Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1928-07-28
THAT PLEA OF INNOCENCE.

they almost invariably make mess
of it. This seems to have been veri-
fed in the case of Hon. George l..
sheldon, former Governor OF Ne
lraska. who seems to have tired Of
residing within the State, which had
rewarded him with high office He
preferred to occupy the southern
designation Of "carpet,bagger" and
he moved into Perry W. Towards
.Sra,e Of Mississippi to make trouble
for him and the rest of the able col
cred men of that far Southern State,
As rule. with the exception OF
The "Door whites, thousands Of
soutberners, who are against the
Nemoes are against the other fell
lows Negroes and he is 'gloriously"
in favor Of his own Negroes, those,
who possess family ties coming down
-ho line from slavery many Of whom
POW trace their lineage to the black
rommies of other days and to the
"big house" Negroes, who wero
butlors, boslcrs Wallets and tho like.
This class of southerners have a
bitter an5'pathy 10 Negroes from the
North
They dislike that nasal twang and
they despise everything pertaining
10 this class of the "brothers in
black who aspire TO evil rights and
social privileges. The Hon. George
L. sheldon evidently did not know
thic when he went up agains; that
Negro Mississippian, who hailed from
the State of Hon. John Sharp Will
liams and whose appointment as
Speciai Assistant Attorney General
90 The United States was aprrec ateG
nv Perry w. Towards white col
leagues. who often proudly men,
toned him as living example or
What the much abused Sta g hac
done for this class aud type or
Negroes. who knew how to appreciate
Southern rules and customs ana 10
accord credit to The liberal-minded
white elements in this section or th2
country who had made such an
achievement possible.
AS a result when the carpet
Dagger" Hon. George l.. Sheldon
went up against Perry W. Howard
ard his southern white Republican
friends in the Courts of Mississippi
Howard and his friends won out
This was later confirmed by the Re
publican National Committee ana
later still by the Committee on Gre
dentials and finally by tho RepuDl1-
can National Convention itself. This
would logically have ended the con-
troversy. But Sheldon was not sat-
iafied. He had whispered into the
ear of the distinguished Californian
Hen. Herbert Hoover and he III turn
left the matter to one of his mana
gers, it being understood that Shell
don was "a friend Of the family"
Perry W. Howard vas enr"fe1 up
on the roster of the Republican Ma
ticnal Committee. This gave him
control of the campaign in Missis-
s,ppi. People from this State, both
white and black, know how to hghc
and Howard was no exception. Elk
Governor Sheldon, not being. able TO
win by fair means proceeded to ap-
real to the court of unfair means.
TIE blow was aimed, so to speak,
"below the belt. A hasty decision
was not wanted despite the POSITIVE
command of Article VI of the Con-
Stitution of the United States.
Another carpet Dagger" for few
days was imported in the person OIL
Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt
Assistant Attorney General Of the
United States. She assisted in hav-
ing Perry W. Howard indicted for
consp racy; set the hearing Tor
November 5, 1928 when she and
Sheldon knew that the election was
Tuesday. November 6, 1928. In the
meantime an order was secured from
Attorney General Sargent suspending
Perry w. Howard from office and
by. pending this hearing, presum-
ing him guilty until he proves him
self innocent, thus upsetting a fun
damental principle of criminal law,
which is as old as English jurispru-
dence itself.
In the meantime the Chairman OF
Is in the embarrassing pred 'cament
the Republican National Committee
of trying not to deal with the Official
Republican National Committeeman
from Mississippi, end who occupies
that position until he has been found
guilty of crime before vacancy can
exist in the office held by him. In
the meantime, Perry W. Howard
announces to the world to use his
exact language: