The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-01-10
ORANGEBuRG, S. G., JAN. 10, 1879.
The Judiciary,

The per1 anency Of government
depends very much upon the efIec-
tiveness Of the departments making
np2! the whole. The body may
he politically diseased and con-
scquent weakness may result without
seriously impairing its influence O,
general character. Corruption often
steals in upon people and crimes
ore perpctrated against society while
the laws, which regulate its peace
andprotect its property, are violated
without any apparent power TO abatc
thef9evil Or TO correct the injury.
Such has been the case in our own
State and elsewhere throughout the
Union, for more than half score OF
years. Our society was in n state Of
constant" confusion and our property
wns held poised between doubt and
certainty until the citizens lost very
nearly all hope in the ability of the
government to rcstrore peace to one
and apermanent tenure to the other.
Law, which ought TO have been the
expression of the will of the whole
people, was but the expression of the
will Of mob under the guise Of
political party, and was therefore,
enacted OF subserve the interest of the
corrupt faction whose will it repre-
scented. A willing obedience was not
sNSiyen eitl17r 7rby those II 6ers of the
d 1Ser { IDS
lawf@as enacted, or 6y't6ose citizens:
who represented the talent, the prop
erty and virtue Of the land. Indeed,
the violators Of the law, the jurics
that passed. upon the evidence and
the judges who administered its pro-
visions were all, with a few eXccp
tions, found among tic corrupt mass
es who enacted it. AS such the law
was unable to carry with it all the
authority of the government, nor
was it capable of commanding either
the obedience OF even the respect of
that portion Of the citizens upon
whose character the authority Of the
government is based.
No people were ever more ignorant
and corrupt than those who enacted
these laws and controlled the polili-
cal affairs of, this State during the
black days of the period just passed.
The government on its passage
through it was weakened TO such an
extent us to he unable to maintain its
own dignity or to guard The honor
and liberty of its suhjec.s. In 1876,
however, the government of South
Carolina, under the leadership Of
Wade Hampton, supported by the
determined members of the Demo
cratic party and the honest Republi.
cans who had become disgustcd with
the low tricktry of tho Radical fac
ton, emerged from her troubles at
once, with authority to enforce the
OBJ dicncc and command The respect
Of her subjects. To-day, her cxecu-
tive department, both State and
county; her Legislative, in each
branch and her Judiciary, in all its
divisions are controlled by officers
representing the Intelligence, proper
ty and virtue Of the State.
Whilst there are abundant reasons
for our citizens to rejoice ut the
changes, so much for the better, in
every Department, it seems to us that
there is greater cause for rejoicing
at the change in the Judiciary than
any other, because this department
comes oftencr and in more immediate
contact with the people. Here the
honor and the liberty of the country
are to he guarded, the rights and
property Of the citizen are to he pro
tccted, and the name and lives of the
people are 10 he defended. Not only
so, but the successful management of
this department Of the government is
a proper index of national virtue and
argues complete supremacy of law
over public action, and for these a
sons q proper criterion by which 20
judge the effectiveness and permanent
cy of the government. These rcncc-
tons have been occasioncd by MOTTO
ing the manly, dignilied and satisfac-