Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1875-03-25
A South Carolina Judge Makes Fool
Of himself,


The late affair between Judge Cooke
and the Greenville Daily NewS has
attracted universal attention and eX-
cited universal comment. Our esteemed
cotemporary, the Anderson Iatelfgencer,
narrates the case SO well, and comments
upon it so Justly, that we. cannot do bet
ter than adopt its words:
'''rhe Greenvillo Daily NewS on Friday
last commented upon the proceedings Of
the Court the day before, inwhich Judge
Cooke directed verdicts ofs":not guilty.
to be rendered in certain cases against
j. NJ. Runion, late County, Auditor.
Spicy paragraphs were distributed over
several columns, and Immediately below
the regular proceedings this sentence:
Without the fear or favor of any man,
we offer the following comments ard
then follows half column of blank
space, which must have been Irritating
and annoying to the last degree. When
the Court met on Friday morning, Judge
Cooke directed the grand jury to retire
and present Mr.. A. NJ. Speights, of the
Greenville Daily Ne,os, for libel against
Mr.. j. NJ. Runion, and said he felt this
to be his duty. although he ignored any
thing contained in the Ners that affected
the Court. Speights had treated him to
blank half column, and we suppose
that his Honor was merely exchanging
compliments by ignoring Speight's sal
lies against the Court. But the newspa-
per was handed to The grand jury, with
one OF the paragraphs pointed out rs
containing lihe!nus matter, and they re
tired for it's serious consideration. These
proceedings ut once excited q great in
tcrest, and we are informed that the in.
.ciligence attracted large numbers to the
Court House, every one iorsalling husi-
ness and rallying to the front, anxious
to learn the latest developments Of this
sensational proceedings. When the grand
jury returned with their presentment,
which contained rot a word about the
Neirs, the excitement WAS brcathless and
intense. Judge Cooke was equal TO the
occasion, however, and again instructed
tho Grand jury to retire, and remain il
their room until conclusion was reach
cd III the libel case. The grand jury
-wofss7S,.ol-ile enough to obey the mandate,
and IL, short time returned with doc
ur.lent, stating that "the grand jury have
carefully considered the paragraph in
+. the Greenville Daily NeicS, and find
nothing in it to warrant action on their
part
On hearing the presentment, Judge
Cooke waxed exceeding wroth, and said
that the grand jury had been reniss in
the discharge of duty and disobeyed the
instruction of tho Court; he did not
know whether he would hold them any
longer, and instructed the Clerk to make
out their pay certificates. This declara
iion was reversed instantly, and he gave
them the privilege to retire and consult
whether they would reconsider their de-
cision, which resulted in the grand jury
refusing to amend their decision of the
matter. This excited anew the indigna-
ton and wrath of his Honor, who de
clarcd that he would hold the grand jury
from day y-te,day until action was taken
>in tl)+a1sbel case, and he would require
them to serve without pay! This closed
the extraordinary proceedings of Friday,
which were commented upon with ex-
ceeding plainness by the NcwS, and the
effect was acemplete back down of Judge
Cooke when the grand jury appeared
before him on Saturday morning. He
acknowledged irritation on the previous
day, and said that he did not desire to
encroach upon their prerogatiyes, after
which the grand jury were discharged.
aec:;la i,,.areS,s-i
%ain1fsY and winch In IiSrsE Instances
had been paid by the several State
governments. The measure was con-
e eeocted by the claim agents, who
would have been enormous y enriched
by,its enactment into law, while not
one soldier in five of those for whose
pretended benefit 1t was devised and
passed by both Houses of Congress
would have derived any benefit from
it. So soon as it got into Congress
rivalry sprung up between the two
Houses to see which could display the
most demagoguery ebort it, while
loading it down with the most OBJ
noxipus provisions which would throw
the responsibility Tor rejecting it
on the other House. And, though |
neither House wanted to assume the |
responsibility for SO heavy raid up
on the Treasury, neither House was
bold enough to reject the bill. The
Ssnate was surprised to find that the
House could not be blufed" by Its
bold amendment and at the last mo-
1nent tabled the bill! to get rid of it,
though it came back from the csntsr,
Aaes exactly In the shape whersinthe
Senate had passed it q Snort g5Eqiis.
before. Then came Mr.. Logan and
Mr.. Spencer, the carpet bagglng Sen
ator from Alabama, who owes hisseat
in the Senate to the Attorney-Gen-
eral S good othces IN heiping 10 or
ganize the Alabama Legislature two
years ago, and with their gamblers
trick got the bill enrolled and signed
by the -facile Wilson, and then hus-
tied it off in hot haste for the slsna-
ture of Grant. Bu5. happily Grant
was in sour mood towards the par
ty and the pestiferous man who IS al. :.
ways boring him about tue party.
The results which would have cone
to the public credit from the passage,
Of the bill into law may be inferred
from the rise in the PRICE OF gold
which on Thursday followed the an-
nouncement that the bill had become
law.
GEANr OUGHT TO DRINK LESS
WH1sKEY.-The President has great
ly changed in two years. Ills, lace