The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-08-05
An Outrage on Decency.
Florence's City Attorney on
Evans Defiance.
a Strong Communication Address
ed to the City Council, Who
Express Confidence in
Him and Condemn
the Governor.

the Governor.
Special to The State.
Florence, July 31.-City Attorney
George G. Thompson to-day address
ed the following letter to the city
council, in view of the recent action
of Governor Evans In defying arrest
for breach of the peace here :
Florence, S. C July 81 1896.
To the City Council:
On last Friday, j. Gary Evans,
who holds the official position of
governor Of the State Of South Caro-
lima, and Joseph z. Earle, a Judge of
the circuit court Of this State, each
in his personal and private capacity,
and exercising the right held by
every citizen of this State, was ad
dressing in public within this city,
a large number of citizens, each en-
deavoriag according to his own
methods, to secure the votes of the
people of this county, During the
progress Of this meeting these two
political contestants became engaged
in personal combat. Hundreds OF
men were present; some drew pistols,
others made ready for their use, ex-
element ran high One stray shot
by any excited spectator would in all
probability have precipitated a riot
and many lives might have been
sacrificed. The peace of the city
was jeopardized and its laws vio-
lated
was communicated with by the
mayor and advised him that these
parties could and should be arrested,
without regard to their official posi-
tons. Warrants were accordingly
issued, charging them with fighting
and breach of the peace. Joseph H.
Earle rendered ready obedience, but
J. Gary Evans resisted and defed the
law. He told the chief Of police to
take the warrant back to the mayor
with the contempt it deserves" and
that he "considered it an insult" He
informed the mayor that he could not
be arrested ; that the only way to
reach him was by impeachment. He
threatened to use the power of his
Office to protect him from the conse.
quences Of the broken law. He
threatened to "take charge of the
mayor aud the town" or words to
this effect. We are left to conjec-
ture as to precisely what j. Gary
Evans meant by taking charge Of the
town AS interpreted a: the time by
several Of his constables, (who were
with him at the time of the at
tempted arrest) it was an unworty
and unlawful threat to resort to the
metropolitan police. j. Gary Evans
was not arrested. He left the city,
and has since boasted through the
press that the town authorities apollo.
glzed tor the attempted af1ront to
"his excellency "
never advised that the governor
could be arrested, but then advised.
and still reiterate that j. Gary Evans
could and should have been arrested,
and that without regard to his official
position aud without regard to conse-
quences, even if it required every
man in tue city to accomplish it, and
even if it entaiIed the severe penalty
of metropolitan police
Is his novel position, that he is
above the law, sound from point Of
law or reason? From the standpoint
of reason such a position, in the ex.
pressive language Of The News and
Courier, is "simpIy monstrous," and
coming from the person claiming the
exemption, can only be accounted
for on the theory of total ignorance
of the first principles of republican
government, or such diseased
Imagination as approximates the con-
dition our friends, the doctors, would
call "dementia of egotism."
Such an exemption could only arise
under the common law or by statute,
including the Constitution. The
common law can hardly be appealed
to, for no such office is known to it,
fer it is creation of the Constitution.
1t could arise from the common law
on the theory Of "kiugly preroga.
tive inherited from the sovereigns Of