The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-10-16
ZEAL VS. JUDGMENT.

ZEAL VS. JUDGMENT.
The injunction methods en-
ployed by Governor Ansel may
win for him the applause Of a
fanatical prohibition element,
but sane Prohibitionists Will
realize the danger Of sucn
methods running into Intolerance
and oppression. In all times ,
since the birth Of this repuollc
the courts have granted inJunc-
tions, but in the exercise OF Ghls
drastic power great caution has
been employed. The mere vio-
lation of a statute the penalty OF
which is for a misdemeanor has
never been regarded SO grave as
to resort to the use of the most
formidable weapon the law can
command-the injunction.
It is G serious matter, and OF
the greatest consequence to a
citizen to realize that he is de,
prived Of the privileges promised
him by the fundamental law OF
the land. To know that upon
the ex-parte statement Of per-
haps some irresponsible person
his means Of livlihood has been
stopped, and to get relief from
this tyranny he is forced to de-
prive himself of his earnings,
possibly to the damage OF his
creditors, and employ counsel
that he might be allowed to
prove a negative. The applicant
for a restraining order makes
affidavit that A is a violator OF
the law, A is given a certain
length of time to appear IN court
to show why the restraining or
der should not be made perma-
nent, in the meantime he must
close down to the damage Of his
business, and in order to stay a
permanent injunction it is up to
him to prove himself Innocent;
the principle Of "a man is inno-
cent until he is proven guilty"
is reversed to mean 'sall men are
criminals until they prove to the
contrary"
We are friendly to Governor
Ansel's administration, but we
cannot approve the course he is
pursuing now in his efforts to
enforce the dispensary law.
There is illicit liquor selling IN
Charleston. it is a notorious fact,
but it will never be stopped by
means that deprive citizens of
rights promised them in the con-
stitut;on of the State and Nation
ssthe right Of trial by jury" In
stead of enforcing a respect for
law it will have a tendency to
make the average citizen DEFY
the law.
The dispensary law should be
enforced in Charleston as we'll as
in any other part Of the State,
but it should be enforced IN an
orderly and proper way, keeping
in mind the rights Of the accus-
ed as they are citizens and tax.
PAYERS, as well as those who
applE for the means to enforce
the law. It might be said that
Charleston juries will not con-
vict, and therefore it is no use
to hale a violator Of the dispen-
sary law before a Charleston
jury. There may be something
in such a contention, but that
does not justify resorting to in
junction methods whereby cit
izen is not permitted to face his
accuser before q, jury of his
peers. If a failure to secure a
Verdict before one jury, then
get another case b e + o r e
another jury, and so on until the
violators of the law are kept
busy in the courts, and make
it so expensive for them that
selling liquor, is SO improbable
they must give it up. It would
be far better to load down the
criminal dockets in Charleston
that the taxes to run the courts
would be so oppressive the tax
payers themselves would cry out
against the evil Of Illicit liquor
selling, than to deprive one
American citizen Of a right pur-
chased by the blood of the foun
ders of this government.
The Injunction method is con-
traryto the spirito of our American
Institutions, and it is the very
thing the Southern democracy
complained of when the United
States courts resorted to such
methods. Our political leaders
abused the Republican party
government by injunction" was
one Of Bryan's great complaints.
Tillman's was especially severe IN
his a1raignment Of Judge Simon
ton, and our State democratic
platforms have denounced in
junction proceedings, but when
1t comes to a democratic admin
istration employing injunction
proceedings to enforce a law,
entirely local in its effect, not
upon the complaint OF the citi-
zens 81 the community, but oy
some nonresident who officious-
ly undertakes to look after work
not connected with the branch of
the government in which he *