The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-03-04

OiOe, no Stood as 6entlncl. through
him the State learned Of the infa-
NOUS conduct of her officials
Through him Tho government Of
South Caroline became n byword of
kreproach umong all honest men. He
was beginning to see the fruits Of his
labors: ripcning inte maturity, when
in ain instant, without word of
warning, he was cut off. Tic fell
fire fena, as if>fn rsagNe with the
powers of darkness against whom he
was warning, enfollcd him IN her.
dread embrace, and his bright, spi,i,
winged itself to better worlds. No
higher encomium can be passed upon
him than this "a Hs died st his pos'"-
At the last moment, While his life
was futtering between two worlds,
his cry was still, "On the qui rive, Oh
the gu vive."
1t is q glorious spectacle to sec
conqueror with his batt!o Scared
veterans marching to victory. 1t is
a glorious spcc.Ncle to see statos.
man in the forum maintaining the
cause Of right. But it is sublime to
see n single individual throwing lin.
self into the breach, and defying the
whole ; machinery o., government,
spurnihg every bribe, conf outing
every danger, and Jing at his post,
q poor honcet mun. Peace to his
a,ESe.
sss' :s,stts
Judge Carpenter AMI the Press:
Judge Carpenter ha, b.er guilty of
extraordinary conduct OF late. Firs,
he silcnoed elk attorneys at lazy 10.
taking step that was supported by
the decisions Of two Un:ted States
Judges and II Circuit Judge Of thi>
State. Secondly, be discharged a
'try for incompetency, although We
have ncver yet disc ,vered the author
ity he possessed for 70 doing. But
as this was erring on the side Of right
we commended his action in this re.
s2ect. But he has recently 10 n
guilty Of an act which We regard as
a direct attack upon tho liberty Of the
press, and as such we caunot pass it
by in silence. The True SJuthron,
paper published in Sumter, in re
viewing tho Judges conduct in the
Savings Bank case, used harsh lam
guages, and We have heard, that not
having seen the: baptistnsl register
upon which 'ha Christian name Of This
judicial functionary is written, it
dubbed him with the cuphonious ap
pellation of "Rnb Bank" Carr enter.
This rohsed the Ire Of the learned
Judge, and he attached Mr.. Kennedy,
the editor of the Tue Sonthron, for
contempt of Court. The, case will
will be hoard on the 3lstv March,
Now, however, no may disapprove OF
the custom of besto~ing opprobrious
epithets upon in l,viiuals, whether
inpublic pr fgivatc lite, We contend
that tho remedy proposed by Judge
Carpenter is not the proper one to be
PuTeued, and that in alta ching for
contempt instead of prosecuting for
a libel, lie has been guilty of such
an unwarranted stretch of his au
thority as Judge as to call upon him
the. indignant rctukc of every indie
rondeht newspaper in the State. Mr..
heDncdy was not in Judge Carpcn-
ter's Court. lie was attending to his
editorial duties ot home, in another
circuit. If guilty of anything. he
was guilty of libel, and should be
regularly indicted before Il grand
jury, and tried by twelve peers.
But Judge Carpenter in his arrogant
assumption OF poser, proposes to net
as prosecutor, Judge and Jury. Ho
proposes to exercise the Same censor.
ship OF the press as the most drs potic
government in Chr.stendom. At a
slash Of his pen he can silence every
journal in, the State that daers to
! criiicise him. This ia nm irliop,t,
to which the press will not submit.
J.lge Carpenter forgo,s that the
tlmo has long siuco passed when the
judicial, legislative, or. executive
power could throttle the p,css a,
will. The press is IL power in the
land, and IT'S freedom OF 81 beech j.,
guaranteed by The Constitution.