August 25.-The evils
of legal argument based on mlscoh-
ception of testimony were touched
upon in the address tonight OF JUS
tice William L. Carpenter, OF Mlchl-
gan. on Courts of Last Appeal, be-
fore the American Bar Assoclat1oh'
now in annual convention in this city.
AS a remedy Justice Carpenter urged
Judges to assume a more attentive
attitude in court and encourage law
yers to make fair statements.
The address of Gov. Augustus Will
son. of Kentucky, on ''The People ana
Their Law" was the leading feature
Of the days program.
Governor Wilson, in choosing as
his text the opinion of the United
States Supreme Court in the case OF
Crowley against Christensen. that
"1fberty is not unrestricted license to
act according to ones own will, en-
tered into an exposition OF the Ken
lucky character and the causes Whlcn
led up to the recent might rider
troubles in that state and in Tennes-
see.
Reviewing the hold which the Ku-
klux and toll-gate wars had on Ken
tuckians, he led up to the TOBACCO
war, which produced might riding
and this he reviewed at length. he
sketched the raids of the tobacco law
breakers on Hopkinsville, Princeton
and Russel1ville, KY, and read the
Chief Justices admonition to the peo-
pie, "You had better burn every barn
in the commonwealth than with up
lifted hand in the jury box protane
your duties and render an unjust YER
dict in the name of the law.
The governor told how this ChIel
Justice at a conference which MI
Wilson had called of the tobacco
growers and buyers had deprecated
the use Of soldiers in the night r1dlhs
troubles, declaring that you cannot
push an idea through an Anglo-SaA-
on's head with bayonet."
Governor Wilson told of the raids
which followed this meeting, the barn
burnings and of the one Kentucky
night riding murder, that of hiram
Hodges, a farmer, who was killed one
night before his door In N1cholas
county. He gave the wording OF the
hlood-curdling night rider oath and
read from some of the appeals, which
he said had come to him from fright
ened Kentuckians. Mr.. Wilson oe-
clared that his power had been limited
to Furnishing known offenders.
In all of the time of the tobacco
war, in only a few counties had 1u
ries been found that would return IN
.dictments against their neighbors
who had done the night riding. III
said that not more than 800 militia
men had tried to hold back 10 Ooo or
.ganized night riders during the entlr
trouble.
s.My promise to the people that the
would need no lawyer if they hur
any one in defense of their homes
was kept" said the governor, an
there will be no pardons for tn
crimes Of pillage, plant scraplns
burning and organized murder. bu
now, the people are coming into tnel
own, and look for trials and conVl'
Ftions. a rare thing up to this tim
The politician who parleys with GRIN
in a straight American state III
Kentucky will be rebuked Instant
and woe will come to him.
"I believe that there can be no r
newal of the trouble. The night I'll
ers are still unpunished, but no sta
ute Of limitations protects them. IL
murderers of Hiram Hodges are ST
at large, but the peoples law
punish the criminals in time.