The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-10-01

e see how you can object TO the sectic
Q with these amendments"
Q Mr.. Johnstone rose and began to sa
: that he, too, saw newt in the ament
Q ment offered by MIR. Haynswortl
D when he was called to order by Nj
' Burn on the ground that he had alread
5 spoken on this subject.
, Mr.. w. b. Wilson said the propose
, amendment provided that men shoul
be punished in advance of trial and with
, out being informed of the acousatio
, against them or being confronted wit
the witnesses.
Senator Tillman said that was strain
ing the bill of rights pretty fine.
}, Mr.. Wilson said there could be N
!, worse punishment to a self-respectin.
man than the open, public disgrace o
being removed from his office and hel,
under presumption of guilt and de
barred from his emoluments and duties
for weeks or months, pending investi
cation. The man appointed in tn,
place of a suspended officer and mos
viction would be put in position t,
manufacture evidence against him by
having access to his books and papers
Mr.. Prince, of Anderson, said as fal
as that went suspension by the grand
jury or judge, which he understood
MIR. Wilson to favor, would be as much
punishment and disgrace in advance
of trial as suspension by the Governor
Mr.. Johnstone said he, for one, would
be glad to agree to give the grand jury
power to suspend officials.
Mr.. Sheppard suggested an amend
ment provided that officials be sus-
pended by the Governor on recommen-
dation OF the grand jury.
| w, hi hD 4 L. i
that the minority report could not bs
amended until after it had been adopt
ed, but Mr.. Sheppard argued that as
the report was not offered as substi-
| tute for majority report but was
! simply an additional section proposed,
| it was capable of amendment. The
chair concurred in this view, and Mr..
Johnstone immediately submitted the
| following amendment to Mr.. Hayns-
wOrth's amendment
Whenever bill of Indictment by a
grand jury shall have been founl
against any county officer entrusted
with the care and disbursement of
public funds, charging him with the
embezzlement of said funds or appro-
priation OF them to private use, the
Governor may suspend the said officer
and shall appoint some suitable per-
son to perform the duties OF such Of
fce."
MIR. Haynsworth claimed that his
amendment threw sufficient safeguards
around the power of suspension, and
argued that the grand jury Is not al
ways in session and that mischief
might be done by " corrupt official in
intervening time.
Mr.. JohnstOne said the difference be-
tween his amendment and the origi-
n& proposition of the minority report
was the difference between the Ameri-
can and the continental systems of gov
ernment.
Mr.. Parrot took another turn at the
postOiiice comparison, and injected
some more sarcasm into the discussion.
He said gentlemen on the other side
who were so fearful of future tyranny
reminded him of Mr.. Talbcrts story
of the old woman who nearly cried
herself to death at the edge of prec-
ipice thinking of the child she might
have had which might have gone that
way and fallen over.
Mr.. w. ID. Evans also made some
what humorous speech, introducing
himself as plain farmer fresh from
the people, whereat there was laugh
ter. He coptended that the minority
report only proposed to give the Cover
nor power to properly investigate re-
ported cases OF malfeasance and defal-
cation.
Mr.. Johnstone's amendment was then
put and lost.
Mr.. Gage, who is very unobtrusive
member. had the key to the whole
problem and offered the following
substitute for the minority's section
%:
g Whenever 1T shall be brought to
the notice Of the Governor that any
county officer or any other officer who
has the custody of public or trust funds
is probably guilty of embezzloment or
the appropriation of public or trust
funds to private use, then the Cover
nor shall direct the immediate prose-
cution of such officer by the proper
officer OF the circuit in which he resides
and upon true bill being found the
Governor shall suspend such officer and
appoint one in his stead until he shall
have been acquitted by verdict of
the jury"
AS soon as this was read heads nod
ded all over the hall and there was
q general expression of concurrence.
The substitute was put to the house
and adopted like flash after having
been read half dozen times for the
enlightenment of members who we're
inattentive or who were prevented by
the prevalent confusion from hearing
1t being then three o'clock, Senator
Tillman, who had expressed his salts
faction with the substitute, moved that
the section be passed over until it could
be printed.
Mr.. Talbert moved to lay this OH the
table, complaining Of waste of time and
slow progress and Senator Tillman
withdrew his motion, remarking that
he didn't want to have any row about
| it.
Mr.. Efrd renewed the motion TO pass
the section over when it could be seen
in print and members could under
stand it better than they could by
hearing it read. He warned the con-
vention that the section it was passing
would have to undergo the test OF the
courts and that there would be found
rock after rock in the way of the en-
forcement of the laws unless the utmost
pains were taken. The convention
voted to continue the section.
Fourteenth Day.
The fight on the executive section O.
the constitution was again taken up or
the suspension clause.
Mr.. Talbert, of Edgefield, took III
the matter and argued that there was
too much legislation attempted. The
delegates were here to declare Drinci