Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-03
GOVERNORS WHO SLIPPED
Men in High Position Not Always OH
the Square.
MOST PROSECUTIONS ARE POLITICAL
Some Have Been Removed From Or
flee; But Generally Cases are Drop
ped When the Accused Gets Out OF
81. wou

the Way.
Sidney ]. Cats, former governor OF
Florida, was recently arrested after IN
dictment for alleged bribery The
charge was that while governor and an
ex officio member of the state board Of
pardons he accepted a money consider
alton for his vote in favor of pardon
ing a man convicted of murder.
Former Governor Horace F. Graham,
of Vermont, became the executive OF
his state after holding the state audi
torship for 13 years. He was governor
of the state for two terms Of two years
each. 1t was while serving his second
term, in August, 1918, the charges Of
embezzlement Of state funds durtuS
his terms as state auditor were made.
He was subsequently indicted, tried.
convicted and sentenced to imprison-
ment for from five to eight years. Con-
siderable restitution had been made and
on the day sentence was passed. Nov
ember 4, 1920, his successor, Gov. 2.
w. Clement, granted him full pardon
on the grounds that he had already
been sufficiently punished.
A number of governors have been
impeached and in some cases the. i'm
peachments have been sustained, thus
removing the accused officials from Of
flee. To a greater or less extent poll
tical motives have prompted and ami
mated such prosecutions.
The Downfall of Sulzer.
Perhaps the most conspicuous case
was that of Governor William Sulzer,
of New York. Sulzer represented
New York City constituency in con-
gress and won the title of the poor
mans friend" At his Inauguration as
governor he was hailed as the "peo-
ple's governor" In his campaign ne
had made promises of election reform,
but the measures by which he propos-
ed to bring these about did not suit the
leaders of his party in New York City,
whom he further antogonized in the
matter of appointments
The fight was as picturesque as 1t
was bitter, and resulted finally in the
complete defeat of the governor. His
political antagonists introduced and
passed an unsatisfactory primary
election" bill which he vetoed and then
defeated his measure on the same sub
ject, maneuver that gave the public
the impression SulZer had himself OPP
posed the reforms he was committed
to sponsor He was accused OF per-
Jury, sued for breach of promise or
marriage and his final undoing was
brought about by charges concerning
the sources of money said to have
been contributed to his campaign fund.
He was impeached, tried before the
state senate and supreme court and
removed from office October 10, 1913.
Governor Charles Robinson, of Kan
sas, became involved in state bond
issue deal with the result that in 1852
he, with the state auditor and the sec
retary Of state, was impeached for al
legei fraud. The state needed money
and bonds were issued and offered to
the only prospective purchaser, the
United States government, to be &C
quired as an investment by the ad-
ministrators of fund held in trust and
usable for such purposes. The meth
ods employed, however, seemed not to
have been legitimate or above suspic-
ion, but it was not shown that Cover
nor Robinson participated in the deal
or prohted by it, so he was acquitted,
although the other two state. officials
were convicted and removed.
Governor Harrison Reed, Of Florida,
was the next impeached, in 1868. AL
though charges of embezzlement, cor
ruption and bribery were made against
him the prosecution seems largely to
have been political. A new legislature,
chosen at regular election, met and
dropped the entire action.
Holden and ku Klux klan.
In North Carolina in 1870, Governor
William II. Holden ordered the militia
to the scene Of number Of disturb
ances which were charged against the
original Ku Klux Klan. The militia
officers made many arrests and refus-
ed to obey writs of habeas corpus is
sued by the local and higher state
courts. The governor was impeached
and convicted Of bringing in troops
from another state and illegally sus-
pending the right of the writ Of habeas
corpus. He was removed from office.
The late General Powell Clayton, Of
Arkansas, was elected governor of the
state in 1868. He faced bitter political
opposition, including the lieutenant
governor, whose removal he sought
For this he was impeached, charged
with various illegal acts and high
handed conduct, and TO prevent his es-
cape his antagonists barricaded him in
his office in the state capitol He es-
capped, however, and carried his fight to
the people in 1871, with such success
that not only did the new legislature
drop the charges against him but elect :
ed him to the United States senate.
In the same year, 1871, Governor
David Butler, Of Nebraska, was re-