Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-03-30

Our correspondent deprecates the fact that
many farmers are compelled to pay from 81
cents to 81. .05 for western corn.
CIRCUIT COURT.
March term of the Court of General Sessions
for York county convened at 10 O'Clock A.
NJ. last Monday, his Honor Judge J. S. Goth
ran presiding, and the State represented by
Mr.. Solicitor CASTOR.
The full panel of grand jurors, drawn to
serve for the year 1882, answered to the call
of their names as follows: James A. Watson,
John A. Byers, J. A. Stewart, DIR. VIM. Whyte,
G. S. Cobb, Jordan Meacham, j. L. Starr,
R. A. Steele, S. w. Jackson, Benjamin Gal
loway, B. J. Gold, J. B. Nicely, M. L. Ross,
Dennis Morgan, W. S. Wilkerson, j. M. Rob-
inson, James NJ. Biggers, Anthony Clinton.
The members of the grand jury retired to
their room and elected Mr. James A. Watson
as foreman, when they returned to the court
room and were duly empanelled.
His Honor then proceeded to charge them
as to their duties as the grand inquisition OF
the county. While his charge was not lengthy,
his instructions were comprehensive and prac'
tical. He was gratifed to see the whole Of
the panel present and willing to discharge
their duties as citizens. The grand jury OF
every county forms part of the government
and constitutes power in the country. Un.
der our present State laws, you now sit for the
whole year and until your successors are quail
flied. This change from the former system OF
requiring the grand jury to serve for only one
term is doubtless wise one, and will at
least commend itself to those who give the
subject thought, Upon the ground that skilled
labor is preferable to unskilled ; and the grand
Jury by learning from term to term what their
duty is. will become more expert in the dis
charge of it.
In brief charge, as this must necessarily
be, it is impossible to enumerate all the duties
devolving upon the grand jury. The office OF
grand juror is a high trust, and as the grand
Jury of York county you are the supervisors
of it's internal affairs-of the civil power OF
the county. You have the power, and it is
your duty, to enquire into the manner in which
all the public officers of the county discharge
their trust to the people. Under our present
system the county commiF 'oners are salaried
officers It is wise and proper, in the new
order of affairs and the impoverished condi-
tion of our people for the last sixteen years,
that all officials who give their time and SER
vices to the public should be paid for the same !;
and when they accept Office for the duties OF
which they receive pay, they should be held to
a strict performance of their duties. When
man comes before his fellow citizens and asks
their support for the Office of county commits
sioner, he makes two promises first that he is
willing to serve, if elected and secondly, that
he has the ability to serve acceptably. 1t IS
part of your duty to see that their duties are
properly performed but in making investiga-
tions you are to exercise discretion and make
allowance in certain unavoidable cases. For
instance, just before term Of the Court,
should there come excessive rains, rendering
the roads in bad condition, OF washing away
bridges, it would be improper to present the
county commissioners for a Providential act
over which they could have no control. what
is said of the county commissioners, as to the
proper performance of their duties, is equally
applicable to all other public county officers.
The county commissioners are used for Illus
tration. and because their powers are greater
than those of any other county officers
1t is frequently the case that the grand
iury is in doubt as to the proper circumstances
under which to investigate the official conduct
of public officers. On this point some general
instructions may be necessary. Where no
complaint has reached the ear OF any mem
Der of the grand jury of nonfeasance, mlsfea-
sance or malfeasance on the part OF any officer,
it would be useless to undertake to overcome
a presumption by an undue investigation.
Unless complaint be made of derelection, l
would not advise the grand jury to formally
investigate any public office. In the absence
of all complaint, it would be waste of time
to make more than cursory examination.
Where no complaints are made, the presump-
tion is that the officers are properly discharg-
ing their duties.
Ordinary matters are brought to your con-
through the Solicitor, in the form OF
a bill of Indictment. In these cases, your du-
ties will be explained as they may be pre-
sented. 1t may be proper to say, however,
in general way, that the power Of grand
Jury is limited only to the finding of true
bill, or not true bill, as the case may be, on
hearing the evidence brought before them,
which is necessarily confined to only one side
of the case. It is frequently mistake for
grand juries to suppose that they are to try
a case when they only hear one side, and are
to pass upon it's merits as thus presented.
AS to matters of which it is your duty to
take cognizance, and as explaining matters
that should come before you otherwise than
through the Solicitor, crimes may be divided
into two classes-one affecting individuals
directly, and the other affecting the commu-
nifty at large. Murder, burglary, injury to
person or property and similar crimes may be
placed in the frst-named class, and to these