The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-15


year, but money spent to cheaper
frcights and secure the Savannah Valley
Railroad will be well invested.
THE STATES DUTY TO HER OFFICERS.
The pas; malignancy aud repeated re.
currcncc Of the political cases in South
Carolina have been very great weapon
Of intimidation and oppression in the
hands Of the Republican party in South
Carolina, and they have used it for all
that i! is worth. They have the control
Of the Courts and the active participation
Of the prosecuting officers in South Car.
olina. The reckless manner in which
prosecutions lave been begun in the
past, show that the guilt or innocence Of
the accused is matter Of no consequence.
The government wants convictions, re-
gardlcss Of whether Grim has been
committed or not. The interests Of the
Republican party require that all the
political capital possible shall be worked
up, and tie conviction Of All innocent
man on perjured testimony by packed
jury will answer their purpose rs well
81 the conviction of a guilty man. The
country at large can never know the mi
nutir Of each case. 1t accepts the re.
suit Of q judicial trial as conclusive, and
hence the reckIcssness Of the prosccu.
tions in this State. These reckless pros.
ecutions before packed juries, ON testi.
mony Of pejured witnesses, also sub
serves their rarpose in anotl.. way. 1t
places the innocent in as great danger as
tho guilty would be, and is intended to
deter men from activity in elections. 1t
also makes it difficult to secure efficient
managers of election, for there is Ger.
tainty that just before each clectio-, Il
large number Of st.e election managers
Of the preceding election will be prose
cuted to Afford !Ee necessary Republican
outcry of election frauds against the
Democrats to cover up their own rascai-
ties. These men are subjected to The
loss OF time and expense incident to
standing their trials for nothing more
than pure malice OH the part Of neigh
boring Radicals, and with packed juries
they run great risks of punishment for
crimes of which they are not guilty. 1t
is, therefore, the duty of the people to
subscribe literally to the defense OF all
the political cases, and in the instance oil
the managers and other officers of elec.
tion who nrc indicted, we think 'as they
are the servants of the State, it il the
duty Of the l4egislature;,to provide Tor
the expenses of their trials. When the
necessity of elections induces the State
to put her citizens into Offices for the
discharge of the duties Of which they
are vindictively prosecuted by perjuretl
witnesses, it becomes the duty of the
State 10 delray the expenses of such
trials. Some such action as this is ncces
sary in order to get men to serve rs cleo
ton officers.
The leaders of the Republican party
in these prosecutions realize that they
are exhausting the endurance of indi-
viduals by the repeated drains they are
making on them by these prosecutions.
They secure no convictions, but they
make the trials expensive, and thereby
deter men from accepting the position OF
election officers. If they understood
that tho State would see that her officers
have fair trials, it would greatly disturb
i their serenity and check their malicious
prosecutions. The State gives her other
officers protection in their official acts
and should extend that protection to her
election officers also. They are State
officers. If guilty OF violating their du-
ties the State ought to prosecute and
punish them. The State has not inst.
tuted prosecutions, and to that extent
ratifieS their action. Therefore, in good
faith to It's officers, we think the State
should see to it that they arc properly
/! defended, and .h:a! .heJ hare sEs;7 trial
rs far as the State can secure 1t. To this
end the Legislature ought 10 direct the
Attorney. General to appear for the ac-
cused election officers, and also appro-
pirate sufficient fund to maintain their
defense.