Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-12-09

and rGiocted. Suoh law would entail usc-
less expense and result in confusion and
dissatisfaction. The great object in assess-
ments Is not so much that property bo put at
It's actual value, as that tho relative valuation
be equal and just between tho various coun-
ties. When this desideratum is roaohed, If
the property be valued too low, tho only
result is higher levy to raise given sum,
or il too hign q lower levy, and no ono is
wronged or injured.
The bill to utilize tho labor of prisoners in
jail was rejected
Atl.30 p. M. on Tuesday tho Senate attend
presence Of both bodies aud tho Judges of
the Supreme Court the Governor and Lieu
tenant Gonernor were inaugurated. The in
augural Of Governor IIagood will be found
in our columns, and is we'll worth o careful
perusal.
a bill has passed tho Senate to reguuto
tho bonds of County Commissioners. so as to
require suoh commissioners to give bond of
$4,000 in Charleston and $4,000 each in all
other counties Of tho State. except lIorry,
whore tho bond remains at 900. There can
be no doubt but that County Commissioners
aro the most important officers Of every
county. Thcy no. only have tho supervision
of roads and bridges, the arteries of trade
and indiccs of civilization and progress, Of
public buildings and Of the poor of the
counties, but thoy in a judicial capacity cx.
anime, pnss upon aid order paid out apnu.
ully from five to eight thousand dollars Of
moneys collected from the people. While
this is true their remuneration is 60 small
that few men will hereafter seek or accept
the Office with its responsibilities nnd so large
a bond. The old plan Of dividing this
labor among several boards and requiring
any citizen elected to servo ono term gratui-
tously would be better if it were practicable
under the constitution.
a bill to regulate tho salaries Of County
Auditors, School Commissioners, &c., was
rejected: also bill to regulate tho costs aud
foes Of certain officers; also bill to reduce
the costs of dieting prisoners in county
jals.
The bill to raifv tho homestead anend-
ment to tho constitution passed its third
reading by q voto Of lib to l, and rcsou-
tion has been introduced requiring the Jno
dietary Committee to report bill to carry its
provisions into effect.
On the Cd instant in the Senate. q bill to
amend the lay relating to trials in criminal
cases, 80 as to allow the State additional per-
omptory challenges. where moro than one
defendant is on trial, was rejected. Persons
arraigncd FOR high crime have twenty perempr
tory challenges and tho Stnte two, and if four
persons are tried for tho samc offcnsc they
have each twenty or eighty challenges in all,
the State being confined to two. We arc
glad the bill was rejected. The State already
holds the advantage. While it says party
beyond q doubt before jury should convict,
and it neither seeks nor desires the conviction
Of an innocent man, still tho State holds and
exercises the right Of reply in a!l cases whore
defendants introduce any evidence. The State
is rich and powerful. can secure tho sero
vices, as solicitors, Of tho abcst counsel in
each circuit, aud is furthermore backed by
tho sympathy of all good citizens, rs there is
n natural inclination Of tho haman heart to
condemn crimo and seek out rather grounds
for conviction than for acquittal On the
other hand defendants, whether guilty or
innocent, are generally poor and must rcly
on half paid counsel or on such young attor-
fencc. We have always thought that under
tie theory of the Law and in tho interest of
justice, tempered with mercy. defendants
charged with crime, should have the reply
In some States this is the law. and wo think
it should be here. At all events the State
has now sufficient advantages in criminal
trinls
a bill has been introduced to amend the
law in relation to tho drawing Of iurics in
Trial justices courts; also to regulate the
practice in appeals from Trial justices; also
to regulate the practice in these courts; also
bill to abolish the Office of Jury Commis.
sioner. If the Legislature would repeal
every not relating to tho drawing Of iurics
and pass a general law covering the whole
subject, it would do good service. We be-
licve there has been in the last ten years four
times rs many illegal juries and illegal courts
in this State rs were in it in ninety years
before. This will continue to be the case
until wo havo a clear and ineligible jury
law, which will be allowed to stand for a score
or moro Of years. Somo features of tn c
present law. rs drawing the jury but short
time before court, &C., are better than tho old
law. When jurors arc drawn and known for
months it is very easy to talk in their pres
once nboat cases without exciting suspicion
and in this way insensbly prejudice their
minds. Tho law, howozor, has been so frc-