The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1878-01-08

anu cOHNlc dIOluS luz COluulOu Jul
by seeking a new trial. Cardozo ant
Carpenter and Parker are in Jail. Ex
Governor Moses is threatened by a Re-
publican Judge with arrest. as q va
grant. Upon the shoulder Of Mr.
Chamberlain the hand of the Officer
has not yet been laid. The Committee
on Frauds have made report concern.
Ing him. Mackey's occupation is gone
Bowen. however, is sheriff Of Charles.
ton. OF Patterson We could speak
more freely if he were further from the
grave. United States Senator as he is
he dare not plant his foot on the soil Of
South Carolina. Scott is in Ohio. For
Corbin the doors Of the Jail yawn.
Buttz seldom dis6gures Charleston by
his presence. Like crushed egg-shell
is the handiwork of Scott, Moses and
Chamberlain. But the past year is not
memorable for this alone. Side by side
with the work of tearing down the false
and base, goes OIL the work Of building
up the honorable and true.
Upon the ruins of the Supreme
Court of the days when everything had
its price, is raised the Supreme Court
of to-day, where McIver and Haskell
sit on either side of Willard, whose
acumen and devotion to right were the
bulwarks of the Democratic cause,
when, on the bench with him, were
Chief Justice Moses aud the stupid and
venal Wright. While the appellate tri.
bunal has been restored TO high place
in dignity, ability and purity, there has
been 4 marked improvement in the
character of the lower courts. Jud yes
Kershaw and Wallace now sit Oh the
Circuit Bench. And when the terms
Of the of the other Circuit Judges ex-
pire, or their seats arc declared vacant,
the place Of every Judge who is iu-
competent or untrustworthy will be
filed By jurist Of the stamp of those
whom the present Legislature has al
ready elected to similar positions.
Meantime, those Judges who are least
likely to be retained are keeuest in the
pursuit Of offenders. These judicial
brooms sweep more cleanly now than
when they were new.
The Legislature met in extra session
in April, and the regular session be-
gan in November. Little practical
work has been done, but what is COM
plcted. good or bad, is in accordance
with the demands Of the people. The
repeal Of the lien law, aud the cnact-
ment Of the usury law. will render it
more than ever difficult for small farm.
ers to continue their operations. These
measures, however, were loudly called
for, and experience alone will satisfy
the people Of their un.wisdom. The
dlsheartening feature of the debates in
the Legislature is tho apparent wiling
ness Of the members to carry out blind
ly the wishes of their constituents, even
when they can See that harm is likely
to come of it, This is not peculiar to
South Carolina. The member Of the
Legislature is expected to Lave more
knowledge and experience than the bulk
of his constituents and ii is his duty
to give them the benefit of superior in
formation, and to serve them to the
best of his, and not their ability. South
Carolina heretofore has not been want.
ing in independence of spirit. Would
that there were more public men in the
State to-day who dare to be unpopular.
The present General Assembly is over
whelmingly Democratic. and We shall
not complain if the members make
haste slowly. 1t is difficult to determ'
inc at this moment how much of the
public troubles are due to defective laws
and how much to maladministration OF
the laws. This is reason for testing
the working Of the present Constitu-
ton, with honest aud intelligent admin
istration, before setting to work to recast
the organic laws of the State.
The Republican party in South Car
oliua shows few signs of life, but is moi
dead There are still some 10000 oil
so 900 colorel voters in South Caro-
lima, and they will vote at the next elec
ton, if the issues are important tt
them. and their votes will be counted
as cast. The Democrats did not obtain
control Of the government Of South
Carolina by counting in, and they VII!
retain it by counting out. There WI!
be NO difficulty in carrying the State
next year, if the Democracy are uni
ted. Tho elections in Beaufort anc
Sumter show that the colorcd vote Il
solid. when the white vote Is scattered
One man in South Carolina is un
changing aud unchanged, the same nov
as during the triumphal marches OF th'
summer of 1876, as during the danger
and anxictics of last winter, as durin:
the JOY and gladncss Of the succeedin:
summer. The simple faith and trut'
ofWadc Hampton knows no change 0 0
adversely or prosperity. To him, uatl
the fight he made was won, the peopl
looked up with reverence that ap
preached to the dignity of worship
And their own is as sincere as evcl
Only in the eye or on the lip of tn
politician is there any suspicion offailin
confidence, and there it is due to envy
, or to jealousy, or to failure to under
t stand and app eciate the grand nobllIt
, of Wade Hampton's character, II
grows upon those who knew him wei
. Never has he been, never will he be
/. failhlcss to himself; and while he