The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-12-12
OUR GRAND JURY'S REPORTS TO BE RE-
SPECTED.

-
for court witnesses is recon
mended by a Spartanburg grand
Jury which is commendable, and
should be recognized by the law
makers, but at the same time,
law makers must also recognize
the fact that grand juries are
frequently the embodiments OF
hypocrisy, and that their recon
mendations are not intended 6y
them to be taken seriously. we
have in point the frequent rec
concentrations of our grand ju.
ries with regard to the matter OF
bui]dine a new court house for
this county, something all will
concede, will be in the progress
siye direction, yet, when it comes
to the place where their recon-
mendations can be entrusted into
hands that will carry them out
they craw-fsh and fall behind
the plea of heavy taxation. II
these grand juries are tax bur-
dened and know the taxes are
oppressive why will they per-
sist in filing up their present
ments with hypocritical ;oceten-
sions by demanding that which
thev do not want. and praying
all the time that they will not
Get it. Our grand juries IN near
y every court published to the
world the unsafe and uncomfort-
able condition of the court house,
they characterized it as a dis
grace to have such building
for public purposes, they de-
manded Of those in authority to
devise the proper means to re-
move this disgraceful and men
acing structure, and replace it
with one that will be safe forthe
records, and comfortable to those
who are compelled to attend the
court. The opportunity was Civ
en- by those chosen to represent
the taxpayers to obtain their
consent for this; demanded i'm
provemen.5, and we found among
the mosS strenuous objectors,
men who had served upon the
very grand juries that made pub
lie condemnation of the court
house. They remind US of the
::nigger" who prayed for rain,
when it came it was in torrents
and seemed it would never stop.
He went back upon his knees,
and said s'Oh Lord, when [ pray
ed for rain I meant a nice, gen
tie drizzle drozzle, and not a mud
sill foater and gulley washer, an
bein' as I am gittin' morn I want
I ak yer not to tex me too much
in yearnest.' y Just SO with the
grand juries making present
ments to the court for improve
ments, but they are not as much
in earnest as their presentments
would appear.
It is common sense, that wit
nesses dragged in court with a
pay Of fifty cents a day is ridic-
ulous and a hardship, in fact, it
frequently is a punishment; the
party being without means, at
court on business not his own,
and for the pay allowance he
cannot get a comfortable place
to stayand pot enough to eat,yet
to increase the pay of witnesses
would necessarily increase the
court expenses, hence increase
taxation, and the very men who
clamor for the increase of pay
for witnesses would howl like
hyena's against an increase of
taxation.
The people, and especially
our grand juries, must learn
s:they cannot eat their cake and
keep it too" No public improve
ments, however urgent and nee
essary, can be made without pro
viding the where -with-all. It takes
money, not presentments, and re-
solutions. Kicks and complaints
will not pay for material and Ia
Dor, and it is either consent to
taxation or stop registering COM
plants about conditions, whether
they be inadequate facilities for
public purposes, poorly paid wit
nesses, axle-breaking and stock
killing highways, or anything
else which requires money to
correct.
JS TEE cENATE P0TTEN1