The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-12

discharge of my duties charges for official
misconduct against many Of the officer
in the Circuit. This condition of thipgs
has disappeared. With the present in.
telligence and fitness Of incumbents dis.
charging the various duties of county
officers. every satisfaction is given, nc
complaints are made, and the machinery
OF local government moves along smooth
ly.
9th. In this Circuit The pledges made
by the administration n. to the protec.
ton of persons, their rights anu property
have been r:yidly adhered to, and any
one seeking to encroach upon these sol
emn promises and to violate the law have
been held 70 strict accountability.
In conclusion | respectfully state Gov.
ernor Hampton's administration has
been success in erery particular, and
am prepared TO say 30 far as my knowl-
edge extends, the people are more pros.
porous and there exists feeling of good
Will and harmony amongst all classes.
SOLICITOR SELLERS, OF THE FOURTH
CIRCUIT.
w. w. Sellers, Esq, Solicitor of the
Fourth Circuit, wri2ng from Marion on
August 8, says:
Crime on my Circuit is greatly on the
decrease. Since my official term as pros.
ecuting officer for the State on this the
fourth Circuit commenced, at least
three.iourths OF the cases prosecuted in
the Court of Sessions were for crimes
committed anterior to the evacuation of
the State House by Governor Chamber
lain in April, 1877, a very great number
of which lard most diaboIical in degree)
were perpetrated during the contest for
the State Government in the winter of
1876 and 1877, and spring of the latter
year.
My Circuit tperhaps the heaviest in
the State) was, during the time indicated,
visited and infested By all sorts of crimi.
nails. Crime YVES prevalent, as the re-
cords of the courts will show, and as Col.
Parmele's books will attest. But I am
glad to see marked diminution, both in
number and degree.
During the same time l have but few
cases in which. white men had violated
the rights of the colored man, and such
cases now are very rare. When snch
cases occur I feel it even more than a
duty, if possible, to prosecute with vigor.
attribute the derrea ia crime to
several causes combined; the chief one.
however, is the fair and impartial ad--
of the law and the certainty
of punishment chat follows its violation.
Wherever there is confidence, awe and
respect are inspired.
SOLICITOR ABNEY, OF THE FIFTH CIR
CUT.
j. r. Abney, Esq, Solicitor of the
Fifth Circuit, writing from Saratoga, on
August 23, says:
In the Fifth Judicial Circuit, to which
my personal knowledge is confined. I
think there has been decided diminu-
tion in both the number and degree OF
crimes. It may not, however, SO appear
to every one, as there have been tried in
the courts annually sine. Governor
Hampton's installation more criminals
than before but this may be explained
by remembering the inefficient and cor
rupt trial justices and officials, who were
then charged with the duty of enforcing
the law, and bow they failed TO prose
Juto. Now IL is otherwise, and SIC !ar
is enforced in every case where the cir
cumstances require an investigation.
Yet, it cannot be denied that in some
counties CT this Circuit .he law is no.
reyerenced as it should be-, but in those
there has been diminution. In one or
two of them it might properly be said
thai there w6s scarcely any a1uiiili5tra-
tion of the law for eight years previous
to the installation of Governor Hampton,
and the people had but little confidence
in its certainty; and this caused passion
ate and bad men to take the law into
their own hands, and sometimes quiet
and good men were exasperated to it.
Confidence in the administration of the
law is now restored, and the habit ac-
quired by some of taking the law into
their e@n lands, CT -a.he: &C disregard,
ing all law, must be given up, as every
good man condemns it, and every county
viii cease TO tolerate it.
AS to your special inquiry am pleased
to reply that there are now comparative
ly few crimes committed by whites in
said Circuit against colored persons
The sentiments expressed by the Gov
ernor as to the colored mans rights ]
believe to be entertained by the people
in all sincerity; aud believe the white
jurors generally are scrupulous to award
justice to the colored people. Since the
colOred race have been rescued from
their pretended friends, their real friends
find in their breasts the sympathy and
kindly feeling of old fully restored, and
that race, too, seem t. appreciate, the
truti.o told them by the whites during
the last campaign and before.
It should be matter of pride 20 every
white man in the State that the pledges
made by the Governor and the Demo.
cratic party have all been kept, and III.
justness of our. position demonstrated and
every allegation against the other party
sustained and every colored man in tht
State should rejoice.
SOLICITOR GAsToN, OF THE SIXTH CIR
CUT.
T. G.. CASTOR, Esq, Solicitor of til,
Sixth Circuit, writing from Chester OF
August 10, says:
Within the limits of the Sixth Circui
Of this State there has been, since the in
stalsati0n of Governor Hampton, grea
diminution In the number and degree o
crimes committed, especially of crime
committed by whites against coloret
persons. :.
CUT.
B.W. Ball, Esq, Solicitor of the sev
enth Circuit, writing from Laurens Cour
House, August 20, says:
Generally in this Circuit crime ha
largely decreased since the inauguration
of Democ-stic jurisdiction, say eight,
per centLy.. There were large numbe
ofconyictions in 1877 for offences com
mitted previously, chiefly for larceny
burglary and arson.
These crimes, more particularly, hav
! diminished. aud the criminal calenda
now consists mostly of assaults of mino
character, and not as between whites an
S:acks.
There rarely happens a case of assault