The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-03-13

, ~ ~ tuC COuIl. IL WuH 10
DC expected that newspapers in other
states would take notice of q matter of
SO much public interest, nor had we
any desire to hide this ugly thing from
the t eyes OF our sister States. This
thlng, though down in corner of only
oho county In thls State, and done by
q very few men was just such a thing
MS should not have been concealed ;;;;I
:eaaSn :u: Newspapers were only do
ing their duty In giving it tho utmOst
and III cOndemning it in
scathlng terms. 1t gives me pleasure
TO say that with a few exceptions the
great Journals in all parts of the couno
try did their duty in this regard. Their
denunciatiOn of the enslayinS Contract
system was very vigorous. but not
more so than it deserves and not more
so than it received in the charge de-
llvered to you by this court. But some
newspapers, and notably one, went far
beyond the proper limits of journalistic
North American, PHILADELPHIA news
paper. 1t seems that itsent staff re-
porter to this county. We have no
desire to discourage the sending of
special correspondents frem Phii6dei-
piiii 10 anderson county for the pur-
pose OF finding out tho exact truth.
ueS lnem come and welcome, but when
they go back let them tell tho truth,
the whole truth and nothing hut the
iruIn:, Let them treat n serious sub
ject like this with all fairness and can
ior. Facts when distorted and ex-
nggerated are more mischevious than
falschoOds. Better lie direct than a
supcrstructuro of sensational state
ments partly founded on facts.
l do not say that the special cores
pondent of tho North American de-
liberately wrote what was not true.
but do say that his account of this
miserable stOckade business was great
ly exaggerated, far too higaly colored,
essentially misleading and grossly un-
county. tits calculated to startle and and
astonish, and no doubt it startled and
astOnlshcd the good people of Phila-
dclphia. And yet believe if the good
people of Anderson county and you
too, gentlemen of the grand Jury, we're
you and they to read the North Ameri-
can OF the 25th and Goth OF February
| would be moro startled. o
| lt may be journalism; it is not JUS
ticc: But it makes very interesting
reading, and it seems to have pro,
foundiy impressed the minds Of mem
bers OF congress who forthwith began
to talk of the 18th amendment and the
relnstitutl0n OF slavery in South Caro-
| lina. the necessity OF Interference by
congress and tho federal courts.
itls foolish to talk of the necessity
or interference by congress and the
federal courts. They ignore tho fact
that the court and the grand jury
| brought the matter to pubic attention
and were busy Investigating it. We
are able to deal with this matter with
out any outside help. We do not wish
to wash our dirty linen in the federal
laundry. There is no politics in this
matter, no party issue, not even raco
issue, excepting indirectly. 1t IS purely
and simply the righting of a grfevous
wrong, the protection of the weak
| against the strong, the punishment of
the lnwbreaker and the enforcement Of
the laws of South Carolina without
any regard to federal question, 18th
amendment, or congressional inter-
| ference.
w protest against the very. ea of
! outside interference.
| Our courts are competent to main
tain peace and good order and due oh
servance of law within the borders of
the State. Your presentment is the
best answer to those misguided indivi-
duals; Our philanthropic Northern
friends have great zeal for the negro's
cause; but not according to knowledge.
And their interference with such
matters, though sometimes well meant,
ls never productive Of good.
1t is untrue, as this paper states,
that the testimony Of negroes is not
believed in our courts.
NO longer ago than yesterday in this
very. court. room in the case Of Mr.
Daniei VS.. Monroe Bros, in which the
plalntlff was negro and the defen-
dants white men, and all the witnesses
on one side were negroes and all the
witnesses on the other side were white
men, the jury gave tho verdict to the
negro. A the recent term Of court in
Greenvllle young negro man was
tired Tor assault and battery with in
himself and there were four white men
testlfyIng against him and yet he was
acquitted. In the court at Greenwood
recently an old negro man and his
wife, types ct the most ordinary corn
HELD negroes. instituted suit in claim
an, ana desallyery !saoo proceedings involving
camille firm. The witnesses on one
SIDE were all negroes, on the other all
whites and the jury gave tho verdict
to the negroes. There arc numerous
other instances similar to the above in
the courts throughout the State.
The Philadelphia North American
says tnat one of tho largest planters
engaged in this business informed it's
correspondent that "the courts have
been familiar with this slave system
Tor years and took no notice of it.n
This is untrue. There is absolutely no
foundation for the statement. Thcrc
is not judge on tho bench in this
State who would not have ordered ar,
iinvcstigatiion OF the facts had they
been disclosed to him as they were to
me. | did not .nOw when l delivered
my former charge to you that the Gov
ernor had received a letter from this
county in reference TO this which he
had referred to tho solicitor and
tho governor himself undertook to dis
charge. his duty as soon as he was in
formed OF 1T. For my own part had
mover heard even a rum0r and was as
tonished beyond measure by the dis
closures i'll the Newell case.
understand that tho impression has
gone out among the negroes laboring
under misapprcnensiOn of what was