The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-06-13

ask our friends 20 f!e the statements
anyway and sent out letters FRIDAY
and Saturday asking that the state
ments be fled. though | did cot tell
any Of them that they would have 10
pay fine or 20 to jail
Il understand that several OF the
letters | sent out never reached the
parties 20 ~ HON they were addressed.
while some reached the parties late.
] have no control over letters after
they are dropped In The postoriee.
II they go slow then or don't 70 al
all ! can't help IT. unless some one
reports the matter TO me and can
show where the trouble lea
On Saturday afternoon. after some
OF the Republicans had fled their
statements. Mr.. w. J. Andrews.
through his agent and attorney.
Chas. ID. Wildes, sent out a letter cal
culated 10 excite the natives. The
first paragraph OF his letter was as
follows:
The primary Law requires all can
didates for office. for executive COM
mittees and for delegates 10 county
conventions, TO swear 10 and file with
the Clerk of Superior Court within
ten days after the primary. a state
ment of their receipts and expendi-
lures as candidates In said primary.
Failure to file such sworn statement
subjects the delinquent TO a fine OF
$500 and thirty days In jail"
II he had quoted just what the
primary law really said and stopped.
it would not have been so bad The
primary law does not say that exec
utive committees and delegates to
county conventions must swear to
statements and file with Clerk OF
Court within ten days after primary,
but simply says: Candidates" must
file such statements. Mr.. Andrews
also stated that Mr. Wildes would do
the swearing act free of charge. (Mr.
Sawyer and Mr. Woods, in the Regis
ter of Deeds office, both Democrats,
offered to do the same free Of charge,
and they were more convenient to the
Clerks Office, where papers had to be
fled But Mr.. Andrews, in his let
ter also asked every one to be sure
to see him before they filed their
statements with the clerk. 1t is pa
| tent to almost every one that Mr.. An
| drews wanted to talk with the dele
| gates and see if they would promise
| to stand by his crowd in the next
county convention. He Is probably
| afraid that a large majority of the
| delegates will not endorse the action
| of his crowd in pulling some of the
| ignorant negroes into the primary
to vote for the Harris-Andrews del
| egates and committeeman.
Now, if Mr.. Andrews construction
| of the law is correct, We must all &C
to jail or pay a fine anyway, for the
| law says that candidates must also
| file statements of receipts and eX.
penses within ten days of primary
| which is understood to mean ten days
| before the primary. Why didn't Mr.
Andrews tell all the delegates anG
| committeeman that they must file
| statements ten days ahead of primary
/ also or pay a fine Of 5000 or go te
| Jail? if the law means that.
If the law means delegates anC
committeeman in one instance
doesn't it mean it in another? anC
if enforced there will be negroes
Democrats, half Democrats and Re
publicans all moaning at the bar.
This primary law should have
been printed at the expense Of thu
county for free distribution, so tina
every one could have been informet
as to it's provisions. But the count!
did not have a single copy printed
And no newspaper was expected Il
print it as it was too long. Only
very few knew anything of the pro
visions of the law, except that it wa
a legalized primary for both partie
to choose their party nominees, etc
I do believe that the law should b.
enforced as to buying votes and Civ
ing away liquor to influence votes Of
election day, and the purity Of tn
ballot should be maintained.
LESTER F. BUTLER,
Chairman Republican Executive Com
mittee of Wake County.