The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1878-08-08
Letter frcm Iibert;v.

Souhty are Interested IN common
with therest of the State, in the com
plete restoration of good and honest
government to this long oppressed and
bewildered old commonwealth. Thoy
are expected to do their duty manfully
IN the approaching election, and I
have no doubt that they will give
Governor Hampton and his wise and
patriotic course of action a cordial and
tull endorsement. The people of this
county are deeply interested also in
the final disposition of the Ladd mur-
der matter now pending in the courts.
They are waiting with anxious solici-
tude to see whether tho cardinal prn-
ciples Of American liberty-Lthose es-
sential principles Of freedom which
were secured to their ancestors by tho
great charter of English liberty-are
still left to them, and to bo respected
and confirmed by the courts both of
tho State and of the United States.
Judge Korshow's decision of the ques.
tion whether these prisoners should
be surrendered to the custody of the
United States Circuit Court, which
could and would not try them for the
crime OF murder, with which they are
charged, Gas that court has no iuris>
diction in such cases,) or bo retained
in tho custody Of the State Court,
where they can and will be fairly and
impartially tried, and the majesty of
the law and The rights of the citizen
vindicated, is ablo and sound, charac-
terstic OF the man, and just what l
expected from an enlightened, pure,
and patriotic jurist. This decision
will stand the test Of review on ap-
peal both in the Supreme Court of the
State, and in the Supreme Court of the
United States, if law and fundamental
right are to prevail over political par
tisanship and an assumption of arbi-
trary or military power by the Gen
eral Government IN timo of peace. |
say this wise and righteous decision
of Judge Kershaw will stand, if this
government has not travelled TOO far
from tho great fundamental principles
of freedom, right, and Justice upon
which tho fathers Of the Republic
founded it, and intended that it should
be maintained. Surely there is no
i"N q" 'a.1 "a@ntry, no act Of Con-
@,re., u"->,a .Nen amidst the pas
-.9", r'arojc'-d by civil war, which
altno:':r> any officer of the govern
ment, c,vi, Oh military, State or Uni~
ted States. from the President
down to ovon these drunken Revenue
officials, in time OF peace, to trample
upoa the cardinal rights OF the ciLizen,
by hunting persons with arms by
night and by day, (who if guilty of
any offence or violation of the law,
have committed only misdcmeanor,)
searching their houses and treating
them with the. greatest indignity ard
violence, shooting at them on sight,
and firing upon and killing nm indi-
vidual when standing in the door of
his own house, or attempting to escape
through the yard in its rear. Ifthere
is such law or Act of Congress, it is
clearly unconstitutional, and ought to
be repealed without delay. Such q
law would be more subversive of gem
uine liberty and contrary to the ge-
MUS and spirit Of our American gov
ernment, than any autocratic edict of
the Gar of Russia or arbitrary exer-
else OF kingIy prerogative, even before
the granting of Magma cha,ta by King
John of England.
Let the appeal 60 up to the United
States Supreme Court. The
people want the matter settled there
in the court Of the last resort. Every
ctizcn and lover Of liberty in this
great American Union is interested in
the decision of the question at issue.
Wo want to know how much of that
liberty and free government which
were secured by the blood and wis
dom of our Revolutionary forefathers
is still left us. 1t Is high time that
the people of this country, the source
of all power and the only sovereigns
known in the land, should know
whether the government, State and
General the creature Of their hands,
belongs to them, its creators; or
whether they belong body, soul, and
estate, to the government. Let us
know how fax we have wandered from
the tkree great cardinal principle up
on which the fathers founded this gov
ernment, namely: The limitation of
government, the localizGtion of govern-
ment, and the prevention Of privileged
classes. II Monld be well To refresh