Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1873-12-25

- - - - - ~ IA II VG1SE II
populi reelection, will be found, I appre
hend, 10 be one Of the most dangerous
errorsSeve ver yet committed by democracy
] All men muatasee that the experiment
/ whiclssze have been trying has brought
upon sas almost every form of social ca
lamits and Ashame-'he judicial office ds.
graded the popular mind misled and de.
bauched the great legal profession lower.
ed am discouraged, justice made thing
ofsbaE Eter, and the law it self laughing
stock = is a system which has within
recens years put upon the bench in this
Stateyadges who were asrufianly and MS
infang,sis as Jeffrey and scroggs.. Under
this stem, according to the testimony OF
an 5honored member of the New York
bar, murders, manslaughters, abor.ions,
and sther startling crimes have become
SO mich more frequent as to send thrill
of horror and alarm through the com
mnnisy.
The greater boldness, frequency and
success with which the insidious and
suspicious defense of insanity has been
internosed, and the newly developed art
of excluding nearly all men of strong
character and definite opinions from the
Jury-box in all cases Of the higher crimes.
haycnot escaped general attention. The
more frequent conflicts of jurisdiction,
the dlscreditable disputes about injunc-
tinnsand receiverships, and the multi
plied3ap appealsand the increasing rumors
political influence all over the State
'of late years, none but the most dull and
Indifferent have failed to observe. The
more crowded condition of prisons,
without crime being more repressed tho
increasing hahit on the part of district
astorfeys of delaying or altogether omit
ting fhes trial of those indicted; while
graIs:ls Jurors have been brought more more,
md ore under those partisan infuen-
ees 9TH enfeeble the sense of duty, are
sso sighs of S judttiaf decay File
bar has proclaimed its deep-felt dissatis-
faction. In the higher literature of the
country, and everywhere in the public
press of the State, the infdelities of our
judicial offices have been proclaimed, 80
that in every part of the civilized world,
for years past, the administration of JUS
tice in the State of New York has been
made the subject of disparaging and hu-
miliatino comment. With open procla-
nation of n sense of peril, the owners of
property have fed from our borders to
seekthe protection Of purer judiciary !;
and in every monarchy of Europe New
York lawyers and merchants have hung
their heads in shame at the mention of
our courts"
+ Every word of this awful testimony is
true. The case is not overstatcd IN
deed, it might be made stronger, and still
be within the truth. These, thcn, arc
the fruits of tho system of making the
office of Judge one of ..,he ordinary spoils
ofpolitiea What can be palmer than
that it is our duty, at the election which
is soon to take place, 10 cast such ballots
Us will rescue us from the longer endur-
ance, and the still more costly calamity,
ofa bad system, which we welded in
haste and have had bitter reason to repent
of at lcisureS The judge differs from all
other officers, in that he does not repre-
sent constituency-that he is elected to
carry out no policy, that he is ofside, OF
no party. He is removed from all temp
tations of passion and partisanship, that
he may determine law and equity with
absolute impartiality Is it likely that
n people can, during violent political
contro versies, select suchan officer wiselyi
lightning.