The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1888-02-29

| CONSIDERATIONS, TOOK any citizen by
force OF arms and put him in the
Jail and charged him with crime
ahd put him upon his trial, there
was Il revolt in the race which alb
horrcd such Injustice and the Grand
Jury was intorposcd. and the law
made that only those shall be held
in custody that the Grand Jury
says shall be tried. They did not
mean when that oath WAS devised
that the action Of any single grand
jurynan should DO subject to the
CAPRICE of him who exercised pow
cr, nor that the grand juryman
should possibly apprchcnd injuri-
GUS consequences to himscIf if he
should put himself in opposition to
the wishes of power; and they
sail, therefore, that he must swear
that every thing that transpired in
! the jury room should be an inviola-
bic secret. The king on his throne
has no right to cXtort it from him,
and that was the original reason
OF the institution of the OATH
Even he, in the country where
kings reign, has no light to demand
from Il Grand Jurynan "what did
you say? What d,d you do? Did
you uphold my purposc in your
transactions rs 4 Grand Juror"
OUR LAWS ARE WRITTEN.
You have other duties that are
very important. That large book
lying there contains the statutes Of
South Carolina. That contains the
rules By which the local govern
mcnt in l.nurcns County is organ
izcd-not only Laurcns County but
the government Of South Carolina
through all its branches, executive,
Legislative and judicial. They are
all organized right there in that
Constitution and Statutes. Gov
crnmcnt is nccessary; we all con
ccdc that. 1t is not necc sary to
argue that. AS long rs man is
man, until the millennium comes,
we must have some sort of govern
mont here in order that those who
are disposed to transgrcSs upon the
rights Of others may be restrained
and the right Of the weaker upheld.
In order to administer govern
mcnt men must have power. You
have the power. You have got it
right now, Gentlemen Of the Jury,
to pass upon the right Of these peo-
pic to be tried. You must be abe
to say, "rhis must be done and
that shall not be done" That au.
thority is given to the officers Of
the State by the law and when
they exercise it within tho limits
of the law the whole material pow
cr OF the State is behind them to
enforce their demands and their
commands. Their duties are laid
down there in that book. It SAYS
what they must do and By impli-
cation says what they must not do.
Now, you know human naturc.-
The frost OF winter has fallen upon
the heads OF some of you. You
know when man has power he is
apt to abuse 1T. If he has power
over his fellows by long habit and
'lse he is apt to exercise it vigor-
ously; when dominated by temper
or wrong impulses, or thousand
other causes, he is apt to abuse ii.
Men in office exercising Official
power are apt to abuse IL; the his
tory of the world is full of exam
pies.
DUTY TO FIND IRREGULARITIES.
The reason for the institution OF
the Grand Jury that / have Just
given you Is I'm example Of it,
| Where a king upon his throne cX-
crcising absolute power was wont
to oppress his subjects. So by rca-
son of that this country is happily
free from n dominion Of that sort,
and 1T appoints It's officers for gov
crnment and prescribes its rules in
the Statute book that / told you of,
making them responsible ior their
deods. Where there is misconduct,
oppression, injustice, misfcasancc,
or malfeasance, then the law pro-
vides that they shall be punished.
1t is, therefore, the duty of the
Grand Jury to see whether or not
the dublic administration of the
affairs of the County is conducted
according to the requirements of
the law. 1t gives you an inquisi-
torial or n vlsitorial power over the
Sheriff, Clerk, and all other officers
who assist In administering the in
ternal affairs of the County. Where
there has been misconduct in of
fee; where there Is II violation of
law; where there Is oppression i'm
tho exercise of power and authori-
| TO- 4.