Conclusion

After Governor Holden’s impeachment and removal from office, the Shoffner act would be viewed as an evil tool used by a power hungry republican.  Even though the Shoffner act was never deemed unconstitutional by any court while being used by Holden’s administration, it was nevertheless, considered such by the growing conservative party that began to population the General Assembly in 1870.  Regardless of its legality, it was still necessary in order to put down a group of white supremacists who were not bound by the law and faced no fear of reprisal.  As John G. Lea’s confession points out, the Klan was able to murder Senators in courthouses, evade capture, and evade sentencing because of sympathizers and Klan members within the civil authority.  Even outside reporters from the New York Times were able to see the lack of authority in the civil law with the lack of arrests made for the killing of John Stephens.  Holden witnessed this lack of justice and after several means of appeasement for peace; he felt he had no choice but to interfere with the civil authorities himself.  He used the Shoffner act specifically in Alamance and Caswell counties in order to restore a law system that was simply, not there.  Holden did not use this act in other counties because he was able to help restore the civil authority through other means, such as democratic appointments, and bolstering the civil authorities who were able to make arrests.  If this could be done in Alamance and Caswell counties, why would they have not been?  John Lea said that it was because Holden was from Caswell and therefore had a grudge against it (Lea), This is stated however, in the same paper where Lea confesses to the murder of a prominent white senator in the same county while maintaining his own justification for it; making his first accusation against Holden, seem rather weak compared with the latter.  The real reason Holden treated Alamance and Caswell differently, is because they were the two counties where there was no Civil law in sight.  Other counties who were failing still had chances, and Holden took those chances and succeeded, but in Alamance and Caswell, Holden’s attempts held no ground and no results.  Only through the Shoffner act would Holden be able to change the justice system in those counties which had no civil authority to speak for.