The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-08-21
AN INTERESTING LETTER.
WHICH REVEALS THE STATUS OF
THE REGISTRATION LAW FIGHT.

The Communication Is from obear
Douglass to George ". Murray, the Black
Ex- Congressman--The Lawyers Want
More Money.
COLUMBIA, S. c.. Aug. 16.-The fol-
lowing letter was yesterday made pub
lie by ex-Congressman Geo. Washing
ton Murray, the black representative
of the black district of South Carolina
in the last Congress. The letter is
from the attorneys who have been
prosecuting the registration law test
cases in the United States Cou.ts on
behalf of the negroes of the State, and
it now gives very fully and compre-
hensively the present status of the le-
gal fight. 1t tells the exact condition
Of affairs in regard to the cases, and
explains the course that the attorneys
intend to pursue. Here is the letter
however, to speak for itself:
Washington. D. c., Aug Z, 1895.
Hon. G. w. Murray, Rembert, S. c.:
Dear Sir: Our Mr.. Obear returned
yesterday afternoon from Richmond,
where he had been to argue the Cow
dy case Judge Golf limited the argu-
ment to the question as to the mate
riality Of the differences between the
two cases; and after hearing full ar.
gument filed the opinion, which I pre-
sumo you have, ere this, seen in the
papers He found that the Gowdy
case has the same scope and effect
as the Mills case. and IS governed by
the decision of the Circuit Court of
Appeals in the latter cause. 1t IS man
ifest that it will be impossible to bring
any suit in the Federal courts touch
ing the registration laws which would
not have the ''same scope and effect"
as the Mills case; and the proper steps
now are to bend our energies toward
getting, as speedily as possible, a de-
cision upon the questions involved
from the Supreme Court of the United
States; and we are in a better position
to accomplish that end in the present
condition Of things than we would
have been if Judge Golf had decided
in our favor. Had he done so the
State would, probably, have adopted
one Of two courses: either have dis
obeyed the injunction, or have in
duced Mr.. Chief Justice Fuller to call
special term Of the Circuit Court of
Appeals, appeal the case to that court,
and have the injunction dissolved as
before. If they had disobeyed the in
junction we would have had the super
visor arrested, the State authorities
would have gotten a habeas corpus,
returnable before the Circuit Court of
Appeals, induced the Chief Justice
to sit again, and have had that court
turn the supervisor loose. Had this
contingency happened we would have
been at the ''end of our row" because
there lies no appeal to the Supreme
Court from the Circuit Court of Ap-
peals in habeas corpus proceedings.
Had the State authorities taken the
other course we would have had to
take our appeal from the Circuit Court
of Appeals to the Supreme Court, and,
at best, the appeal from the Circuit
Court of Appealsi is hampered by many
technical difficulties, which we need
not 60 into now-but which exist. But
as matters now stand, we will our
selves appeal the Gowdy decision di-
rectly to the Supreme Court Of the
United States. and so get the whole
case before them. The thing to do is
to get the appeal ready at once. The
expense of getting it up will be COM
parativelv very small. It will take
about $50 to print the record-not our
argument-that we can attend to
later, and then S25 more, fee of the
clerk of the Supreme Court, for docket
ing. Have this much money raised
for this purpose and send to us at once.
| We herewith enclose you blank ap-
peal bond. Have it executed by Mr..
Gowdy and sureties as was done in the
Mills case, ard send US as soon as
signed. We ourselves expect to get to
work today upon the assignments Of
errors, " and if you will push at your
end we will have this appeal perfected
and docketed before this month has
passed,
We have received no money on ac-
count OF the balance of our fee and
the expenses we have heretofore in
Cured From what you said in your
last letter, we fully expected that by
this time we would have had a remit
tance from Beaufort, and are disap-
pointed at neither receiving a remit
tance or hearing from you as to the
cause Of the delay We hopeyou will
now give this, and the other equally
important matters mentioned in this
letter, your speedy attention. Having
embarked upon this sea Of registra-
ton litigation, let us not rest until we
reach the haven of a full decision by
the Supreme Court Of the United
States. Yours Truly,
OBEAR & DOUGLASS.