The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-12-20
Judge Orr 10 the Rescue.

! AN oUTsPoKEN APPROVAL OF TIE Kti
KLUx LAW-No REMEDY BUT THE
! BALLOT.
Tho following is an extract from
the charge Of Judge James j.. Orr
to the grand jury Of Pickcns County.
delivered on Monday last
Since November, 1868, when your
first court was held after the diyi.
sion, there have been only twenty
seven bills Of indictment hand cd to
the grand jury by the solicitor UP to
the present term Of the court-threc
years Your population is not less
than ten thousand. Have fewer vio-
lations Of the rights Of persons or
property been committed anywhere
in the United States, rs exhibited by
! these statistics, by an equal popula-
ton, than in tic County of Pickens &?
Yours are preaemincntly q law.abid-
ing and law-enforcing people. Peace,
order and prosperity pervades as a
result in your borders. No disquict,
alarm or interference with your usual
avocations have overtaken you. The
e'hCiooV uciG3 Will lHc Stluallou pre-
vailing in several of the counties of
the State, is singNlarly favorable and
gratifying to you. However men
may differ in their opinions as to the
| wisdom and justice of the course pur-
sncd by the Federal Government in
suspending the writ of hobees corpus
III several Of the counties of tho State
and is due to frankncss that I
should, as an individual, say it was,
in my judgement, Eeccssty-it is
very certain that the counties that
frowned down all unlawful combina-
tions-the counties that have pro-
tccted person and property by law
the counties where peace, quiet and
good order have prcvaiIed-havc been
exempted from the stern provisions IF
the Presidents procla nation suspend
ing the Aabcas corpuy. Persist in the
good conduct which has marked your
history for three years past, and bo
assured the privileges Of hnbcas corpus
will never be denied to the County of
PickHns.
You have been taxed more heavily
for three years past than ever before,
! and complaints arc made in many
quarters that larger sums arc collect
cl than a iudicious economy would
justify, and charges are preferred
that there is not faithful disbur>iug
or accounting for tho collcctions anI
it is recommended in somo quarters
| that the people should refuse to pay
the taxes imposed for the fiscal year
ending 18th January next. Such
advice in my opinion is i'll l.iudgcd
aud Will work out pernicious results.
Under our system of government
the remedy for Legislative and cXecu-
tive m?lleasance-and the only safe
and Legitimate rcmedy=-is the ballot.
boxs 1t may be slow and cmbarrass-
ing, but, sooner or later, evils which
may be subjects of just complaint will
there be corrected. But tho man or
community who undertakes to oppose
the laws Of the State under which
they live, by force or violence, will
surely come to grief they will most
certainly find the arm of even an OBJ
noxious law stronger than their best
concerted opposition, until repeal d
by competent authority.
AS law abiding citizens you will, T am
sure, hesitate long before you resolve
to resist the tax laws passed by the
Legislature, whether you think them
oppressive or otherwise. If the pub.
lie officers charged with collecting
and disbursing the public funds have
been guilty of fraud or pcculation, let
their misdeeds be ferrctcd out, and
the guilty brought to punishment.