The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-12
ING Of commissioners named and ap-
pointed. by the Legislature or Cover.

'POllce officers are IN tact state OF
public officers and not private Or cor
porate officers and a provision in such
law transferring to such commission
ers for the purpose of the new police
the use of the police telegraph, station
houses, watch boxes, etc., provided by
the city, is valid, since it only takes
city property dedicated to particular
use and applies it to the same purposes
changing only the agency by which
the use is directed, the property is still
the citvs" Hundreds Of cases could
be cited going to show that police of,
ficers are in fact State officers and not
municipal, although a particular city
or town be taken to pay them. The
office Of police was unknown to the
criminal law. 1t is enacted by statute.
He as an officer of the State in which
he exercises his office. Bulkvs. Hard
wick, 30th East. "a.
The Supreme Court of Connecticut
uses this language: "A policeman OF a
city is public officer. holding his office
as truS. from the State and not as a
matter G; contract between himself and
the city Having thus shown con.
clusively that policemen are State
officers, it remains for you to provide
the necessary machinery for COMPEL,
ing them to do their duty 1t is i'm,
possible to enforce any law in the cities
peaceab;y y and quietly unless the police
are in sympathy with it, and in order
to make them so, they must not be de,
pendent for their appointment upon
mayors and aldermen elected by oppo,
nents of the law.
In so@e of our towns ex-barkeeperS
are made policemen for the expressed
purpose Of protecting their former as
sociates with whom they are partners
in the illicit liquor traffic. II this re,
commentator for metropolitan police
were an innovation, there would be
some grounds for objection, but 1t has
been triel successfully in nearly every
State in the Union and there IS no rea'
son why it should not be done in ouf
own State 1t is no longer question
of expediency, but of absolute neces'
sity. The pride of the patriotic law
maker should be the enactment of such
laws as will secure the greatest happl'
nessto the greatest number OF people
without regard to the welfare of poll,
ticians.
This is an age of corporations and
laws should be passed carefully guard,
ing the interests of individuals against
the encroachments necessarily attend
ant upon the growth of artificial per
sons and the expressions of corporate
wealth. One Of the greatestevlls OF the
dav is this desire to incorporate any
and everything. The merchant who
desires toavoid liability to his credit,
ors beyond the capitalinvested finds an
escape in the chartered company. Sci
fish neighborhoods desiring to tax the
values of farm products, who compete
with them find way in the incorpo-
rated cross road The greatest proper,
ton of the time our General Assem-
blv is taken up chartering all n@nne1
| of widest schemes and country VII,
lagos and school districts. AL of these
companies can be chartered under
general laws and they should not be
allowed to enteathe General Assembly.
! esSiir1e essir1e cases out of ten the State is pu'
to greater expense than is ever real
lied from the company.
| The practice of usury by our bank
ing institutions is becoming alarming.
and is unjust to both borrower and
lender. While our farmers are grow
ing poorer from five cents cotton, the
banks continue te declare dividends
ranging from eight to fifteen per cent
1t is matter of congratulatlon thai
our banks withstood the late panic
without failure and we should en-
courage them, but an honest banker
who is satisfied with what the law al
lows him has no desire to be compared
with the shylock, who, by foulest usu
rv. is enabled to make better show.
ing of profits. Our legal rate is high
enough, only three States in the I'm
ion having higher one, and our law:
should be amended so as to allow only
T per cent, by special contract, anc
cause the lender who practices usury
to forfeit both interest and debt. I'm
fortunate debtors will agree to pay
any rate of interest in order to save
themselves and to keep the wolf from
the door. No agricultural people car
live with usurious creditors. From
Moses to the present time usury ha'
been forbidden, and Tacitus gives as
reason for the decay of Rome, the eva
sion of the interest laws. When US
urv lorded among them, Rome date
the beginning of her downfall
1t is not only practiced by our bank
ers. but among our merchants and fac
tors. 1t remains for you to protec
the borrowers by more stringent reg
ulations, at the same time giving t.
the honest lender full and ample Sc
curitv under the law.
| Almost every department OF the Stat
government having been reformed
there is one which has not received
your attention-the States prisoners
These unfortunate creatures are com
limited to our State penitentiary TO
punishment and not depreciation
| While. of course, there can be no sucl
punishment without degradation, stll
it is the province of government and 0
Christianity to rescue the fallen, ant
Iif possible to restore them to society
There are 206 prisoners in the penlten
tiarv of the class known as "Juvenll
offenders. Boys under the age eff 2
wears should not be punished alon!
Side of men of matured habits, witt
wicked and abandoned hearts. IN
result of such treatment is lnvarlabl,.
degradation and ruin of the younge
mind. and when discharged from con
| fnement they re-enter society with dis
eased minds and hearts. only to return
| to prison for the commission OF NOR
serious crimes. These young offender
should at least be isolated, Furnished
with different garbs and given goo'
and wholesome Instruction until ou
Stateis able to build reformatoues TO
| them.
The practice of leasing convicts t.
private parties is repulsive to our lnstl