The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-08-03
From the Edgefcid Adrertiscr.
Judge 0'Neal and the Edgefeld
Advertiser.

UNDER this head the GrccnviIlc Patriot, in
its List issue, makcs Some structures upon
our late Editorial in regard 10 Judge ONears
untin)cly expression. that Sccessionsts and
NuIliicrs should forget their dreams of
Abstraciions, and had like to have said of
madness" The Patriot, instead Of rcbuking
the Judge for volunteering 20 hurl such
wanton insult ut twO.ffths of the people Of
South Carolina. true t. its anticedents, en-
dors2s the insult rs follows 1--WE were in
hopes that the able Editor aud accomplish
ed writer, who now governs and directs the
Advertiser, would himself, BY this time, as
sent TO the truth of the expression that Sc
ccssion was madness" Not content with
this, the Editor cqstinucs his remarks upon
the merits of Secession in his.eharacteristic
style of rdculc. by H1hing wiEst he calls Il
good joke, That he heSfd two years ago of n
"Fire. eater, who travelled several hundred
miles in the United States, expecting to be n
,,lioDa !, hpt -nsas- htss~siasely disappointed "a
mo people among whoJn he travelled had
never he'ra OF secess siaFs or T" looked upon
IL only as piece OF batsis|ess gasconade."
now IN our couimepts upon JUDGE
O'Ncals harsh, imprudcht and inexcus,blc
remarks, we said nothing about the propri.-
ty or impropriety of Secession. Our stri,c.
ureS had reference solely 10 the indiscrction
Gwe had like to have said indecencyA Of
Judge upon the Bench uttering severe or
thets in regard to political matters, and that
TOO, Eflor they are dead, or il may be, only
slumberng To be aroused at some fntur,,
day, with more violence than ever The Pa
mot thus attempts to change the issue, but
W" beg leave to saythtt n. justification of
co operation, or cons latiou, is quite a dic-
tcrent thing TO the Justification of n Judoe
VINO so fHr forgcts the dignity and sanctitv
of his Office, rs 10 volunteer political exnrc:.
sions, calculated TO weaken and undermin.
The confidence of the people in his ipInarti.
aliiy However, Judge O'Naal is AN imnuI-
sivc man, with great emphasis of chararte,
iifd This may in some sort bo his excuse for
calling Secessionists madmcn, nj This late
day, especially, when we remember the cir.
cumstances nnder "hich he wrote. We re-
peat that mortified vanity runs through the
'ohote letter from, Washington and the jndres
confession in his late speech at Anderson.
according to the Patriots own account of r.
goes to strengthen our assertion. We die.
Ter with The Patriot and rather think the .al-
fusion was W-haPPily and not "happiIy -
made. But our readers can Judge for them.
selves. Here 1t Is :-"He said he went
North inll OF the Importance of South Caro-
INA, and expected to hear il admitted every
where. lie said toe, that he thought ho
would meet persons who had heard OF Judge
~ Neal south Carolina Judge, who had
been upwards of twenty years ON the bench
and was President of the Cont of AnneaIs
the supreme Court ofthe State, but said fbs
Judge, they had never heard of me. snd
cared as little for me when thev d;d
hear Of meas they did for one of their conn.
ty court squires. What is this but morti6ed
vanity and an earnest longing for notorietv
which the most shallow politicians always. :.
and the abiest Judge but rarely epioys'--.
we thank the Patriot for the extract Az
"ihe President of the Court of Appeals.n
10 south Carolina was not wofshipped "A a
denligod, no doubt that parsonage thought
that ms other character Of rcformer, had pre-
ceeded him and would give him the much
eo'etted notoriety. But all resources faI,s<lE
hIm'and weiear that the suspected secessl
was the cause of his disappointment
seeming had odor at Washington and IS
ago. Two junior brethren of the
had been heard Of in the Federal Sf :
aud as Judge O'Neal is very imperi6
man, we suspect he is not pleased withtheirN
outstripping him. However, nothing ofthls
Kind may have prompted him TO call Secess-
ionlsts madmen. He is an extraordins,v man
and an extraordinary Judge, but we afe NOT
wliling 10 say che has no superior" on the
Beuch. Oflate years, II is true, ne has adon-
ted the plan frequently Of delivering opinions
IN The Appeal Court without citing a single
authority for his assertions and positions.
Inls wonld seem 10 confirm the Patriots
opinion that "as Judge he has no superior.p
or at least, il will warrant the suspicion that
tue Judge himself thinks that be has none in
present or past time, and that therefore. his
own Is the best authority that coeId be Civ
en-. u is rather dangerous experiment for
the Judge 70 llaitate Mr.. Calhoun In this re.
spect, while he opposes his principles 20 vio-
lently Judge ONenl has done many tLinRs
IN south Carolina 10 impair the confidence
Of the people in his iMperfiaiity, and nothing
s more common than 10 postpone cases AZ
ne request Of parties, rHther than briuR them
before his Honor for trial.
Once while presiding in Edoeiica Court
House, he allowed himself 30 iar 20 become
paytisaa 10 the cause he was hearing, tAas
he qnlt the Bench Ia an aeitsGed tssnner,