The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-01-05
The Bench.
BY T.Hos. p. corupAy. Ego.

FNol'oSED BY THOS. +. COT1IRAS, ESQ.
Mr.. President, Indies and Cent? n, n: TT
lives OF great men make up a hIstor,
Britain by her Shakespeare, Milton, Mncanla
Addison and Scott, has attained the fDrein0
rank among the nations of the world in lie
tors. France by her Napoleon stands as tt
glittcring embodiment OF militnry fame. II
ut Whose touch crowns crumbIch'' has left
the canopy OF Fra"cC'a lu.tre which time ca
nererdim. The capital N surrounded by Il
simple laurel wreath speaks grandeur in Itscl
AS with Nations so with States-each hasi
Industrious men To look back to with prid
whose achievements give complexion to the
history. The "InOther" OF Presidents which "
all delight TO honor bears upon ner proud {
cutchenn the noble name Of the Fntiicr Of y
Country and his ilIusirious SUCCESSORS In e
highcst office In the gilt Of the Amerin
people.
And South Carolina points with pride the
high and mob ones who have worn her.li-
cial erminp. Those Hottest specimens othe
true man who hold unwaverincly the ScfSoi
Justice between man and fellow-inan .~ho
drah yet speak and who Will continue td'"aR
20 long as ranking cares annoy an,.rndc
diScOrd separates man and man. lure.
dignified, impartial, learned, n nationiIridc
not alone South Cardinals. What rlsiDulf
CarOiinians do than, lay Mt their sl,rjfS.up
rarlandS of praise. Those whose IA aes E
written on OR hc,rts need not be meet!otd
here and TO this assembly.
But there was q time when Purity ~vfiledper
face, when Justice sheatlird her Aword, wen
sorrowing. both give place tn villainy a
short ignnble rcign-sonn TO be eilated rom
the tablets of our memory, when joy q, GRE,
dcmption swallows up the remembrance OF
our miSfOrtunes.
In the ancient city Of Pompcii, now'uried
beneath the ashes OF VcsuriuS thee was q
temple dedicated to the Goddess Irs' whore
under the garb or religion, apllab s!cstuTe.
hypocrisy practical upon the snfertt:ion ola
people who were In those dnys IN aucation
and refinement uneXceiled.
The priest at the holy shrine wasA rDaceS-
n dark and treacherous Egyltian.-whose ca
pdcitles enabled him to secuIs bItown great
ness by his country's ruin. l'ay Iter any ms
nefariOus offices were pe6urmd-Vlolailh@
the purity which should attah ever 10 O
heather shrine-probnbly hnmotting Victims
The runblings Of Tesuvas wee unhecaeu-
those warnings at 1t w.re tolim to Iesist-
fell like sounds of sweet must upon MS ear
for they were mistaken BY. ne pnpuISce iTr
button was at hand. Those rumh!ings were
"ncarer, dcadlier thar tefore and all was swal
lowed UP In that terrible erlption which maze
n great city literally aaiyin tomb; Even IN
e M came, tn pix above him snap.
ped asunder with a tTrlbltcra and descend
powder. 4
In the history or Ssutul aroma louI years
d dTG; ah al,ar T SafldPW Ttsibs y the' memory 20 Of JIG" Join.
son. O'Neall. Harper aii the Wardlaws who
UNDECIDED the warlinsSounds of a revolution
which was iHcvitable-a revolution when was
the offspring of a people goaded to despera-
ton.
That revolution aso came, and the Jew. the
carpet bagkcr and he Egyptian, without the
capacity to be entitled to the name OF Arbaces,
were wrested from their places by the gather
- f-tIxo,f Jr,, ond hifrfnd forever
beneath the ashe' OF that eruption ever MEM
orable In the hlSnry Of South Carolina.
And out Of thu chaos Phoenlxlike rises the
new creature7! pure unsullied JUDICIARY
whose coming IKE the restoration Of Charles
II, is hailed With delight rom the mountains
to the seaboail. One Of whom we have with
us and WHOM we claim as our special proper
ty: to him isaccorded the honor OF respond
Ing to the to6st of the pride of South Carolina,
as in the PAST, SO may IL be In the future,
her Judiciary IL color character pure anu
unstalned.
RESPONDED TO BY JUDGE M'GowAN.
Nr. Ire,idcnt, Mr.. Cothrdn. Ladies' and Cen
aeDtcn i has seemed to me unfortunate, ON
such DECISIONS as this sparkling with Joy anu
huppins "a, when all, MS In duty bound, make
eiiort for the time to brown sorrow and
banish from the mind oil thoughts OF toll and
the busy outdoor world, that 1t should hap
pen te inc to be reminded of the every day
Of life In being expected In n grave and
@PRRfe Bonch," " Witch, not warm warm, soft and eom'
Portable like the wool-sack Of the Lord chan.
cellor, Is on the contrary. proverbial!y dry
had, and cold. And this Is intensified under
the present circumstances, with the grounc
smooth surface of which Is swept by the
Piercing blasts Of a regular North-W ester
aud the thermometer down to 5 OF Fahren
This call to respond to THE BENCH,
under the circumstances, comes to me TX X
children In the midst OF theirtplay. 1t haunt'
me as McBeth was haunted by the ghost o
Banquo, which would never down at his bid
ding.
of tudicuture or OF the judges that ha,
been said a thousand times bcfore7 Ger
tain l am that this of-repeated toast 70 "Th,(
Bench" has exhausted me--drawn dry oil
my stock Of Ideas upon the subject-sqneezed
like n lemon! The only general observation
which occurs to me ut this moment about TIT
judges II the lawyers as we'll. who are Ger
tainly their halfbrothcr, Is, that whilst theil
occupation Is undoubtedly In a high degree
lead the most laborious lives. They wort
hard, silently, and MISUNDERSTANDING, II
their offices, communlng only WIN tnel
books and the great dead masters OF the pro
fession-strivimg 10 acquire what Ny Lore
Coke i~acetiously called "the gladsomc light o
jurlsprudence.'' Some English lawyer In
mortalizcd himself by producing tile mos
concise and happy expression for q fact ad
mlttcd by all, that they work hard, 1--we higl
and die poor"
/ was struck with one rcmar of my youni
friend, Mr.. Cothran, who, now a proinisin'
young lawyer. bids fair 1t no distant day, u
become IL commanding figure In the hardcs
worked and noblest OF all professions. III
spoke OF the past corruption of the Bench II
this State, and the luIe happy reform IN TIM
regard. What he said sis true. and pity IL J.
IT'S true" | am sorry to confess that ther'
was u time in south Carolina when the cur
rent Of justice was poisoned at it's source
when light was denied and wrong triumph
ed-When corruption besIneared the, seat q
Justice and the crmine was dradSled IN In
dus'. G' help that people who; In cries o
wrong ind outrage, can not appeal with con
ii, Q G to the court Of justice! a.
Tine great and glorious re volntion of 1871
when q whole people rose In their might AM
threw of the hldeous nightmare OF oppres
S on, brought no blessing To our people NOR
,..rt,. o,J hnpnGnnnf n, lis NpnSp