The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-04-20
District Attorney Melton as a
Slave Of Duty.
Charleston News and Courier.

The highly dramatic and exceed.
ingly effective speech delivered By
District Attorney Meltoo in the
United States Court, on Friday, vas
something more than q presentation
of the evidence against the election
officers then on trial Mr.. Melons
eyideas desire was to pose before the
public as a political estbete whom
stress of circumstances had made a
slave of duty. The people Of South
Carolina remember him in different
gnise. and must be pardoued If they
fail to appreciate the moral beauty OF
the role be seeks to play.
Mr.. Melton announced in the open'
ing of his address that his duty was
TO restore the supremacy Of law 10
South Carolina and to vindicate the
purity of the ballot. box He said !:
sS1reI~..,se vipdication Of the law
should call for the highest eodeavor.
But the cal! is supreme when at once
the law is be vindicated and the bal
lot is to be protected This is incoD:
tessably true !; and it was true IN 1878
as it is 10 1882. In 1882, as an
officer of the United States Govern
neus, Melton proclsims himself the
champion Of the Law and the de-
fender Of the freedom of elections
but in 1873, when Attorney General
of South Carolina, be was the cham
pion Of political fraud and the de.
fender Of such combination OF
crimes, at an election, as was never
known before in this State, and has
never been known since.
*
With his record, it is supreme folly
to asseyerate that he fought the gov
erDmeps Of corruption in So1th Caro-
lima with all the strength he had.
From February, 1870, until he was
elected Attorney. General in 1872, he
was Circuit Judge, under the govern
meut of corruption From 1872 un
til April, 1876, be was Attorney
General in the government of cor
ruption.' The clouds we're gathering
thick and fast, and he resigned before
the storm broke Slave Of party, OF
slave of place be was, perhaps; but
in those days, not even in burlesque
was be the slave of duty.
But Mr.. Melton will have it thai
there is no craftsmanship in South
Carolins. There is none, it is to be
hoped, in the sense 10 which he ha:
ezempli6ed craftsmanship. Mr.. Mel
toms craftsmanship permitted him te
retain Office for six years under the
government of corruptiou,' unmindfn
Of the stain, the shame, which his
official associates, at that very time
fastened upon the people whom they
pluudered and iusulted. It permit:
him to do the bidding Of his present
employers, unmindful Of the misery
that, if be succeed, he will bring to s
score of peaceful, happy homes. Fol
him, the present is interpreted ane
expounded by the past. No hand die
be stretch forth to save, when the
black tide Of ignorance and vics
swept over the State. No word thai
he can say, no act that he can do, vii
atone for neglected opportunity
South Cerolins's faults, be they many
or few, come down from the day
when Mr.. Melton was the official as
sociste Of Moses, Cardozo, Whippe'
and Elliott, and, when those faults
slip from her like a garment that Ii
unloosed, he will be remembered al
the one son Of the State who made
spectacle of her infrmities and, 10 the
halicwed name Of duty, exhausted
tongue and pen in the effort to brln&
eb,me en1 renroach nnnn this neonle