Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-11-04
Judge Kershaw on the "Code. !"

In his recent charge to the Grand Jury Of
Spartnnburg County, Judge Kersnaw spoke
in rcprobation Of the practice Of ducling in
this State, and suggested as measure for
the protection of suciet5 the enactment of
he following law by the Legislature at its
| next ses ion:
THAT, in addition to tho oath Of Office
| now required. each officer, before no enters
| upon the duties Of his officer, shull take
and subscribe an oath. that since the ratiti- :
| cation of this Act he has not done any act
which would disqualify him from holding
office, under The provisions of Article |, Sec
| tlon ~, ut the Constitution of this State,
aud that he will enforce tho laws against
| dncllimg, to the best Of his ability, in every
instance OF their violation which may come
to his knowledge, and employ all legal meas :
ures in his power to prevent such ofonces."
Tho Judge goes on to say; "If tho duel is
to be tolerated Mt all. it is due to our people
that it should be openly lcgalized and regu-
lated under the law, and the Code Of Honor,
so called, in some form spread upon
tho statute book. X x If the duel we're
thus sanctioned by the law, and this form of
homicide legalized, we would ut least COM
prehend the necessity Of training our sons
from infancy to the skilful use Of the pistol
reverse our ethical system, and omit from the
iUiu prayer sU mum us uutn tCaCn us 10 10
the deeds of MERCY" This is q cnpitnl
reductio at absu'dum. The force of Judge
kershnw's words, however, is weakened, if
not destroyed: by the following sentences in
his charge:
$50 far as concerns past offences of this
nature. whilo courts and jurics must perform
their full duty and vindicate the violated
majesty of the law, offenders may well pend
at the bar of Executive and judicial clomency
that they were tempted to the wrong by the
criminal blindness Of the officers of the
law, and the silence Of the voice Of tho pcu,
ple."
The trouble is that Judge Kershaw, like
great many other good people, while hon,
estly anxious to put stop to ducling is un-
/ laws We already have are quito sufficient to
stamp out the duellng if "the courts and
jurics and the officers of tho law were not
crminally blind" to their aworn duty.
Much as wc esteem Judge Kcrshaw, we fear
that no cannot inspire confidence rs tho
leader OF tue crusade against tho duollo.
The public have not yot forgotten tho brief
Camden" of which Judge Kershaw was
President and in which ho was the moving
spirit. They have not forgotten tho excuses
made for tho Society when it failed at tho
first opportunity to carry out tho pledges, nor
tho fact that the Judge (for good reasons, it
may pe,) resigned tho Presidency when there
was real work to bo done The recollection
of these things is not calculated to add force
to Judge Kershaw's charge in Spartanburg.
If the crimo of duoling is to bo suppressed
in tho South, it must bo resolutely tracked
and sternly punished just like any other yul-
CUR crime. One duellost in striped suit
will do moro to check this species of murder
than oil tho fine phrases of judges and NOR
aiists.- Charleston Ne,Os and Courier.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. November 1.-The
Census Bureau has issued bulletin showing
tho results of the first count of population Of
the State of South Carolina according to the
schedules returned by tho enumorators. Tho
total population Of tho State is 995, ,3O6. Of
which 400,327 are males, 5O4,97o females,
and 887 ,664 arc natiyo and 7,642 foreign
born. The whites number 39l, OIL, and tho
coored people 604,235.
Tho residents Of northern Michigan do not
wish to have tho deor extorminatcd. At tho
opening of the present season they advertised
that hunters would not bo welcome, and
would probably oso their dogs if thoy camo.
Their request is disregardcd, and the mortal.
ity among the dogs by reason of poison ia
creator than among the deor.