The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-10-11
THE GRAND JURy'S sKY-RoCKET

We made no editorial comment
last week on the returns of the
county officials who were ruled
to show cause by His Honor
Judge Purdy why they should
not be indicted for the matters
and things presented against
them by the grand jury, for the
reason. that we wanted our read
ers to carefully read the answers
made by these officials before we
expressed an opinion.
To our mind the entire pro
ceeding was case Of marching
up Hill and down again without
any material results accomplish
ed. The grand jury charged
neglect of duty and violation Of
law. The officers, through attor-
news made answer, and without
a single denial of any of the
charges, the court accepted the
excuses and dismissed the rules.
We said the charges were not
denied, we go further, and say
they were admitted.
It does strike US as being a
very peculiar proceeding, to'ac-
cept without further investiga-
tion the excuses rendered by
presented officials. The grand
Jury is supposed to nave made
an Investigation, because they
employed an expert who receiv-
ed pay for his work, and they
reported to the court condition
which was serious enough to
warrant the circuit Judge to issue
a rule against the officials named
in the presentment, but what
has it amounted to? Lawyers
we're employed. and they in
legal phraseology read TO the
court the excuses and this was
accepted without further action.
It is a source Of qualification to
us, that in the course of the
grand iury's Investigation no
such condition was found as has
been unearthed at Greenville,
Edgefeld and Richland, where
lax Investigations have been
made in the past, and the Off
cials permitted to be discharged
on the statements presented to
the court through their attor-
neys. In Clarendon county the
officials were not charged with
stealing or other form Of
graft. none of them were found
Short in their accounts. nor was
it found that any of them We're
guilty Of graft of any kind; the
charge was unbusinesslike meth
DDS, extravaganza, neglect of
duty, and failure to comply with
5 the law.
The presenting of officers is
not a trifiing matter, and it
seems to US, when that body
finds it necessary to report the
county officers. to dismiss the
rules against the reported officers
on the mere excuses such as
their lawyers can frame, is not
giving the matter the serious at
tention a grand jury's present
ment. should be entitled to. To
aa4sn1iss the rules without having
the excuses of the officials veri-
fed, amounts to little more than
a farce, and if that method Of
procedure is to continue, it would
be useless for grand jury to
present officers for neglect Of
duty, and faiiure to comply with
the law.
We never had any suspicion
of rascality with our county
officials, but based upon infor-
nation received from members
of the grand jury, previous to
their presentment, and after they
had made an investigation with
an expert. we wrote several edito-
rials directing attention to Clar-
endon's slip-shoa methods. These
editorials were verified by the
grand jury's presentment, only
to be taken into; court to be ad-
lnitted and excuses rendered,
with promises to do better in the
future.
But the most farcical part of
the business is, the very grand
jury that Investigated and pre-
sented these county officers for
failure to comply with the law,
extravaganza, and bad business
methods: put into their last pre-
sentiment an expression of salts
faction with the excuses made
by the officers reported by them.
If the grand jury were that
easily made satisfied, it would
have been far better for them,
the officers and the county, had
they called the officers before
them before making their pre-
sentiment, then perhaps their
sensational report would not
have been made at all. We doubt
exceedingly if the grand jury
made any Investigation to verify
the excuses the officers made to
the court. Perhaps they were
misled when the court dismissed
the rules.
A MEaACING JUDGMENT.
In the recent term of court