The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-13
HOW MACKEY WAS SAVED.
The Report of the Lancaster Commit
tee to the Citizens of the County.

Messrs. J. B. Erwin, N. G. B. Chafee,
J.. F. Clyburn, and ]. M. Caskey, the
committee of citizens of Lancaster Coun,
ty appointed by a mass meeting OF
citizens to present to the Legislature
charges of illegal and tyrannical conduct
against Judge Mackey, make the follow
ing report to the people of the county:
We, the undersigned, deem it our duty
to make report of our actings and doings
as committee appointed by public
meeting of the citizens OF Lancaster
County to proceed to Columbia and lay
before the Governor and the Federal AS
sembly of the State of South Carolina
very grave charges against the Hon. L.
J.Mackey, Judge of the Sixth Circuit,
for illegal and tyrannical acts, such as IN
our opinion disqualify him for hold
ing longer the commission OF circuit
Judge. This duty on our part becomes
more especially necessary from the fact
that in the exercise of sound discretion
we felt compelled not to carry into exc
cution part of the instruction given US,
to wit: That we declined for very subj,
cient reasons lin our opinion) to call
upon the Governor.
VERY SHORT STATEMENT
of the manner of conducting our mission,
and its results we think will satisfy our
constituents that we have carried out
their wishes as far as possible to do, In
view of the influences with which we
were confronted in Columbia. Upon ar
irving in that city we at once put our
selves in communication with the Speak
er of the House of Representatives, who
informed us that representing as we did
the people of the county, the proper
method of bringing the grievances COM
nlained of before that body was by q pc
tition setting the same forth and asking
for an investigation of the charges when
might be preferred against the Hon. 1.
J. Mackey for his various acts OF the Of
fetal misconduct. Acting upon such IN
timidation, we filed with the Speaker
respectful petition, which has been pub
lished in all the public prints. 1t seems
that before our arrival certain
OTHER CHARGES
of grave nature had been preferred by
other parties from another county IN the
circuit. and that resolution to investl-
gate those charges had been defeated.
With those charges we had no connec-
ton, and about them We knew absolute
ly nothing, so We acted independently as
YOUR representatives. The vote in the
House Of Representatives on a resolution
of investigation based upon our petition
was reached on Friday, the 18th of March,
and the very surprising result OF defeat
ing the resolution was attained by nine
majority. A motion was made to recon
slider the vote on this resolution, was sub
sequently also lost.
THE GREAT SERIOUS oBsTRUCTIoNs
by which we confronted in our efforts to
carry out your instructions were princl--
pally and signally the whole official and
personal influence of the Governor OF
the State exercised against us, and de-
fection of a portion of the Conservative
members of, the House. Governor
Chamberlain we found, in advance OF
our arrival had committed himself as the
partisan of Judge Mackey, and in pur-
ported interview between himself and
reporter of the Herald newspaper
had thrown himself into the breach to
prevent any investigation of the charges
previously preferred. And upon our
presenting onr petition to the House, and
while the debate was going on, we found
that he was using every engine of official
power, by bringing members, both Re
publican and Conservative, to his eXccu
tive Office, and importuning and other
wise inducing them to defeat so reasona-
BILE request as that preferred by us. to
investigate the official conduct OF judi
cial officer.
For these reasons we thought it would
be entirely derogatory to the dignity of
our constituents and cur own, that we
should approach Governor Chamberlain
at ALL and were convinced that an. inter-
view with one so committed could be pro-
ductive of no good results. Of the ac-
tion of that portion OF
THE CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS
who thought proper to oppose our en-
deayors, and who defeated our reasonable
request, we have to speak with feelings
which are actually painful. No good
reason could be assigned by any of them
why they should not vote for the resolu-
ton, and we were entirely at a loss to
know what influences were brought to
bear upon them during the pendency of
this matter. After mature deliberation
we have, from facts which came within
our knowledge, come to the conclusion
that their conduct on this occasion was