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Mail Tribune 100, July 7, 1922 By Alissa Corman Jul 12, 2022 02:28 PM A A News from 100 years ago The following news items were drawn from the archives of the Mail Tribune 100 years ago July 7, 1922 CITIZENS ORGANIZE TO FIGHT RECALL — STATEMENT ISSUED ON CONDITIONS A Citizens’ Committee, formed following the announcement of Governor Ben W. Olcott, instructing the attorney general of the state of Oregon to proceed with the prosecution of outrages committed in Jackson County during the past four months, today issued a statement and started the circulation of a petition appealing to all citizens to resist the proposed recall of Sheriff Charles E. Terrill and urging those who had signed to withdraw their names from the recall petitions at once. The statement sets forth “that the courts are not only open, but are ready and the law is adequate to reach the situation,” if guilty of any of the charges filed against him by a campaign of gossip. The statement is as follows: On the announcement of the filing of the petition to recall Sheriff Terrill, a Citizens’ Committee was organized without respect to party affiliations and it issues this statement in the interest of voters. There is no occasion for a recall. If the sheriff has been derelict in his duty, he can be removed by the governor, as has been done in the past. If he is guilty of malfeasance in office, he can be prosecuted. If one-third of the whispered stories told in circulating the petition, no mention of which appears in the petition itself, are true, the courts are not only open, but are ready, and the law is adequate to reach the situation. For several months past it has been generally known that the activities of a certain organization in Jackson County were the subject of federal investigation, and since May 2nd it has been quite generally known that the attorney general of the United States has requested a state investigation and prosecution in these matters. It has been reliably stated, and can be easily established, that a certain prominent member of the National Guard, at Medford, urged upon the members of the society mentioned to fill up the vacancies in the Guard. It is known that several of the members of the police force and other officers in one of the principal cities of Jackson County are members of this secret society. It is also known that constables and other peace officers of various communities in the county are members of this order. The removal of the sheriff at this time would give a society organized for depriving citizens of their constitutional rights a free hand to do with citizens what they would. No call for help or aid to a law enforcement officer would be heard. During the last session of the grand jury an effort was made by a member of the grand jury, who is reliably reputed to be a member of this secret society mentioned, to compel the sheriff to divulge the names of such deputies as he had appointed for the public protection and for the investigation of certain outrages charged to this secret organization. The disclosure of this information would have rendered these deputies subject to being call in ambush at any time of the night, and would have rendered the sheriff practically helpless in case of a serious emergency. — Alissa Corman; [email protected]