Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-09-15

olteh enaplcs the guilty to cscapegu under tn,
most trillng Prctcxt; and even Shen person,
arc convicted in such cases, tho verdict is .,,s,
ally accompanied by recommendation TO oxco
utive clcmcncy. NJ
Ihere IL no proper punishmept under she
laws OF this State, for high misd dehisaaors snd
petty felonics. None Of tho jsils0fs tie state
arc constructed for work, houses, SSssd Sconyiots
sentenced to Imprisonment spenasthcir time
! III idlcncss. The expense to tho Ass sysr,
| great, aud, i'll our impoverished c1Slitfon. tIas
people cannot well bear tho hetsSy taxntion
necessary to support these convi,ts f5;idleness.
There are many convicts who find themselves
comfortably housed and wcll-fcd, and who.
exempt from all labor, do not regard in,pris.
"nment as punishment. They3are vicious,
depraved non producers; and The effort to
punish them is really punishment to the
honest tax payer, whose labor, nEpart at least,
is given to support them in ind9lence. Tho
number of conyicts will hereafter be greatly
Increased, and, if tho present system Of nun.
!snments ne continued, the appropriations to
jailors, for dieting prisoners, viii be greater
Than the expenditure for either ftle depart.
mcnts of the State Government.} To remedy
all these evils, respectfully recbmmcnd that
you provide for the establishments of n noni.
tcntiary, ut Columbia, and npbropriate not
less than $4,000 to erect wal around Tho
pcntcntiary buildings, and to make cells for
c"nvicts. Much Of the labor, III erectino tlc,
necessary buildings, can be pcrfSrmed bv Tie
convlcts themselves. Ifa favorable sitosHonld
be selected, convenient to sufficieit water now.
er to drive all the machinery thatnlay bc req
nisite to carry on manufactures iRwood. leath.
cr iron, yarns and CLOTH the ponHcntinrv may
be made nearly If not quite ssEsupportine
Punishmcnts may then be imposed accord;n',
to the cnormity of tho offenceS iurics viii
nave no aversion to convictipg Ia guilty, and
convicts, while undergoing purgkion for their
crimes, will be compelled to carnJhoiro rolothinp|
and subsistence. fSYss
The completion of the prsonls sIsd the intro.
duction OF the requisite lnaclj6ery will. OIL
course be work Of time; but, roper econ.
ony . Psaotleen ~ slia
meantime, the convicts eau DO subsistcd us
ohcaply as in the District jails, whilst the la
Dor OF such as are not required on the build
inSs, can be devoted to tho various manufac-
turcs of leather, wood and iron, yielding
fund to the State to meet the expense of their
subsistence.
If you should determine to establish pen
ltent'ary, it will be necessary that the punish.
ments now imposed by law be 30 changed as
to conform to the new prison system. Before
passing from the subject Of the criminal law,
desire to Invite your attention to the ncccs.
sity for more stringent Legislation for the sup.
pressi' n of yagrancy. The law should not
only provide for the punishment of idle and
dissolnte persons, who are permanently do,ni-
cilcd, but should extend to transient persons
wandering over the State, and who have no
visible means Of support aud the duty of On.
forcing tho lnw should be dcvolvcd, under
stringent penalties, upon the Clerks, Shcriffs.
Magistrates and Constablcs Of the several Dis
tricts
Since your adjournment in December last,
the Court of Errors in this State have, with
single dissenting opinion, declared the Stay
Law and all amendments thereto unconstitu.
tional. This decision has produced rostivo.
ness and dissatisfaction in many parts of the
State. Public meetings have been held in
several Districts, and the Legislature has been
appealed %, to furnish some protection to the
debtor class, who anticipate general sueing in
the fall term of the Courts.
After . careful examination Of the opinion
Of the able aud learned Chief Justice, as we'll
as other authorities, feel it my duty to sny
that concur fully ia the opinion of the Court,
and holieve that their exposition of the consti.
tutionai question is unansworabto.
The people of South Carolina have been pro-
verbally law abiding; and when anarchy
reigned supreme, after the fall of the Confed
eraoy, lawlcssness was universally discouraged
by the better classes in every community
Now, when civil law ;s restored and we are
remtted to our own laws and Courts to pro
tect rights and redress wrongs, surely no cciti-
zen of good rcputc will advise tunluit and vi
olenco against the highest judicial tribunal 10
tho State.
In view Of tho circumstances surrounding
us-when it is remembered that the State has
just emerged from long and disastrous war,
in which, not only hor sons but her resources
were prodigally bestowed that our banks have
all Leen destroyed; that moro than three hun.
drcd millions Of property have been apnihila.
ted; that all the fountains of credit and prop.
erty have beer broke up; that our system of
i III. l. IL