The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-03-16
THE SESSIONS COURT.
Strong Charge to Grand Jury by
Judge Prince Docket Not as
Heavy as at Last Term.

morning, Judge Geo. E. Prince, of
Anderson, presiding. While there
are several murder cases awaiting
trial, and other cases of minor I'M
portance, the docket is not as heavy
as at the fall term last year, and it is
believed there will be no trouble in
disposing of the business during the
week allotted for this term.
It was necessary yesterday morning
to draw an extra venire both for the
grand jury and the petit jury.
A number of bills were handed out
by Solicitor Cooper, and Judge Prince
delivered full and able charge to
the grand jury, both as to their gener-
al duties in connection with the pub
lie welfare, and as to their specific
duties in connection with the bills Of
indictment upon which they were call
ed on to pass. He said that when the
oath Of grand juror was analysed it
would be found that the duties Of a
grand Juror were hard and delicate
and exacting, and that it took an all
round man to fill the position as it
should be filled. He took up the oath
which the members of the jury had
taken, anaiyzing it and showing the
importance and the necessity Of its
strict observance in every detail. Law
anu order in Newberry county during
the coming year, he said, depended
to a large extent upon the manhood
of the grand jury, and its members
were as much grand jurors between
the terms Of the court as when they
we're in attendance upon court
grand jurors wherever they were, ev-
cry day, until their successors were
sworn. In speaking of the oath, he
said he trusted there was no need to
stress to a Newberry jury that clause
which said they should not present
any one for fear, hatred or malice,
or for reward or hope of reward. TIE
average South Carolinian was not
afraid, and during his whole exper-
ienee at the bar and Oh the bench he
had never seen a miscarriage of JUS
tiee in South Carolina on account Of
pecuniary reward Or hope, Of pecun-
iary reward. But how about that
claus which required that none should
be left unpresented on account Of
favor or affection? He would to God,
he said, that he could say that he had
never seen a miscarriage Of justice
on account of favor or affection.
In speaking Of the duty of the
grand jury to investigate the county
Offices, he said that the supervisor was
the only man in the county who could
be honest and yet bankrupt the coun-
| ty. He was the only county official
who exercised an independent judg-
ment. The counties ought to have the
best man they could get for this posi-
ton, and yet the counties Of South
Carolina were aging the paltry sal
ary of 5000 or 81, 600 year. If New
berry county had the right sort of
supervisor he was being paid too lit
tie, as was the case in every other
county in the State. If he was not the
right man for the place he was too
high at any salary.
He took up the Office Of county sup
erintendent Of education, saying he
should be the leader Of the ducation-
al thought and activity Of the county.
In this connection he took up the sub
ject of education, and delivered an ex-
ceptionally forceful charge along this
line. People in modern times had
got the idea that they were raising
little angels just sprouting wings.
They were sent to school and instead
of being required to submit to the au-
thority of the teacher and taught the
great lesson OF obedience, too often
the teacher was sent word, "You
must not whip our little Johnny; we
never touch him at home except in
self-defence.'
The grand jury could not examine
the superintendent Of education's Of
flee by simply going to his office and
examining his books. What kind of
teachers were there in the county? It
could be said that the county superin-
tendent of education did not select
the teachers. But he selected the
trustees. Was he selecting the proper
men for trustee? "Our public school
system is a farce" he said. In the
graded schools the children were load
ed down with so many books they be-
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