The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-12
Wednesday, June II, 1885.
Does the Foreman of the Grand Jury
Condemn His Own Act ~ County
Commissioners, and then Require
the Impossible Of the Supervisor?

the Impossible OIL the SupeFSiS"A
The presentment of the Grand Jury TO tne
June Term OF the Court states that the sever
al offices in the Court House were iound 10 oe
in q satisfactory condition. The Granu jury
has nothing special to say Of the jail, the
court house and the other public INSTITUTIONS
but approves in a general way OF the actlnSs
aud doings of the various officers.
While to the casual reader the face OF the
remarks OF the grand jury might be constru.
ed as q reflection on the County supervisor
In the management OF the county poor, yet
when the facts are known their words are the
highest possible praise OF that particular Oh
flcer.
The County Board at their first meeting In
January resolved to do the very thing that
was recommended. but during the discussion
of the matter, they were confronted Win the
contract Of the County Commissioners with
the present manager OF the poor ITO main
tain the paupers Of Abbeville county lot
period Of two years beginning November ISL
1898. and ending October 81, 1873.
And thus it is that Mr.. Lanier as foreman OF
the grand jury condems In public present.
ment bis act as County Commissioner, being
nerhaps the most remarkable official act on
record. The grand jury recommends the
conntv Supervisor to annul a contract into
which the foreman of the grand jury entered
when he was County Commissioner, anu lot
the faithful performance OF that contract ne
REQUIRED OF contractor Stark good and SUM-
Client bond.
But the strangest part OF this most extraor-
dInary presentment lies In the fact that IL Is
made after a Thorough and searching e1ami-
pariopn of the different offices. Admitting
that the foreman Lad forgotten all about his
own action as County Commissioner ID
awarding the contract for year beyond MS
LEGAL term of Office, the least effort OF any
man with one eye open could not have failed
10 have stumbled over the bond and contract
which lay in the open pigeon holes before MS
eyes.
The recommendation condemning his own
action as County Commissioner shows some-
thing Of The thoroughness OF the searching
examining which had been made by the lore
man OF the grand jury.
tits, OF course, unnecessary for us 10 state
that Captain Lyon is one OF the most CAREFUL
as we'll as one OF the most efficient officers IN
the Court House. And notwithstanding tue
tact that he is doing the very best WORK possi-
Bile with the convicts, and notwithstanding
the fact that be has had the work done where
1t is most needed, the grand jury recon- menu
that the work be done that way.
There IS nothing new or startling in the de-
claration of the grand jury that the roaos
have not been worked as they snouid nave
been. II the intelligent foreman OF the grahu
Jury will refresh his memory little he VIII
recollect that 1t has not been the custom OF
the authorities to order the roads WORKED
during the planting season. Our idea is tnat
q careful officer who enforces the law in JUS
tice and mercy would not require the people
TO Quit the farms in the busiest weeks OF the
planting season to work the roads.
Supervisor Lyon as a sensible good citizen
will likely wait until the crops are laid oy De-
fore having the roads worked.
The Thorough and searching EXAMINATION
of the grand jury, seems to have exhausted
their energies In looking for microbes In lne
Supervisors office, which under proper
glass, would appear to be as large as
mountains.
Perhaps the most stunning paragraph OF
the presentment is that in reference 10 tne
streams. The grand jury says
complaint has been made TO US by persons
In different sections that the law In Ielelence
to the removal OF RATS, logs, etc, from tne u
water courses has not been complied Wild.
Now, as the citizen has no right 10 COM
plain TO any body before the first OF June, ana
as the Supervisor had no right to hear COM
plants before that dale, the grand jury seem
TO have been little exacting in this partlcu-
lar. The people, at the time the presentment
was written had Saturday, Sunday and Mon
day In which to make known their grieV'
ances The Supervisor is Sabbatarian who
believes In the observance OF the Sabbath
day. He therefore had less time in which 10
pull the logs out of the streams than the
grace which banks give debtors after the ma
turity Of their notes.
The grand jury says complaint was MADE 10
them. Now, as q matter Of fact, the grand
Jury would find 1t exceedingly hard TO ma
scintilla of law authorizing them TO hear
such complaints. Complaints about the rats
In the streams must be made TO the SuperVl-
sor The Supervisor and not the grand jury
has the management OF the streams. The
law In reference TO the clearing Of the streams
Is one of the most iniquitous laws on the STA
tute book, and we hope that the Supervisor
has sense enough 10 discharge disagreeable
duty according TO his own con nvictions OF
right, and not according 70 the wishes Oh
malicious reporters OF any sort. The Super
visor being good man we are sure he Will
be slow to enforce q law to the injury Of any
feilow.citiZeu.