The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-10-10

phere of doubt and suspicion, which, of ne
cessity, must enshroud the name of any one
be he whom he may-who, like Judge Mel
ton, undertakes to argue and represent the
claims @ of such man, as he, under whose
black flag of fraud and corruption, tha Judge
has chosen to enlist himself "a man who
would more appropriately represent criminals
in the pehitentiary, than South Carolina
(God help her y in the gubernatorial chair!
In these behaves, Gas in others,) the
Judges eAort-to our mind at sleast-was
dead Jaizure! -.-.-..
Not only did he not pretend to deny the
truth ofa single charge uhich has been made
against his leader, but he was "not prepar-
ed" to s,bstantiate the counter charges which
have been urged with bitter tongue against
the opponent of General Moses! He
{" believed" this-"had been told" that
"report said" something else, etc.; and upon
this ve,y lame hear-say testimony, (Which
would have been perfectly inadmissible in
the Court House, unmindful of the theory,
alike oflaw and human charity, which DEGREES
that man is to be regarded as innocent un-
til his guilt be establishea-Judge Melton
urged the conviction Of one against whom,
however guilty, he may be, there is, as yet,
certainly lacking such proof, as will satisfy
the public mind of the truth Of the ACCUSE
tions made against him. What veritable
=" Chevalier, sans peur, ct sans reproache,"
was Judge Carpenter, in the eyes of the Re-
publican party Q)-asnsa until the stencil Of
corruption drove him into purer atmos.
phere-we well remember
Judge Melton's individual convictions,
Chased upon rhatO were, it is true, forci-
bly, expressed and urged but in this 18th
century-when the lost discipline Of states.
manship, honesty and genuine patriotism
no longer commands obedience, thinking
men who have so much at stake, are unwil-
ling, blindly, to adopt the ostensible conclu'
sions, OF plausible teachings Of those, whose
ideas, and perceptions, may we'll be sup
posed to be obscured by the zeal Of partisan
ship, or are rendered questionable, because
of the selfish motives which may actuate
them.
Judge Melton, therefore, should have been
armed with facts and their proofs, before en-
tering the lists against his leaders opponent;
and there are many crevices in the armor Of
his recent speech into which the sword Of
discriminating public criticism may find
right easy access.
Let US peep into some of them:
The Judge arraigns and charges Mr.. Tom
linsou, and charges
Ffrst-That he sought, and occupied, a
"bomb-proof" position during the war, and
has "no bullet holes to showp'
Did General Noses ever stand "near
the flashing Of the guns" Or can he show
any "bullet holes?" Answer-No
Secondly-The Judge charges that Mr..
Tomlinson engineered himself into "soft
spot" after the war!
Query-How many "soft spots" did this
namesake of the prophet "euginesr" him
self into? Answer-TDo!
Thudy-The Judge charges Mr.. Tom
linson with the procuratiou, by bribery, of
the Phosphate Bill!
Where are his procts? Are they to be
found in the Hon q Cardozo's say-so? We.
rily, zoe prefer to believe Mr.. Tomlinson, and
he denies the "soft impeachment"
Fourthly-The Judge charges that" as
it is said"-.Tomlinson admits himself to be
worth $50, 900, and wants to know where he
got it
Rather dangerous weapon for the Mo SEA
ties to use, this! How much money has the
puller down Of the "Stars and Stripes" Cat
Snmter) plundered from the pockets of the
taxpayers? we would ask. Report, (not dis.
credited by Judge Melton,) says, largely
over one million of dollars!
Fyahly-Judge Melton AYERS that the
Greenville and Columbia railroad has fallen
through, aad that /" it is said" the Phosphate
Company is not prospering, and argues that
as Mr.. Tomliuson was Secretary and Trea-
surer thereof, their downfall is "con6rma.
tion strong as proof of holy writ" of his
inability safely to pilot the ship of State!
Would Judge Melton have intelligent bu-
siness men believe that the Secretary and
Treasurers Of corporations Generally mere
clerks,) possess and exercise such exclusive
powers ofdirection and control, as we'll as rem
der them responsible, for the failures Of their
bodies corporate? Surely not! Why, then,
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