The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-05-04

Ing u ESiulCGS Is COuCSIueo'
The judge who sits here can only
declare the law, and it for you,
starting with you, to create a
healthy public sentiment for the
punishment of violators of the
law. It is the sentiment of the
great mass of the people which
shapes the verdicts of the jurles;
you can start a crusade for the
elevation of that sentiment II
you will, and unless you do mat
ters will go on from bad to worse
until anarchy and confusion
reign in the country instead OF
law.
If you do want the law admin
istered in your community and in
seeking that end do set about
creating this healthy sentiment,
it will not be long before you see
it's effect upon the verdicts of
your juries. For, gentlemen, I
don't care what pessimists say,
the world is getting better. Very
few people wish to do wrong,
and It is only through apathy
and Indifference, through care
lessness and thoughtlessness in
reference to the great issues
which concern US every day in
the court house that justice is
not. at all times accomplished,
and if the people have their
minds awakened to the necessity
of a better state Of things in the
country, then they will live up
in the court house to the senti,
ments they hear expressed by
their neighbors outside the court
house.
Now, I believe every officer in
this county is known to me per-
sonally. 1t is a great pleasure
to me to come and meet my old
friends here. I suppose every
county official is known to you
gentlemen. But sitting here to.
day, gentleman, we absolutely
Know them not, except that as
officers of the State we have their
regulations in our keeping, just
as we have the reputation of ev-
cry other good citizen in our
keeping. When we come to put
the scrutiny Of the public eye
upon their acts, they are strang.
ers to US. we know them not, and
you should go through their Of
ices seeking to discover if the
officers to whom have been en-.
trusted the administration OF
your affairs are carrying out
their duty. If any member OF
that panel shall during this year
be discharged as a juror by rea-
son of the lapse of time and he
has not then an Intelligent con
ception to the best of his ability
as to the workings of every Office
in this county, then he has failed
to live up to the requirement OF
his oath.
Judge Purdy then proceeded to
charge the jury COMPREHENSIVE,
ly as to the manner in which
they were to make their exami.
nations Of the county Offices, tell.
ing them that while few if any Of
them were expert bookkeepers
they could nevertheless obtain
the aid of men skilled in those
matters. He called the attention
of the jurors particularly to the
great Importance of the magis,
trate's Office, which he said was
too generally underestimate.
He spoke of the difficulty exper,
fenced by judges and solicitors
in unraveling papers sent ur
from the magisterial courts:
competent men and only compe.
tent men, said he, should hold
this Office, and to this end not
only should the salary be larger
out the present elective plan Of
securing magistrates should be
abandoned. For, said Judge
Purdy, the most incompetent
man in the whole community
may be the most popular man in
the community, and why? Sim,
ply because he never does any.
thing to offend anybody, and il
placed in the Office of magistrate
he will never render judgement
that is worth a snap. He in.
structed the jurors as to theil
duty in seeing that the magis
trates make the reports required
of them by law.
Among the county Offices
Judge Purdy instructed the
grand jurors that they must see
that all the Offices are properly
kept: that the books of the treas
urer properly balance and that
his bond is in the right shape;
that the clerks Office and the Of
fee of the probate Judge are
kept in order and the books
neatly and legibly written up, and
so on throughout the other Of
fees. He laid greatest empha-
sis, however, upon the Office Of
supervisor, saying: Now you all
know that your county is a great
body polite. It is corporation
and it has a great amount Of
money to be handled. That
money should be handled by one
Of the best business men in your
county. I refer to your super