The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-01-04
MAJESTY Of THE LAW
ShemWell Got Off by Ravishment
of the Law

The Average Citizen Protests Against
the Impotency of the Law and the
Failure of Public Officials to Meas
ure Up to Their Sworn duty-The
People Expected Shemwell to Es-
cape Punishment Because There is
Lac OF Regard for the Majesty of
the Law.
A gentleman visiting from Pitt
county, who is a firm believer in the
equal administration Of the law and
who is grieved to see too little Of the
spirit that cOmpels officials living up
to the law and too little respect to it's
majesty, writes the following thought
full letter:
This rural route subscriber wishes
to thank o publicly and to have
same recorded in your paper and 9TH
er papers, if they please. for your edi-
torial in Fridays Jews and Observer,
calling to the need Of a re-
c%urrence to the fundamental princi-
pies Of the Majesty" Of the law. We
have heard and read and experienced
SO much within the past few years Of
local option, personal liberty, individ-
ual rights, etc, in connection with
IdIiIOdO. ODdCcO, WIlIShCN, OH, luIlDoT
and other monOpOlies and trusts Or
attempted monopolies and trusts, un-
til we have become befuddled as to
what was the cause or what would
prove a remedy for these generally
acknowledged evils. Since reading
your fine editorial on the need of rec
ognizing the law in the viewpoint that
it should be majestic or nothing, [ am
constrained to appeal to your fecundite
mind to further elaborate that idea
of tbs laws majesty for the benefit Of
the public. The reason / ask this is
because, at this particular time, the
community in which / reside is suf-
fering from the impotence of the Law
I his impotence comes from the fail
ure Of law officers, including Judge,
Solicitor and Sheriff, from recognize
ing the sanctity of their official oaths
to discharge their duties as officials,
Faithfully, without reward or hope
Of reward"
If your idea of the Majesty Of the
law" was generally alive in the hearts
Of the common people Of North Caro-
lima today, whenever a judge, a law
yer, a Governor, a clerk Of court, a
solicitor Or any other Of our many
privileged official characters were
Oun tranSgreSSing the law, or neg
lecting their sworn and bOnde duties
there would be at least some official
L d1lu OeII puIIlSIi-
ment. If there is any law in this
State whereby anybody holding an Of
cial position, county, district or State,
can be investigated, tried or punished,
] do not know it. If there is such a
law, how can it be enforced, when the
the machinery for its operation is so
constructed that a grand jury Of free
holders can never get an inkling Of
it, save through the medium Of the
officials needing the investigation in
one shape or another? 1t takes a
Judge, solicitor, county attorney,
sheriff, local political magnates, ct al,
to secure ever the hope of prosecu-
ton successfully Of many cases. With
out the cordial assent Of these ele-
ments, it is generally recognized that
cases out Of the ordinary cannot be
presented these days before the
courts, for if they ever are allowed to
reach a grand jury, they are killed
a-borning at the trial in court. The
fact that not an official Of any court,
clerical OF administrative, has been
investigated even in the past genera
ton, and the absence OF legal ma
chinery for such investigation ex-
plains why this State is SO much free
of apparent official dereliction than
our %neighbor States of Georgia, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
States have laws and regu1a-
tons governing officials" and the
common people and the politicians
know them and the officials know
them, too. Therefore, when a trans
erosion, even Of good nature, is made
and the infraction of law" is fla
grant, those constituencies rise up and
demand, and they obtain redress.
by Indictment and conviction
Of judge or other official guilty Of Of
against the majesty" of the
law, or by prope judicial process.
This illustrates that whether techni-
cally guilty or not, a public officer Of
trust must be above suspicion Of over
taxing their fees or overriding the le-
Ultimate tax-aSSeSSed amounts, Wheth-
er in sheriff or court or tax collector
assessment.
"Mr. Editor Daniels, without Of
Tense to you, or any other person or
official in the State, county or city, ex-
or judicial with the members
Of the General Assembly thrown in
-.