Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-12-18
Message from the Governor.

The following message was re,
ceiyed from Governor Tillman and
s~'sss pssa tbs specia, d Wed
nesday at IAN. q
STATE OF SoUTHC ARoL1NA,
ExEcUTIYE CmAMBERi
CoLUMBIA, Dec. 8, 1901
Gentlemen Of the General 4ssens6xy.
among the ssponsi55ii as s:;es 81:
posed on the Executive, none is more
important and far-reaching in its eff
fects than the appointment Of Trial
Justices. It is q labor requiring
much time and investigation, unless
the Executive is aided by the Gone
raj Assembly in simplifying the laws
in regard thereto, and by its mem
bers in recommending properpersons
for appointment. I find the whole
system in inextricable confusion, and
80 many Acts relating to it that it is
q laborious and tedious work to learn
how many of these offices arc to be
filled in each county, MS well rs when
their terms expire. 4
The constitution provides chat
"Justices of the Peace shall be cleo
ted" We have no Justices Of tho
Peace; and Trial Justices are the
officers who + empowered to dis.
charge their duties. The require
ment that thecs Trial; Justices "shall
hold office for two years. was clearly
meant to have their terms conform
to the time from one general election
to another, rs State officers: and men,
bers of the House Of Representatives..
From some defect in the law, or
construction thereof, the filling of
unexpired terms has brought about
this condition of things. Tho terms
of Trial Justices begin in every
month of tho year, and Of both
years OF q Governors term, and to
make confusion worse COMPOUNDED,
each Legislature has tinkered with
the number, jurisdiction and pay of
these officers in one or more counties.
There is a remarkable diversity of
opinion in different counties as to
the number required and the pay to
be given these officers. In one
county, from which there is no com
plant Of there being too few, we find
only ten Trial Justices, and in
another of similar area and popula-
ton we find twenty. Their compcn-
sation varies from $35 to 800 in the
county and in the county of Berke-
ley, having the largest number,
they get the highest salaries, and
no reason for it can be given.
The disposition Of the General
Assembly to leave all these local
matters entirely in the hands of the
respective delegations is wrong, be-
cause each representative is here to
represent his county, but to
lcgislatc for all the counties, and
there are very few instances in which
it can be shown that q law which is
good for Edgeficld is not good for
Darlington, and vice versa. If
Edgefeld can get along with ten
Trial Justices, (and there is no COM
plaint) no good reason can be given
why ~Spartanburg and Berkeley
should have twenty each; and if
Edgefcld's Trial Justices can do
their work for s75 ,Berkeley's should
not be paid 500. The whole Gene
raj Assembly should protect the pco-
pie of any county against such an
abuse as this, even though its imme-
date representatives ask to continue
it.
For these reasons I ask your homo
rablc bodies to pass a general Trial
TuStiue law for ti,u wioic State, fix
ing the number, jurisdiction and pay
of these officers, and making their
terms begin and end with the Gov
crnor who appoints them.
It would appear that the fec (s3.21)
charged for issuing commissions to
these officers is a hardship; and if
your honorable bodies shall mako
the changes in the law I recommend,
l think it would be only just to iss6te
their commissions without charge.
3. IL. T1LLMAN,
Governor.
An Honest Man.