Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-09-29

PohtSdi Soi tOou
which the. daily papers have
printed recently represents Pres
ident Harding as contractor
appealing to Congress to finish
construction job which he says
he promised this gentleman
(the people) would be finished
on time If he was elected. The
Job is the reduction of taxes,
employment for the unemployed,
and general return to normal
cy, whatever that is. The Job
is hardly begun, Notwithstanding
the fact that the president and
hls congressional workmen have
had had since the fourth of last
March, 'seven months, to get it
under way. Notoriously insin-
cere and with record of decep-
ton extending over more than SO
years, there is nothing in the re-
cent do-nOthing attitude of the
Republican party to wonder at.
In recent months much mouthing
has emanated from the halls of
Congress and the department
heads as to the burdens placed
upon the people by the extrava-
gance of the Wilson administra-
ton and the legislation the Re-
publicans intended to pass to
bring about relief from these bur
dcns, but thus far their fair
promises have led to nothing.
The Republican party never has
kept faith with the people and
nothing would be more surpris-
lhg than to see it live up to its
campaign promises. There are
indications that the country is
not i'll humor to take two full
doeses of political deception in
succession, and so it may happen
that the congressional elections
next year will return enough new
faces to the house of representa-
tlves to again put the people in
partial control of the federal gov
ernment
In a news article in The State
OF last Sunday telling of III ap-
peal being made to the supreme
court in behalf of Jesse Gappins,
under death sentence for the part
he took in the murder some weeks
ago of William Brazell, Column
bia transfer driver, we read that
the action of II. G. Sturkie, attor-
ney for Gappins, "will probably
come as a surprise to the chief
executive, as MIR. Sturkie was ap-
pointed (to defend Gappins) by
the court Which is an inter
estmg deduction, to say the least,
and suggests the inference that
Governor Cooper did not expect
Judge Sease, who presided over
the court at which Gappins was
convicted, to appoint counsel for
the accused who would do other
than assist the prosecution in
sending the defendant to the
electric chair. In South Carolina
II is the rule, perhaps the law,
that when one is put on trial for
his life and is not able to employ
a lawyer to defend him, the court
see to 1t that the defendant s in
terestS do not suffer for lack of
legal assistance. Gappins stated
when he was arraigned that ne
did not have a lawyer to defend
him and Judge Sease very prop
erly appointed member of the
bar of the town (Lexington) i'm
winch the case was tried to rep
resent him. Now surprise seems
to have arisen over the fact that
tins lawyer is looking after the
interest OF his client in a way
which causes a stay of the death
sentence hanging over the man.
However much one may think
Gappins deserves early execution,
Lawyer Sturkie has done Just
what he would have done had
there been good fee in the case
for him and no reason occurs to
us why his loyalty to the man
should occasion surprise or crit
icism, open or covert. For an
other reason the writer of the