Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-05-11

u large 4 District rs Edgebeld, where half of
/, people rarely visit their: court House, except
i compusion, and then gladly depart even W
p imperfect -wheresthey are almost who
n ignorant of what are tle1awful fees and dec
n to punish extortion, asslong as it is endural
/ lest they themselves may have TO attend 10
l. Court as witnesses forfseveraI Terms. FRI
0 this reasoning it would seem, that the Head !
lice of a large District lnay oppress the peol
I more than those of Hball one possibly c;
and even if the chief police of large Dstr
are diSinclined to collect unlawful fees, the II
mcrous Deputies who assist to administer I
public Offices may do it on their own account.
defy the champions of anti-division, TO name
single small District in South Carolina, or 81
gle small County in any State of the Unio
where more oppression and extorlion are prl
tiscd by the police, than by those of the arg
; Districts and Counties. FOr be it from me, evt
to nsinuate that the Chiefs or Deputies of Of
police, are guilty of taxing unlawful fees. b
while cheerfully testifgsto the general goo
character Of our officers,i must also defend II
slandcrcd reputation of the police in the small
! Districts Are our Officers any better than thos
of Nc%herry, of Fairfield, of kershaw, or of til
many other Districts in South Carolina, wbic
have less than half the wealth or population {
Edgefied, and whose officers must consequent
get less than half the compensation Of .onrs
Have there been more defaulting or inrfficipn
officers in the small Districts, than in Edgelield
Edgefeld was erected into District on the Is
day of January, lSOO.' Efty-fcur years hay
not yet elapsed, nevertheless. two or three o
our Sheritfs have been defaulters to larg,
amount, forfeiling their bonds, and still leaving
thousands unpaid to those who IRE now told
that if the District be divided, we shall have M
! Sheriff whatever, or at best, but dishones
fellow, who will spend the peoples money W.
have had but four Ordinaries, and vet one OF
them, only Il few months ago, fled the country
leaving his sureties, and it may he the public as
sufferers to an extent, which is not even now
asccrtained. The precipitate flight of this de.
taultcr, caused the repeal of an important pub.
lie Statute in South Carolina. Can the same
significant fact be mentioned in connection with
the police of any other District? Is this not a
beautiful commentary upon the boasted effiri-
ency and superiority of onr police! Edgefeld
has had but three Commissioners in Equity, and
how stands the Record against one of them
Our widows and orphans can reply. The Clerk
has nothing to do with the monetary affairs of
the people, and he,thereforeg could not be de-
faulter, although many of theincumbents of that
office have left its records ia papers in mser-
able condition. 1t is painful 3etn write thus and
it know myself, am; ;i,aapable of wantonIy
up tho.feefinss oyos but tie te
truth mnst be told
When an officer becomes dcEluler in so
large a District as Edgefell, how wide spread is
the ruin which his failure causes. And when we
chance to elect an inefficient officer, what MI.
merous population must feel the sad effeets of
his maladministration for the long period of four
years. 1t is unsafe and anti-Republican to vest
too much power in any one man, and it is equal
" unwise to have police Offices as profitable az
ours are in Edgefed. have insisted that one
cause of the anarchical tendency of our people
S the difficulty, expense, delay and tronbIc
which attend the learning, obeying or enforcing
'f law among us. lnow contend that u second
'anse of the spirit of anarchy, so rife in Edge
ield is the fat District offices. In every nation
'r community where the Offices are too profta-
,le they beget faction irSt anarchy next, and ul
imately the ruin of the State. Rome lost her
ibertes by bestowing the spoils of 4 pIundered
world upon her officers. Spain, once the most
owerful nation in Europe, has been ruined by !
he princeIy salaries and large fees which the
old and silver Of her rich colonies enabled her
o pay her officers. A pIethoric treasury is
ow corrupting our Federal Government, more
han any other single cause, nasmuch rs it fur
ishes an excuse as well as the means for stea-
lily increasing the compensation of our federal
gents 1t is fundamental principle of law in
ONE of the States, TO reduce the fees of any
lfice, whenever it has become so profitable rs
} create contention among the people. The
constitution Of Vermont says "As every free.
IAN, to preserve his independence if without
Efficient estate, ought'to have some profession,
llling, trade or farm, whereby he may honestly
lbsist there can be no necessity for, nor use in
Offices Of profit, the usual effects
which are dependence and servility in the
assessors or eXpectants, and faction, contention
I'd discord among the people. But if anv man
called into public service, to the prejudice of
S private affairs, he has a right to il reasonable
and whenever an office through
crease of fees or otherwise, becomes so prof.
ble rs to OCCASION many to apply for it, the q.
oIits ought to be lessencd by the Legislature" 5
his quotation should be pondered by every pa
otic citizen in Edgetield. 1t describes, as
Early as words can describe any thing, the de- r
OrabIe condition of our District, which should =
reduced if for nothing else than to diminish /
, profits of its police offices. Another object /
tn our ancestors for establishing the new Dis. I
cts in 1853, was to lessen the profits of the
lice in Charleston, as may be seen bv refer n
ce to the act. The Offices of Edgefeld have i
come so profitable as to produce the most s
ect "dependence," and the most fulsome, n
4, nigardly "servity" in the "possessors aud n
pectants" of them. Our police candidates q
1 aspirants act in manner wholly unbe- .
ming freemen," and they feed like vultures on i
peace and prosperity Of our society, whiuh h
distracted and tortured with faction, ponten- II
n and discord" F
The emoluments of our offices vary of course q
'ry year, sometimes more, sometimes less, hut al
offices of Clerk and Sheriff, are each worth u
least $500 average per anuun ! am of Ell
Mon that they yield even $4,000, but that Ii
y remain within the mark, shall estimate it
y $500 direct fees to the incumbent The al
.rf's office however is still more valuable d
n perquisites or indirect profits, such as in W
'st on money and gains, which may arise in
m successful speculation, with the large &c
'unt of funds that the Sheriff always con- f,
$. The direct fees of our Ordinary's office B
y probably from $1,000 to $500 year. 1t ne
formerly worth much more thar this, but if
e the repeal of the ACT in regard to derelct as
lies" the above is i fair estimate of its pro- Pt
The Ordinary has his perquisites as well hQ
he Sheriff. Our Commissioner in Equity so
nts his direct fees by thousands, and his per- wi
'ites are greater even than those of the ell
rift The Tax Collector, though he has no 1t
nection with the administration of justice, as
holds District office and by far THO most Ec
rable one that we have. For several wears We
his office has never yielded less than j. 600, trr
sometimes as high as $500. which was the sli
in 1851, when the Taxes wero pxorbitant, wi
they arc not very low now, The labor of tbs