The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-04-12

law cssncss, and UNPUBLISHED violation
Of lnw cats like Il cancer into the body
D0iltic. Are we to confess our ina
bility to take hold OF this frightful
evil ana to some extent moderate it.
This is u laud OF churches, Sunday
schools aud schools and colleges, Of
young mems Christian associations and
all the means nnd appliances for Chris
tian religion in oil varieties and forms,
perhaps to greater extent than any
other civilized land, and yet in this
year OF 1900 our record today cannot
com pare for = moment with the record
OF ancient Egypt OF three thousand
years ago, for 1T was then the boast OF
Egypt that "in times OF ucacc none Of
our citizens carry arms" And here
IN the year 1900 ! am safo in saying
that the ma iority OF tho youth OF our
country carry arms. No doubt there
Is difficulty the way OF our lcgisla
ture constituti0n-.thc federal
co1stltutior-stcures to the citz en- the
right to carry arms, but it surely can
not be contcuded that the'li.tlc devilish
pocket pistol, the hip.pocket, tho coat
pocket: the vest.pocket pistol was in
the contemplation Of the trainers Of
the constitution when they secured to
the citizen the rio ht to carry arms.
"Thoac wise fathers Of TIE republic
never inteudCd to leave Is a Legacy to
posterity so bloody curse. That con
stltutOual pl OvisiOn had relation only
TO the character OF arms then carried
by the soldiers in defense OF their
cOuLtry aud the huntsmen on tne plain
--mu,kets, rifles, swords, cavalry Dis-
tolls, carried as brave men carry their
arms, openly. The dinbolcal habit OF
concc"le ed weapons. had nos yet grown
into existence. 1t WAS to preserve the
right to defend home, property, per
son anl family and to defend the cOun.
Try and the right to hunt game. 1t
was for this purpose and, similar pur-
poses that the constitutional provisio ion
was Inserted. He will be a wise man
ana bencfactor to his State who can
suggest to the legis !ature some law
that can grapp'e with this evil or re.
.duce 1T. There is 10 doubt that Il law
might be framed making: it d heinous
crime and seriously punishable TO
manufac5ure, sell or buy or use or
possess pistol a certain size. and the
size might be made such that IT, would
De impossible 70 conceal it upon the
person and thus put "a stop in a large
measure to the carrying Of concealed
deadly weapons. If something like
thl5 cannot be done then all that is
opinion, to educate the minds OF the
juries and to Danish from the mind sof
the youth u the country and the men OF
the country the diseased notions OF
'seli'defcnse, and thus we may TO some
extent reduce the number OF hOmi.
cldes and rid our land OF the awful
curSc.
have already referred to the fact
that sometimes jurics are condemned
!or what are supposed to BE- misc9r-
tiagcs OF Justice and II failure TO do
what was expected. The jury system
mas Oeen very much discussed Of late
throughout the State, and in some
parts OF the State has been condemned
as being not a5 successful as it ought
10 be, ana it. has been even prOn0unc-
ed as failure. In my opinion such
condemnation is altogether undc-
served. Oar jury law, our system of
Trial by jlry Is good if only carried
into { II lCI. Oar statutes require that
the jary is good if only carried into
jury commissioners shall choose SO
many urmcs in their respective. cOun
Lies, mcn well qualified to serve as
jurors, men.of sound judgment, and OF
good moral character: there is no
county IN this State that cannot furnisn
sulll1l"nt number for every term Of
court men Of good moral character,
sound Judgment and we'll qualified to
seruc rs j>"c"i if the names Of such
men are not put in the box it is not
the fault Of the law, but entirely the
fault Of the jury commissioners who
are unworthy Of their CtlIe ees from
Whatever cntso: Tho remedy for that
Is To lmDeaCh the Jlfy commissioners
as unworthy OF their high trust and
place uettcr men in office and not ask
for change Of the jury law. II bad
men arc listed and their names put in
the jury box it Is needless to look for
gUOd men to be taken out.
Jury trial IS Ii priceless heritage.
1t Is Is protection OF the poor man
against tyranny and Oppre ssion. 1t is
the bulwark Of our liberties, especially
ia a republican fOl OF government
the protector of the weak against the
strong and tnc best guarantee OF free
dom that we have. 1t does sometimes
misCarry, buG it is human To err : that
Is no reason why the cry should be
raised to abolish the. system Of trial by
jury. M en- Who ,decry one miscarriage
OF Justice, seem, TO forget that there
are ninety and nine cases where YER
diets are in the criminal and civil
side. In WHICH JAStlce Is dOnc. Twelve
honest men, far minded men, OF Ordi-
nary Intelligence, drawn from the ordi-
nary walks OF life to try a'case in court
that is the systcm.of wisdom. Moth.
ing has been devised that can be com.
pared to it as q means OF doing Justice
between man and man and only cor.
rJDtion can destroy or injure the jury
system" =. '...
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