The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-22
escape responsibility. It is demanded of

escape responsibility. 1t is demanded of
the Lieutenant-G Governor, therefore. that
he shall so deport himself that he will
not be embarrassed if lie shall become
Governor, and SO that every person shall
be assured of receiving justice with
mercy at his hands.
This matter is 80 important that it
would not be out of the way for the State
Convention to notify all candidates for
nomination for the Office of Lieutenant.
Governor that they are expected to keep
out of the Criminal Courts, as lawyers,
should they become the constitutional
successors of the Governor. They who
are not willing to assent to this, for the
sake of maintaining the dignity of the
Office and of keeping it beyond reproach,
are not likely to be nominated by Dem
ocratic Convention. We say further
that, while the objections are not of the
same class, We think it unwise and i'll.
judged for Senator Butler to take part in
the defence of the Edge6eld prisoners,
or of any other persons accused Of vic.
lating the criminal laws of the State. It
is almost impossible for jurors to avoid
being influenced by their knowledge and
appreciation of Gen. Buffers position,
and that influence and position should
not be cast into the scale either in favor
of criminal or against him.
The position of the Nevs and Courier
appears to us entirely untenable. Two
remote contingencies must concur before
the Lieutenant-G Governor would have
any embarrassment. In the first place,
the Lieutenant Governor is not likely to
become Governor, and in the second
place, there is not much probability that
an application for pardon would be made
to him in case in which he was of
counsel, because unless it we're clear
case Of guilt the litigation by appeal
would be more than likely to carry a
case beyond his term. If it did not, and
an application should be made to him
for pardon, endorsed favorably by the
Judge and Solicitor, then the Lieqten-
ant. Governor could delay action upon
the matter until his successor qualified,
unless it be such case as clearly deman-
ded immediate relief. The reasons urged
against the Lieutenant-Goyernor prac-
ticing in the Court of Sessions could,
with equal force, be urged against any
lawyer who has practiced in that Court
ever being elected either Governor or
Lieutenant Governor. for there is scarcely
a lawyer of,any practice in that Court
who has not some client in the peniteu-
tiary, and such client may, at any time,
present an application for pardon. That
application might be made either upon
the merits of the case, or on account of
failing health, or on account of some
meritotions cohduct of the prisoner. If
the Ne,os ard Courter's argument is worth
anything, it would exclude lawyers who
practice in the criminal Courts from be.
ing elected Governor or Lieutenant
ernor. We think the News and Courier
is beginning its effort to protect the dig.
nifty Of the Office of Lieutenant. Cover
nor rather late. We fail to see any rea-
son to establish this new rule. We be.
lieve Judge Simpson and Gen. Kennedy
both practiced in the Criminal Courts
while they were Lieutenant. Governor,
and as far as we have been able to learn,
the presidents of the Senate before the
war, who were successors to the Cover.
norship where the Governor died, or be.
came disqualified, never gave up their
practice in the Court of Sessions where
they we're practicing in that Court before
there election. We can see no reason why
Mr.. Sheppard should be prohibited from
doing what his predecessors have done
without question. There are great
many evils which are more potent in
their effects upon the State than the
combination of contingencies which our
contemporary is seeking to guard against
that We think more good could be accom-
plished in combating.