Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1912-06-05
SALISBURY, N. c.. JUNE 9th, 1912
THE COURT HOUSE AGAIN.

THE COURT HOUSE AGAIN.
Every lover of fair play, of
majority rule and the supremacy
of the people will be lncensed to
learn of the outrageous and ty-
ranical action Of. the three
DEFEATED county commissions
ers in their determination to pro.
coed with the erection of on ex.
pensive and useless new court
house.
These men, P. B. Beard, F. V.
McCanless and A. L. Deal, went
before the democratic primaries
as advocates of q new court house
and were overwhelmingly defeat.
ed, while others opposed to the
court house proposition were
nominated to take their places.
There could not have been a more
emphatic protest on the part of
the Democratic voters of the
county, and, as servants of the
people, especially men posing as
Democrats, such a protest should
have been cheerfully asceLted tc.
For elective officials to ignore
the wish of a great majority of
the people, is to remove all that
is essential in popular govern.
ment, and all Democracy stands
for. 1t is a betrayal of the con.
fdence bestowed in them and q
deliberate, and, under the cir
cumstsnces. seems to be a ma.
licious breach of the trust i'm,
posed in them. As officials an6
Democrats the county commits,
sioners, according to tlme-honoreo
traditions and custom are serv'
ants of the people, and, beside
the public trust and confidence
with which they are honorabl,
clothed and respected. most laws
are made to safeguard this fun.
damentsl principle of govern.
ment. Since the revolutionary
wal the voice of the people hat
always been recognized as the
highest tribunal of authority il
America, and all rights ane
powers not directly sanctioned
remain with them. Petty Off
Gals, or others, who presume tt
exceed their authority are sure tt
be brought before the bar of pub
lie opinion, which, though oftel
slow to condemn, does 50 withou'
any doubt as to what is mean
and with a fnality that is I'M
altersble.
For these gentlemen to assert
that they are backed by law ane
are within their rights on THU
question Is but to say that they
intend to take advantage of theil
position to revenge their recen,
defeat, or to show how mucn au-
thority they really have entrusted
in their keeping, This court
house law was enacted for use
when and where the people
he We been consulted and wish 6
building erected. 1t does not
imply that the commissioners
MUST build a court house when,
ever three of the five a agree
On such q proposition, mol does il
mean the people are not to be
he ard or Needed.
In addition to the defeat Of
tllese three men because Of thei,
known position on this matter.
the republican county convention
passed resolutions against the
step and the last grand jury
(fhey have been laying consider
. ole stress on what the grand
juries recommended,) went on
record against it and suggested
Tint the present building be re-
paired and painted within and
without. With all this the PEG.
pc felt sure they had done
enough and that no official could
10 found who would show such
co tempt for their wishes as to
pr oceed further with the matter.
This takes the matter up to the
pople for the next step and
tn 1t step should be n of the
Greatest mass meetings ever held