The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-03-01

Tho Court of Sessions.

The Court of Sessions.
Promptly at 10 o'clock last Monday
morning the Court Of General Sessions
for Anderson County was opened, with
Judge Joseph ]. Norton, Solicitor Orr,
and stelographer Aiken ali at their posts
of duty.
The Grand Jurors were called and all
responded to their names except one, VIM.
McGukin, who is in Alabama. Capt p.
X. McCully was appointed Foreman.
The Judge delivered the following very
able, comprehensive and appropriate
charge:
Gcntlemcs of the Grand Jury:
Impressed as am with the great inn
portance- to the country OF n strict, un-
prejudiced, impartial and dispassionate
enforcement OF the law, and believing you
TO be rs your board of Jury Commission
ers, by your selection certify, men of good
! moral character and sound Judgment,
and free from all legal exception, have
taken some pains to collect information
which will help you to discharge your
duties satisfactorily to yourselves, and to
your fellow citizens of this county, whom
for this year. and until another grand
jury shall have been empanelled, you are
to represent in ferreting out and bringing
criminals to justice.
You do this Indirectly and directly.
Indirectly by having your Trial Justices
to do their duty promptly, fairly and
fearlessly. Directly by presenting offen-
ders who through domineering or chica-
merry escape the ordinary methods of
prosecution, or whose crimes being chiefly
against the general public, no individual
cares TO prefer charges. Prominent
among the last class are violations of the
laws against retailing intoxicating liquors
without a license, carrying concealed
weapons, adultery and the intermarriage
of different races.
do not mean that you must present
every offence of which you happen to
Judgment and do that which will most
tend to the execution Of the law, have
heard from the Bench that the grand jury
might ignore bills handed out to them,
though clearly proven, if such bills were
found to present merely technical viola
tions Of law, or tended to promote strife
in the community. l have known such
suggestions acted upon with apparent
benefit to society, but I caution you not
to act upon such an idea, without the
further qualification that you do not
ignore any bill, nor fail to present any
offender, because you think any law tech
nical, or trivial, or unwise, or likely to
promote discord or even immortality in
the community, but only because your
sound judgment, uninfluenced by malice.
fear or favOritisnl, dictates to you, that it's
exercise in the particular case in hand
will best promote the enforcement Of law,
both in its spirit and in its letter.
BY our Constitution the people surren-
dered their natural right to govern them
selves, each according to his own will,
and agreed not to avenge themselves for
isIators should be elected to enact laws,
that judges, juries snd executive officers
should be chosen to enforce these laws;
that no laws contrary to those should be
enacted and no punishments otherwise
inflicted than those thus prescribed. He
who dissuades from the enforcement Of
the least important of the rules of the
court as we'll as he who murders by
lynching one supposed to be guilty of
crime, violates this compact is an anarchist
If any law, small or great, fairly enforced
prove obnoxious, the people through the
proper channel will see to its repeal. If
Ne fail to enforce the law, instead of pros
perity, peace and order, disaster, turnult
and anarchy will prevail. The strong
will oppress the weak, the crafty will
circumyent the honest, the mob will
override the quiet, good citizen.
Where two races dwell in the same ter.
ritory race prejudice always exists. One
circle it never should enter-it is here.
No! let every citizen stand equal before
the law. In our Courts let his life, his lib.
erty and his property depend alone upon
the justice OF his cause. If the dominant
race be wise it will treat the other with
justice and equity.
You have also preventive duty to per-
form in looking after the conduct of your
public officers. There are over one hun
ddred in your county. They ought to be
honest, capable, sober and attentive.
Whenever guilty of official misconduct,
habitual negligence, habitual drunken
ness, corruption, fraud or oppression,
they are liable to Indictment, punishment
and removal from Office.
Your County Commissioners, School
Commissioner and Treasurer are respect
lively required to report to the presiding
Judge, al the first term Of the Court of
General Sessions in each year, and the
Judge must submit such reports to you
for your examination. If you find dis
crepancies or Irregularities therein, or any
entertainments Of, or extrayagancies in
the expenditure of public funds, you are
to present them to the Court, that such
orders may be taken as shall meet the
ends of justice. The two former of these
reports are not now required to be pub
lished in your county newspapers, and
while your duty to examine them is not
new, it has assumed new importance.
See Section 623, General Statutes, note, and
page 657 Of the Acts Of 1856.
The County Commissioners are also re.
quired to report yearly examinations of
railroad crossings of public roads.
The Public Guardiani is required to re-
port on estates in his hands at the first
term Of the Court OF Common Pleas in
each year.
The Master is required to make sim
liar report to the Court at its fall term iu
every year.
The Clerk is to report all moneys re-
naming in his hands under orders Of the
Court, stating on account Of what causes,
&c, at every term of the Court. He is
also to report monthly to the Auditor and
Treasurer all moneys collected on account
of licenses, fines, penalties and forfeitures.
The Sheriff and Trial Justices are also
to make reports similar to the last men,
toned. Those Of Trial Justices are re-
'uired to be read in open Court at every
all term.
The Clerk should file all of these re-
ports, except his and the Sherif's, on fines.
&c., in his Office for the inspection of all
persons interested. An examination of all
these reports would aid you in testing
your officers.
You ought to examine into the condi-
ton of all your public Offices. The Solic-
itor's report to the last fall term on the
condition Of the Clerks, Sheriff's and
Register of Mesne Conveyance's Offices
may aid you. Or, as he must examine
these at some time during the year, he
may be pleased to meet u committee of
your body and jointly perform that duty
at some time convenient to both parties.
You have general idea of the duties Of
your several officers and can readily oh.
tain from the Solicitor or Clerk more
definite information whenever a special
complaint is made to you of one of them.
The poor, who are sick, or infirm, or
aged, or in helpless infancy, demand your
earnest attention. No others ought to be
charge upon the county. Able bodied
yagrants ought not to eat unless they
work. Clean and comfortable clothing
and bedding and such delicacies and
medical attention as their feeble conditions
respectively urge, ought to be furnished
to the really poor.
Are your public roads, bridges and fer