Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-04-11

tist church. He is preacher of fgreatability
and earnestness.
The Stonewall Fire Engine Company nade
their appearance on Main street, on Friday,
in uniform, and in charge Of their beautiful
engine. They made fine display. Some
time was spent by the Company in testing
the capacity of their engine. QUI.
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
LETTER FROM WHITAKER's.
-"WH1raxsR's-S. c., April 3, 1873. d!
The leisure hours recently enjoyed by the
farmers on account of dry weather, were
brought to close on Thursday last, BY the
falling of gentle rain, which enabled the plan
ters to plow their lands and continue their
farming operations. which they are pushing
forward with great energy. The area in corn.
in this section, this year, will be as great, if
not greater than last year, Notwithstanding
the low price at which grain is selling. 80,
The wheat and oat crops promise, so far,
to be as good as they were last year. Should
there be good grain crop grown this year,
and continued visiting of this section by
revenue officials, the farmers will certainly
find greater difficulty in selling their grain
than they now do, which will be great re-
lief to the buyer. .z.a s...!
On Saturday last, according to previous ap-
pointment, Capt w. T. R. Bell, Principal Of
Kings Mountain High School, addressed
large audience at Antioch Church, on the sub
ject of education. 1t is needless to say that
his address was interesting. His ability to
interest and instruct is very we'll known.
And besides, be is remembered by many
grateful hearts for the services he rendered in
our last political campaign, in the upper part
of York county and elsewhere. He seems to
be always ready to lend helping hand to
any and all good causes. '.o -,
About 10 or II o'clock last Saturday night.
the house of Joseph Hardin was surrounded
BY a squad of nine revenue officials, who de-
manded Of him to surrender. He refused,
and as the doors of his house we're locked,
the officers were unable to enter the house
without breaking lock. They then deter
mined to remain around the house until morn
ing, which they did, when one of the officers,
claiming to have the power to issue search
warrant, which they said would justify the
breaking Of lock, forced their way into the
house and captured Hardin. They also found
some whisky, Of which the revenue men par
took freely, which will account, in great
measure, for the insults and abuse / am in
formed they heaped on Hardin. They also
found ,distillery near the house. This was
destroyed, together with all the fixtures. and
upward of one thousand gallons Of beer. D.
THE AMNESTY RESOLUTIONS. 81.
Their Reason, Operation and Expected Effect.
Hon. Charles H. Simonton has written the
following explanation of the amnesty resolu-
tions passed by the Legislature, of which he
is the author
There seems to be some confusion of ideas
respecting the amnesty resolutions adopted by
the General Assembly during the session
which has just ended.
The objections urged against these resolu-
tions are, first, that they interfere with the
right of the Attorney General to prosecute,
and with the power of the Governor to par
don second, that they are impolitic and
wrong
The law officer of the State, charged with
the duty of prosecuting offenders, can look
only into the suffciency of the testimony. If
that be strong enough in his opinion to rea-
sonably secure conviction, his duty is to
prosecute. With the propriety or policy Of
such prosecution, he has nothing to do. Es-
pecially is this the case with the prosecutions
in question. In these all the facts were ex-s
amined and all the witnesses obtained BY the
investigating Committee. The hriefs in the
cases we're made up under their direction.
Now, if it be remembered that the investi-
CATION was inaugurated by the Legislature,
that it was conducted by one of its commit
tees and that this committee made their re-.
port 70 the Legislature, surely it will be ad-
mitted that the Legislature has the right to
express its opinion as to the course of action
to be followed upon the results of its own
work. ........ ,la 4,-
If, then, the Legislature, upon receiving
the report and examining the testimony,
should come to the conclusion that as to one
class of offenders the prosecutions should be
pressed, and that as to another class amnesty
should be extended, who can complain Ger
tainly not the Attorney General, for he had
no concern with the motives or policy of the
prosecutions. He neither instituted nor ad-
vised them. He simply acted under the di.
rcction Of the Legislature. Sure y not the
Governor. His views were we'll known and
frequently expressed. The resolutions met
with his approval. ..t...,., q.
With regard to the policy Of the resolu.
tions, they received almost the unanimous
concurrence of both houses, in one Of them
after an earnest debate. ...+ '..a.'
They pledge the State to the prosecution of
the ringleaders. They except only the tools
and instruments in the frauds. ~ -. ...,..,.
They open the door to general amnesty
for political offences in this State, which may
release from prosecution 800 of our own citi-
zens ' .". .'-
They save the State from the expense at
tending a number Of prosecutions, the only
result Of which will be the punishment of per-
sons whose power to harm has ceased.
They calm the excitement which followed
the last election, and aid the Governor in
carrying out his plans for encouraging our
whole people to devote their time aud labor
to their material development.
CHARLES H. S1MoNToN.
LAw.AB1D1NG SENTIMENTS. None but
those who are willfully blinded by their pre-
judices can fail to see how much better, more
orderly and peaceable is the condition of those
Southern States from which President Hayes
removed the army, than it was before that
time. Outrages and ku-klux have become
mere dreams of the past, and every one of
those States is as quiet and law.abiding az any
other State of the Union. 1t is true that We
hear of violations Of law in the South, partic-
ularly among ignorant and miserable gangs
who live by making whisky without license,