The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-16
Graft or Theh-Which is Worse?
(Contributed.)

(COntrlDuCeQJ
"The sentence Of the Court is that you
[John Black be %confinedin the State Pen1-
~tentary for five years, without labor"
That is the sentence which was passed
on John Black at Chester, who had been
found guilty Of conspiracy" in the mat
tiers pertaining to his conduct while on the
d~ispensary board. If it has been explain
ed how Black would be guilty Of "conspira-
cy" while the jury said that co-defendants
were innocent, we have not seen it. Wedo
not understand how one man, alone, could
20 into a conspiracy" by himself.
The correspondent Of the News and
Courier, in speaking ofthe instance, said:
Judge Moore's talk to the convicted
man was kindly and considerate, but at
the same time straight from the shoulder:
He denounced the pillaging OF the State. OF
which Black had been declared guilty"
It is not an unusual thing for a Judge on
the bench to talk straight" or otherwise
cruelty to a convicted prisoner in the dock,
and Of that kind Of talk nothing Is here
said.
AS star as we can now recall, it has not
been proven where the State has been "pil-
LACED" but we think it has been proven
that the great State of South Carolina was
a partner in the aforesaid "pillaging" and
that it took it's share Of the profits and
then charged customers at the d~ispensary
an increased price for liquor which increas-
ed price not only made State whole but
which actually gave to 1t a great profit
over and above the actings and doings OF
its own officers.
If Black was a pillager, CRATER or con
spirator from whom was graft and against
whom did he conspire. The State was sim
ply the big partner in the shameful ras'
cality Of robbing the people, and now II
seems that because Of It's strength, the
State would be as mean as a traitor or az
shameless as one who turns States evil
dence.
From our own view point, it would seen
| that it is time for the State Of South Caro-
lima to cease to wash it's dirty linen In pub
lie, Are we never to be at rest? Fol
years and years after Democratic recon
struction in 1876 we heard much Of Repub
lican corruption, and to say that there
was not Republican corruption would bt
as ~untruthful as it would be to say thai
the Democratic Legislature has at al
times been honest or that 1t maintained
the highest integrity.
To build the magnificent State House II
Columbia, the Democratic Legislature
before the war, raised money, by the salt
Of bonds.
AS soon as the Democrats were placed II
power In 1876 these same bonds, to tht
extent OF. fifty per cent. were ~repudiated
Does not the State House stand as a ties
timonial, or as q monument to the charac
ter of a people who after accepting tht
benefits from grating would prosecutor
its partners2
When the State Of South Carolina
either pays the bonds upon which it raised
the money to build the State House, Of
when it tears down that monument thai
memorial to our own dishonesty in deal
ing with widows and orphans, it will ther
be time enough, for the State to assume
holy airs by turning on it ever partners IL
crime.
We hope that s~elf-respecting jurors II
South Carolina may deal fairly with the
little fellows. Because Of its greatness
or it's strength, or because the courts are
it's own, furnishes nojust ground for allow
ing the stronger to Cypress the weaker
South Carolina, being partner In the IL
| quor rascality, it should not turn on II
weaker copartners after accepting Its
share OF the craft. We believe that it is a
maxim OF the law that
those who seek equity must come mot
court with clean hands. Are not the
hands of the State and the hands OF the
grafters tarred with the same stick? Is
one more innocent or more pure than the
other? The big CRATER seems to be pur'
suing the CRATER with a cruelty which is
perhaps unprecedented The State, we
believe, is as guilty as Black.