Emmons County record., 1911-04-27
LET THE SENATORS DECIDE.
The Grand Forks Times Believes All
the Members Of the lmpeach-
ment Court Are Actuated
By Proper Motives.

This paper has not discussed the
Cowan impeachment case upon its
merits, says the Grand Forks Times,
and does not propose to do so now.
1t is not the keeper of the conscience
OF the senator's, who are trying the
case under their solemn oaths. 1t
believes that they know the evidence
better than any one who is not on
the floor of the court every hour it
is in session. But we do believe it
is time to call halt on the part of
the press which is using the tactics
of unjust and unfair criticism of the
senators in order to force a verdict
in accordance with the desire of
those critics.
The members of the Impeachment
court are men of integrity and of
standing in the state. They have
been chosen by the majority of their
constituents to the positions of re-
sponsibility which they hold. Those
constituents are honest and intclli-
gent, and know more than strangers
know about the men they have se-
lected. Men so chosen are not
measured by the standards of the
slums They are men of high char
actcr and above reproach.
What is to be expected of such
men when they sit in judgment on
their oaths to try the matter before
them according to law and the evil
dence adduced9 Is it not fair to be-
lieve that they will hear and de-
termine the matter as they see and
understand ito What right has any
one to say that such men will de-
llberately commit perjury, stultify
their conscience and barter their
souls for whim9 Yet that is eN-
actly what some of the press is seek
ing to make the public believe these
men are doing. And why? Simply
because they do not agree in their
Judgment with that part of the
press. The efforts of such newspa-
pers to intimidate members of the
impeachment court to vote the way
the press desires is just the same as
ury-bribing. only on the other side.
The senate is sitting both as the
court and the jury in the case. AS
court it determines just what evil
dence will be received or rejected,
and newspaper criticism Of its action
is exactly the same as newspaper
criticism of Judge Templeton or
any other Judge in deciding similar
questions, as is done every day in
court. Newspaper criticism of the
verdict would be exactly the same
as newspaper criticism of jury in
trial court before its verdict has
been rendered. Either one would
send the critic to Jail for contempt
were it done in an ordinary court
We do not know what the judg-
ment of the court will be. But we
do know that. whatever it is, 1t will
be above reproach. We believe that
every member of the senate is seek
ing to do exactly what is right. We
believe every member will act as his
Judgment dictates. That body of
forty-nine men do not agree is no
reflection on either their honor or
their intelligence. We are not con-
Ecerned in the verdict. We have
no political hatred to appease or
political ends to gain. But, when
that verdict is rendered. we are
willing to accept it as the honest
and conscientious determination of
honest men, charged with a grave
and responsible duty.
No member of the court, whether
of the majority or minority, can be
the subject of just criticism, for he
will have acted as he believes to be
~iubf and ha .,lnpa ic tho i11dpo