The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-06
FOR TIE CAMDEN JOURNAL.
Public Meeting.


the members Of the bar, the officers of
the court, tho jurors, parties attendant
upon the court, and citizens generally
to remain, in order that a public meet
ing oftho citizens thus formed might
give expression to their views as to the
policy Of the course adopted by Judge
ALDnlcn in declining to hold courts in
this circuit during the present term.
On motion Of Gen. J. =. KEnsnAw
Col. WM. NJ. SHANNON was called to
the chair, and Capt. WM. CLYBunN re-
qucsted to act as Secretary.
COL SHANNON, on taking the chair,
briefly addressed the meeting, grateful
ly congratulated the members of the
bar and the officers of the court, tint,
although they had been of tile first who
stood upon the sands Of Morris Island,
five years since, when Fort Sumter was
first attacked, and most Of them, during
all the long years which have inter
vcncd had shared all the dangers and
endured the hardships Of the war until
the last guns Of Averyboro and Ben
tonville and the last dissolving and dis
astrous scenes around Petersburg, many
having suffered perilous wounds, yet
to-day they all again surrounded these
altars-not one face missing-every
member of the bar in his place, the
same Clerk before him and the same
Sheriff on his right. What cause for
wonder and for gratitude? He fur
ther congratulated them that whilo they
had all borne with honor the swords
and commissions of their country from
the first blast of the bugle to the sad
hour when their arms were grounded,
they had exhibited al equally praise
worthy spirit of fortitudc md endurance
in the trying ortloals Of their vanquished
condition; that they had buckled them
solves to the pursuits Of peace with ear
nest effort and that they were now
proving themselves to the United States
what they had becn to tho Confedetacy
truthful, faithful and loyal. That
among tho efforts in which they had
heartily Joined thcy were satisfied that
nothing was so well calculated to restore
civil rights, to reolyanizc society, to es-
tablish good ortler to check crime, to
rebuko vice and generalization as the
rciustitution Of or courts. In this
effort they had been disappointed, and
rs the object of this meeting was to, con-
slider the causes of that disappointment,
he would forbcar to anticipate its;ac-
tion.
Gen. J. i. KEEsuAw introduced the
preamble and resolutions which follow,
which he prct;.cr'l with Il full, clear
and able. review Of the necessities Of our
condition, the policy, llnp,irty and no.
ccssity Of all the people using every
effort to encourage and strengthen the
hands OF those in power who arc at
tempting to build up our Waste places.
Capt. w. Il. LElryEE presented The
line Of argument used i'll the LeSisla-
turp for the rc-cstlblishmcnt of the
courts, which he said were presented
by no one more Corciblyand convincinSIy
than hy Juy'lc ALpRlclI limsclf-thcn
a member Of the Legislature.
Capt. W. L. DEpAss confirmed the
views Of Ills colleague, and lorcibly cX-
pressed the necessities Of olr conlmuni-
nifty for the. rc-opcning Of civil courts,
the civil results of military jurisdiction
and the apll ohension that the suspen-
sion Of civil courts by the authorities of
the State would be deemed as evidence
of disloyalty and construed as an ex-
cusc, possibly, as an invitation to rein
state and extend military jurisdiction
over us.
1t was an agreeable feature Of this
meeting, that, although the speakers
disscntcd entirely from Judge ALDR1cH's
course in the premises, this dissent was
invariably expressed in such terms as
have always characterized the bearing
of the Bar towards the Bench, in South
Carolina, and had Judge ALDRlcu been
present lie would have found himself
as lie would have cxpected-in the