The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-02-14
AND BACK OF IT ALL Is
"THE BOSS" MACKSAWYER
The Mack Sawyer System Means the Prostitution of
Every Office to the Base Business Of Reward
ing its Friends and Furnishing its Enemies
By w. o. SAUNDERS

charge of a policeman who did
his duty is a personality that has
been consistently condemned by
this newspaper for more than
ten years. Back Of all this putrid
perfdy Of the past few weeks is
Old Man Mack Sawyer, the mas
ter machine politician 'of Eliza
beth City and Pasquotank coun-
ty.
The recent facts are these: Martin
B. Simpson, City Attorney under the
Mack Sawyer Board of Aldermen, was
indicted on Tuesday, Jan. 81 under 9
warrant sworn out by night Policeman
Ben Roughton, charging Simpson and
at least one other with the offense OF
breaking out window lights in the 7
M. c. A., with billiard balls, at one
o'clock in the morning.
| Roughton got his warrants from Trial
Justice Geo. J. Spence and Spence told
him not to serve them until he (Spence)
had an opportunity to investigate.
On Wednesday night Mayor P. g
Sawyer met Roughton on the street
and told him to keep his mouth shut
that there was such thing as police
man talking himself out of a job.
Roughton says that about the same
time he was approached by City Attor-
ney Simpson who abused him and told
him he would be put off the police force
in a few days.
And on Monday night Of last week
Officer Roughton was put off the police
force; the Board of Aldermen claiming
that he was offensive because he didn't
pay his debts.
In meantime the warrant against
City Attorney Simpson who, Roughton
the morning by hurting billiard balls
into the rear windows of the Y. M. G.
A. building. has never been tried. Judge
Spence has protected this official mis-
creant and the Mack Sawyer Aldermen
have punished the policeman who
swore out the warrant.
No one cares now whether the war
rant against young Mr.. Simpson is
served or not. The young man, prob
ably has been sufficiently punished for
his folly, by the unpleasant notoriety
it has given him. He has forfeited the
respect and confidence of the people of
the community, and worse punishment
could not be visited upon young man
But is the Elizabeth City public going
to let the case against Trial Justice
Spence, Mayor Sawyer and the Board
of Aldermen rest? Will the Elizabeth
City public continue to tolerate in poll
tics men who are known to be even on
speaking terms with Old Man Mack
Sawyer?
Back of all the recent deviltry is Old
Man Mack Sawyer. His political ma
chine in this city and county has been
built up on iendish system of re-
wards for it's friends and punishment
for it's enemies. Its friends have al
ways been rewarded at the expense of
the public treasury and it's enemies
punished by the machinery of govern
ruent in the control of the Mack Saw
yer element.
George J. Spence was made Trial
Justice of Pasquotank County by Mack
Sawyer influence with the understand
ing. upon the part of Old Man Mack,
that Judge Spence would run the Re
corder's Court in this county to suit
Mack Sawyer.
Martin Simpson was made City At
torney by the same Machine, because
Old Man Mack understood that he
could use Simpson and direct his opin-
W
seryitor.
Simpson makes bad blunder and
falls into the police net; the Machine
Immediately begins to function; Judge
Spence is ordered not to permit the
ease to come to trial; the Mayor tells
the policeman to keep his mouth shut;
the city attorney tells the policeman
he will be fired; and the Aldermen, di-
rected by Old Man Mack, fire the
policeman who didn't know that Mack
Sawyer's henchmen were immune to
arrest. And that is the way things go
in Elizabeth City. Judge Spence
teaches a Sunday School class; Mack
Sawyer is pillar in the Blackwell Me-
mortal Baptist Church; imminently
respectable citizens sign petitions tc
have the Mayor, Phil Sawyer created
Prosecuting Attorney of Pasquotank
county; and one would think that only
crooks are respectable and eligible for
the Kingdom of Heaven. in Elizabeth
City.
Another municipal election is hard
upon Elizabeth City. Within a few
months this citN will have an oppor-
t1,nitv to continlIe this infamous Mack
Sawyer machine in office another two
years, or abolish it forever. IF the peo-
pie of Elizabeth City desire to abolish
this Infamous gang they must begin
now to organize their forces. 1t will
be too late to wait until few weeks
or few days before the Primaries
Mack Sawyer's gang is already organ
lied; it has been organized for 20 years;
it is against an organization Of 20 years
of rotten politics in this county that
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