Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-10-16
aenl. Canhy,s Iury Order.

the Jury Order-No. S9-which Judge Al,
DRlcH last week, refused TO obey:
Ftnst. The entire jury organization Of the
State, made in accordance with the law, is
destroyed. The Jury lists prepared at the
Spring term are muH and ro,d: The judges
must. therefore, either prolong their terms,
this Fall, beyond the customary one week, or
hold another court,.to give tie sheriff time TO
COLLECT the necessary number of jurors:
Second In preparing these new lists, the
tax list and registration lists mus: each be
separately examined and then compared, to as
certain the names of persons who come within
the requirements of the order. What officer
uf the State can give certificate. as To the
character of this registration. or the avaia-
bity OF any individual it embraces This
is one of the practical difficulties to be en-
countered-thc drawing and summoning of
new jur. rs during the.approachihg term: and
h. co.npletiou of the business before the
courts.
But there are still graver complications
growing out of Order No. So. Who are
"qaaifi,d voters? ?"
Under The strict and varied construction OF
the military bills, besides clerks, magistrates,
tax collectors and assessors, there baye been
excluded from registration militia officers and
tie vari u boards of commissioners ap;ri It d
By the legislature or elected by the pe"plr.
These take no. oath to perform their duties.
receive no compensation for theIrservices, and
are required to serve two years. or pay a,fine
OF $50. Even though these Offices were held
twenty years ago, nevertheless, if the ncum-
5ents happened 10 furnish suit ot clothing
or horse to th ir sons in the Confederate
a.my, that one act is sufficient to disfranchise
them. Hence, very large class of inteli
gent and worthy citizens are excluded, not
only from registration, but from the jury box.
In twenty.three of the thirty one districts
Of the State, the lists of registration show
large coloured majorities-a total of Sc Os'O.
Of this number, it is estimated from The re-
turns that only about five per cent. Can read,
wr;'e or calculate sums in simple arithmetic.
10 illustrate: In Charleston, the eolOured reg
i,tration is 5O9S-the white 228G. Ofthe for.
mer 1856 were unable to sign their namesi Of
the latter, llS. The proporti IN upon jury
there would thus be nearly eight coloured
men to four whites-fve Of the eight not be
ing able 10 sign their names. The returns
from Beaufort show g. white persons regis
tered, and $3.50 coloured persons-giring
proportion of one white man TO every fourth
Jury, and eleven out Uf twelve unable to read
or write. In Georgetown, there ore 4lS
whites and 34lS coloured voters registered.
We are not aware that In any couotry the
political faith of an Individual has ever before
been made test of his eligibility as juror,
or that its jury benches could be filled indis-
c-minately by men, without regard to at least
the qualification Of intelligence.
For the administration Of justice in South
Carolina, therefore, we must henceforth look
to these citizens who have paid taxes for
the current year, and are duly registered as
voters: Who are they?
The General Assembly. in December, 1866.
imposed Tax Of one dollar per head upon all
males between the ages of tW'eniyone anil
fifty capable of earning support. One dol
lar ard registered name whether it be true
or faise-,herefpre. buys seat upon the jury
bench. Bat let US lock 4 little further.
To such lis; Us this are all the civil and
criminal cases Of the State whether they in
vo,vc one or one million dollars, to be anbm:
led under Order No. SO. Nnr will the United
States Court be more fortunate. In Charlie
ION it is estimated there will DE eight c"lour+d
to four white Jurors in Columbia. nine cn
ured TO three white; and in Greenv'lir,
light whites to fonr cnlour"d jurors-chnsen
without rcspect=ot education, natural in,t!ll
seuce. or any other qualification. save that
the juryman has paid one dollar tx, anu had
his name entered as = votsr. So ssys Order
No. SO.
Even the coloured m an i. to be tried per
hsp., for his life, by twelve jurors, eight or
ten of whom are n his compeers in intrlli-
gence and may have been selected from the
no 'est nlantation. is this not mockery uf
justice2
lue order, however. ia 6le which cuts
both ways. Much as the white or coloured
Sputherner may suffer from this wholesale
employment of sheer ignorance the Northern
claimant must SrtteF with him. To use
lomely but forcble saying, "Whal is sauce
for the goose is sauce for the gander," and the
rial of his cause, especially when il involves
great and complicated interests. will not b.
nkely to satisfy him that the administrative.
if Justice uudnr General Order No. 80 is
strictly in accor&Rnce with the spirit OF th.
age or illustrative OF the highest type of o
itical virtue.
We presume these facts were not duly weigh
ed by Gen. Ganby before the issue Of his or.
der, or that it was put forth in obedience to
influences which he could not control. What
ever may have been the motive behind it, dis
aster will follov in the train of its execution
and the people will realize that nothing has
been done that will proves destructive It,
ne interes's nf the State. ,inoe the nangura
ton Of q military government.