Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-11

/ MN SUNG Tor a mefclful obllteratiOn of
his misdeeds and offering the bride of
submission
| Never since the the impeachment
trial of Governor Sulzer opened, has
he been subjected to such a severe
verbal flaying as Judge Alton 3.
| Parker administered in his argument
for the board of managers, today.
Before this bar the defendant
! stands guilty of the offences charged
| by the Impeachment and proven by
| uncontroverted evidence he said.
| Before the bar of the court of public
opinion this defendant stands con-
demned on the evidence here repre-
sented and on the further damning
testimony of his shifty defences and
of his futile efforts to dodge by tech
niealities the trial of the issues before
| this high court. That same public
| opinion take cognizance of the fact
| that the defendant here is suffering
| from such severe attack of moral
near sigbtedness that even when di-
| reeted by a myriad of seornful fingers
he cannot discern the dishonest, GRIM
| inal and dishonorabe nature of the
:! acts proven.
Even Justice must see through its
severe eyes something of the pathetic
| in this defendants frantic efforts to
cover the nakedness of his Wrongdo-
| ing. Defiance, defence, justification,
preyarication, denunciation of his ac-
cusers-attempts to suppress and falsi-
fytestimony and efforts to cast the
blame elsewhere-eaeh IN turn has
been stripped from his quaking flesh
until he stands now naked before TINS
court. without rag of his attempted
yindication clinging to his deformed
and mutilated manhood.
EVERY disguise has been torn from
his back. from the petticoat in which
he trusted for safety, to the armor of
defiance in which he threatened to at
tael, and expose a political leadership
to which we have found him suing for
a merciful obliteration of his misdeeds
and offering the bride of submission.
No act of his shows more perfect
" the complete baseness of his char
acter, uniting him utterly for any
public or private trust than does ms
effort to coerce the members OF TINS
court through channels which MS
warped intellect mistakingly intrusted
him held the power of coercion.
Regardless of the origin of these
charges. regardless CT any personal IN
Fiction of discomfort, this court must
we feel certain, find on all the evil
dence that this defendant has been
guilty of misconduct so gross as 10
necessitate his removal for the honor,
peace, prosperity AMI good government
of this community
"And to this court we shall commit
the decision of the case against Will
liam Sulzer, securely confident that
the honor, safety and welfare of this
| the Empire State are assured OF the
| protection contemplated by the con-
! stitution in the creation of this high
| court.
"The causes for impeachment may
be condemned in three words-unflt-
ness for office; the object of impeach-
ment in four-security for the state.
To Judge D. Cady Herrick, chief
of the Governors counsel fell the task
of saying the final word for the ac-
cused executive His remarks stood out
| in strange contrast to the vitrioilc at
tack OF Judge Parker. The Governor
was pictured by Herrick as an honest
but eccentric man to whom the
thought of committing crime was a
thing apart The attorney did not seek
| to excuse the Governors method III
obtaining campaign subscriptions ana
admitted that Sulzer had low political
standards, but argued that no crlml-
nal intent had been shown and there-
fore the charges had not been sustain
ed.
I'm reaching your verdict and de-
termination as to whether the re-
snondent has wilfully done wrong,
he said. you must take into consid-
Grafton the nature and the history OF
the man and the nature of the OF
fences. Some members of this court
have known him for years; known
his lack of business habits and pusl-
ness methods of his carelessness in
money matters of his over weaving
ambition; known of his egotlsm'
known of his proneness to consider
those things which are the creatures
of his imagination as actual facts; put
none of you in the past ever has re-
parded him as dishonest man.
perjurer or a thief-and that is what
these charges come down to-"
Judge Herrick sought to justify the
Governors attempt to seek the pollti-
cal influence of CHARLES +. Murphy and
Republican State Chairman William
Barnes to stop his trial as testified to
| by Allan A. Ryan. The truth of this
testimony, which counsel for the Gov
ernor allowed to so into the record
without attempting to disprove, Judge
Herrick appeared to concede.
rs it any wonder he asked, that
| in desperation he resorted to the
methods best known to people brought
up in the political school in which he
was educated, and endeavored to Sc
cure the influence of political leaders
of both parties to have the impeach-
ment articles brought by the Assembly
declared to be Illegal for lack OF juris-
diction as he had been informed and
| advised by high legal authorities they
We're
| To a determination to shield his VIE,
the Governors failure to take the wit
ness stand was attributed by the at
| torney who declared also that the same
motive prompted Mr. Sulzer when he
/ .o,,o,t tLa ai1 Of Mummy and Barnes