Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-10-10
. From the Carolina Times.
To THE PEOPLE OF CQLIIiIBIa.

"A sufficient time having elapsed 10 allay any
tangry feelings which may have been excited in
the minds5of DR.. Gibbes and his friends by the
seeming indignily which has been put upon him
BY hix. election fromthe Council Chamber, the
undersigned deem it due 10 the people OF Colum.
bia, ard sjust TO themselves, 10 present TO the
public II calm and diSpassinnlte statement OF the
circumstances attending an affair out of which
Dr. GIbes, acting as-7we hope and believe ui'-
der the excitement and irritation of the moment,
has sndeavored to create in The public mind i
feeling of hostility towards US. From recent
edtoiialof his, however, we are happy 10 perceive
tlat he is now able to like more rational and
propcrzview of the subject and is willing 30 re-
gard his formal election from the Council Chatl-
ber merely as mode Of testing novel and m
teresting legal question, and not rs designed 10
cast indisniIy Or insult upon him, or asa proper
and Just cause for personal luminosity towards
the members of the City Council Relying con-
6denlIy upon DR.. Gibbes's sense of justice and
propriety, we cannot but believe lhat upon i
more dispassionate review Of 1.-The affair, he will
be convinced that on this occasion he has, fer n
time at least, permitted his feelings to get the
better OF his judgment, and has given TO this
matter o character and direction which, We are
confident, he never deliberately intended it
should take. We do not design recapi;ulating
the history of DR.. Gibbes's hostility towards The
present City Council, nor do We intend to specu.
late us to it's probable origin. What We desire
s, to present as briefly as possible the reasons
which influenced US in'retil>ing that gen,enlan's
application for leave to attend our meetings and
repurt our proceedings for his newspaper.
For many years past the printing for lhe cor.
poration has been done by an officer annually
elected at a stated salary. Such is still the prac
iice This contract is not let % Tie lowest bid
der rs is .lhe case with some others. No report
er ever has been admitted to report the pr.'ceed-
sings of the Council. The present City Printers
do not report our proceedings, nnd have never
applied for permission to do so. Had thev ap-
piled, their application would have been rejected
ms Dr. Gibbes's was, for reasons which will
hereafter b. given. The proceedings of the
Council are kept BY the Clerk, and his minutes
are reviewed and corrected (f necessary after
each meeting of Council; after which they are
handed to.the City Printers for publications, and
are usually published on the morning next after
adjournment Of the Council.
(. For some years past the annual salary of The
City Printers has been one hundred and fifty
dollars. The sum is we'll known TO be IN inad.
REQUIRED to be done still. the Office is sought
for. and is desirable, because of tile advantage
,.,,,sh the City Printer enjoys in publishing The
eedings Of The Council in advance of'other
re., papers. Thus, This advantage constitutes
-, iportaat,eif not the most important, part q
tie .1nsileraion given for the public printing,
n,ld as, been enjoyed by all previous printers,
r. s.towns iris 1lding. z-scSe=al paia1
L ,d Al, ,.ir N n nos
,un these terms Messrs Britlon d Giles
unanimously elected City Printers, gave
md security for tie proper performance of
."er unity, and up to the present moment have
faithfully and honestly discharged the duties of
that office. When Dr.. Gibbes applied for per.
mission 10 report The proceedings of The City
Council, we unanimously decided that we could
not grant his request without grossly Violating
our obligation to The City Printers; and it Is
manite-l that had we done so, those gentlemen
would no lung,r have been bound by their obl-
gallon to US. DR.. Gibbes himself would never
have willingly consented to yield this privilege,
whilst he was the P:iner for the town. We
thought and so determined that it il wills prnper.
that reporters for newspapers should be admitted
10 our meetings, such admission should be post
poncd, at least until Oar present contract with
Messrs. Brtton & Giles should have expired,
and printer should have been elected with
fair and proper understanding OF his rights and
priyppes, and Of the consideration hr WAS 10 re.
cciye for the labor he would be required to per-
form. We believed that justice and honesty
demanded this much of US, and Were surprised
that DR.. Gbbes should have expected or requir-
ed US to do otherwise. We are willing to nblde
the Judgment Of our fellow citizens as 10 the
rrctiude,of our motives and the propriety OF
our course.
II is proper to say TINT there were other con-
siierations which influenced US in refusing Dr
Gibbes's application. Unlike larger cities, we
have no separate police court or police depart.
ment. At our meetings we discuss freely all
matters concerning the police OF the city; us
we'll measures for preventing AZ for detecting
violations of our laws. is manifest, ii all our
deliberations on these subjects were reported
and published, detection would, in most cases,
be impossible. and in many cases great injustice
mieh, nnd would be done to irnorent but sus.
ppcted persons II we are forced, under the
coercion of The law, or through the powerful in
Huence of the press (Which has been brought to
bear upon us as We believe from ,nisapprehen-
sion Of the facts of The case) to yield the privi-
lege of conducting our police Investigations in
private,i can no longer guarantee the efficiency
of that departm. n, Of our city gorernmen mt.
Heretofore, the question lis 10 The publicity of
the meetings of the City Council, has never been
considered, because excerpt when the Council
has sal as Il court for the trial ut Offenders
against City Ordinauccs) the public have not
regarded it as u, all important tor the preservu-
zion of their liberties, that they should attend
our meetings and for the very sufficient reason
,ha, by the 9Th section of the charter OF The city
no ordinance, By aw, rule or regulation which
NAV be passed by tic Council can be operative
until il is " duly promulgated This provision
our citizens seem heretofore to have regarded as
d sufficient check upon any unwarr"nIed as.
sumption Of puwer on the part OF The Council.
What influence the presence of one or more re-
porlers cuuld have upon The Legislative acts of
The Council EXCEPT to give them publicity, we
ure at loss 10 conceive; aud as all such acts
mus, be published to give them validity, We can.
not conceive how the pnhlic can be injured. or
the cause of liberty suffer by the exclusion OF
Reporters. Besides. as we are required by law
To publish all ordinances, laws and regulations
affecting the public, aud az We are responsible
for such publication; it seems 10 Us but right
sud proper that we should have the control OF
the same. Various matters relating TO Ire
police, 10 The solvency of surcIies on official ana
other bonds, il seems to Us boll, unnecessary
and improper to publish in the newspapers OF
the city No good can be effected BY such pub. 1t
lcations, and much hnrm may be done. we
have ,hns presented as briefly us possible The
reasons which Influenced us in the refusal 10 nj
low DR.. Gibbes to report our proceedings fnr
his newspaprr. five have erred III our conolu-
sion, and have denied TO Dr. Gbbcs my right to
wb;rb be is lcoully or morally entitled, we are