The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-05-01


to Rex should not be taken literally.
Expect Honest Vote.
This afternoon when Cuthbert re-
eumed Ills argument he declared that
IN making the statements with refer
ence to the lineup and the process of
arriving at his conclusion on the
same. that he had in any manner cast
renect1on upon the senate, and that
neither he nor his associates held the
belief that there exists any lineup, one
way or the another. He believed, he
declared, thta the votes Of the men,
bers had been controlled as their con-
science directed.
Discussing the action Of the house
committee he declared that 1t had
been brought into the final arguments
by Attorney sinkler with the evident
purpose Of irving to show the court
that public q stiment had been re-
sponstble foA. Impeachment in the
mouse and thhe ~ would have to
vote right If thessz I'd for anything
further Of a politiSS.o eture In this
state. But he said w.. ee political
feature did not enter ihSet. case. 1t
was a question Of right al 'tice.
The tnsinuations and chha that
the house committee was pacA 4 for
Cowan were declared without founda-
tion In view of the complexion of the
lower house as we'll as Of the commit
tee, composed Of six insurgents and
one Democrat, and the further fact
that Speaker Hanley's action in the
appointment of the committee could
not be called into question.
The change Of the houses attitude
had not been brought about by evi-
dence but by the cry Of "crucify him"
that had been raised.
Sfnkler Closed Saturday Night.
Attorney e. R. Sinkler concluded
the opening statement of the prosecu-
tion Saturday evening, having given
over about seven hours to the ques-
ton. At the evening session he de-
voted his attention particularly to the
charges of frequenting drug stores
and purchasing liquors therein, with
the knowledge that those places we're
violators Of the law.
He declared that the position Of the
accused jurist to the effect that he
was not violating law in purchas-
ing liquor Of those stores, was suf-
icient to prove guilt, and that while
there was no statute prohibiting such
purchase, nor any provision sueci-
dcally declaring the purchase of IL
Quor as an impeachable offense, still
he felt that such an act constituted
a gross breach of judicial duty.
On the question Of delayed cases,
the speaker did not spend great
deal of time, taking up only few of
them. He declared in some cases de-
ctsions had been held up by Judge
,Cowan to enforce settlements, and
that the duty Of a Judge was not only.
to hear and try cases, but to decide
the mas we'll.
The argument throughout was
forceful, and the galleries, during the
afternoon and evening sessions, were
we'll filed with visitors.
81 Excerpts From Address.
Excerpts from the Sinkler address,
indicating the view held by the prose-
cution on the charges and the evil
dence, will be of interest. They fol-
low:
Specification Z, we don't contend
that that is a very strong specitica-
tion. You will remember Samuels
and Maurer; Samuels, who was
county commissioner of Ramsey coun-
ty at that time, and l.. D. Maurer,
the man who testified relative to the
incident in the court room in 1909,
came into the Vanderhoof hotel-the
Vanderhoof hotel, which was shown
to be blind pig at the time. It has
been shown in evidence here that in
dtctments or informations were filed
against the owner Of the vanderhoof
and injunctional proceedings started,
I ho &~1
position, but that is my idea of the
evidence. Cowan and three others
were in booth in the Vanderhoof
hotel singing Scotch songs. Well,
now, the mere fact that ne was sing
ing Scotch songs doesn't indicate that
he was drunk. 1t indicates, perhaps,
he was just little bit exhilirated,
but, gentlemen, to be in this blind pig
and singing, even though he was not
intoxicated, to my mind, is not dig
nifed act on the part of judge of the
district court. We expect something
more than that from judge who has
the enforcement of the law in his
hands. We expect him to maintain
the dignity of his position, and while
we do not contend in this particular
instance, that there was anything that
would show absolutely that John F.
Cowan was intoxicated, yet the indi-
cations are that he was at least
placed In an undignified position for
a man who occupies the position of
district judge. You or I might get
into that position, perhaps, and the
people would not consider it very
seriously, but it is different when a
man occupying an official. position
such as Judge Cowan occupied, and
gentleman, let me call your attention
to the fact, 1t isn't one act, nor two
acts, nor three acts upon which we
expect an impeachment in this case.
Keep in mind this, gentlemen,
throughout the entire argument and
under all Of the evidence in this case,
1t Is all Of this mass Of testimony that
has been produced here in this court
that must be considered, and 1t is up
on that mass of testimony that we
ask you to find that John F. Cowan
Is an unfit man to occupy the position
of district Judge. Not on the incident
of his singing In the Vanderhoof hotel,
not on the incident at Rugby, not on
the incident of his being drunk at the