The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1898-04-27
Reckless and Unjust Criticism.

NeckieSS ana UNJUST Crlt1ciSm.
THE LEADER is not one of those
who believes that the courts of the
country are hedged about by some
peculiar divinity which should
shield them from all censure or
criticism, no matter what the facts
or circumstances. Judges are hu-
man like the rest of us, liable to
err, though never so honest, and
often with the frailties common to
all F; so there are occasions when
fair and legitimate criticism of their
acts by the press and the people is
not only proper, but necessary to
the public welfare. But how any
man who is at heart a good citizen
and a lover of fair play could bring
himself to write such an incendiary
and unjust assault on the Circuit
Judge of this district as is con-
tanned in the last issue of the
COpiah Signal, is something abso-
lutely beyond our ken. The spirit
of it vividly recalls the white cap
assault with arms on the Honora-
ble Circuit Court of this county five
years ago. Iu that article the
editor of the Signal has written
himself down an enemy to
law and order. Such utterances
are like ''fring on the flag" treason
to the State, aud happy indeed will
Copiah county be il the dragons
teeth thus attempted to be sown do
not spring up hereafter and pro-
duce a woeful harvest.
The head and front of Judge
PowelPs offending is that, re-
specting his official oath and
seeking to faithfully and fear
lessly discharge his duties as
Judge, he sought to have the
Crystal Springs lynchers indicted
for murder, and, after faithful
grand jury of Copiah county had
tailed to indict for lack of evidence
identifying the guilty parties, the
court charged that fragrant per.
/ jury had been committed by some
of the forty odd witnesses and
county officers who had been be-
fore the jury to testify. Fortunate
ly forjustice and the upright Judge
assailed, the Signal publishes the
report of the grand jury and Judge
Powelfs remarks in connection
with its unwarranted attack; and
these of themselves will discredit
its criticism wherever both are
read. Judge Powell's address to
the grand jury has been very ex-
tensively published and read, and
we have yet to hear any one in this
locality who does not look at what
he said of some of the Copiah Off
cials and witnesses exactly as he
did, the rawlings of the Signal to
the contrary Notwithstanding.
The real animus of the Signals
unrighteors attack is quite clearly
exposed in closing paragraph.
1t is evidently afraid the courts
and public sentiment of the State
are nearing the point where they
will interfere with the usurped
jurisdiction of the mob and hang
certain death. deserving criminals
according to the law.
Let not the Signal nor any one
else retort to anything here said
by charging that the editor of this
paper is in sympathy with any class
of criminals or opposed to having
justice meted out to the utmost.
That would he absolutely false.
But we have taken a solemn oath
to support the Constitution and
laws of our State, and we believe
iii living up to our oath, respecting
the duly constituted authorities and
enforcing the laws as made and
provided.
Less than a year ago the Signal
was condeMning and railing at the
courts because it said they were
not doing their duty in trying to en-
force the law; now it is bitterly
condemning one of the best and
most conscientious judges in the
State for alleged over zeal in this
Idi,aotion What naxtR