The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-09-07

~N"'S b'SPchooiy DodTu, CHuTSeu Dy
the Legislature with failure to per-
form properly the duties Of their Of
flee, and the Supreme Court sustain
ed his contention, establishing for the
first time the authority Of the Cover
nor in such cases.
In the Pink Franklin case, where
the validity Of our election laws was
attacked. and the seats Of several Of
our Democratic Congressman were at
stake, Attorney General Lyon defend
ed and sustained the election laws be-
fore the Supreme Court of the United
States, to which an appeal was taken.
White supremacy in South Carolina
depended upon this law being sustain
ed. There We're such vital issues in
volved that Charles ]. Bonaparte, At
torney General under President Theo.
Roosevelt, was employed to argue the
case before the Supreme Court for the
other side, in an effort to down our
suffrage laws.
The South Carolina Congressmen
interested employed Hon. d. s. Hen
derson, who. with Mr. Lyon, argued
the case for the State before the Su-
preme Court at Washington, and Mr..
Henderson publicly stated at Aiken
Two years ago that the Court did not
adopt the views presented by himself,
but did adopt the views presented by
Attorney General Lyon, in the opinion
sustaining the election laws.
In the c., c. G. case, Attorney
General Lyon prevented that railroad
from getting a charter which enabled
1t to try its case in the Federal
Courts instead Of trying cases in our
own State Courts. The effect of this
fight made by Mr.. Lyon is far-reach-
ing, since it compels foreign corpor-
ations, such as this railroad, to come
into the State and try it's cases in
our State Courts. This results in saw
ing the heavy expenses that often
force poor men to give up their cases
and so put them at the mercy Of those
who can afford the heavy costs of a
trial in the United States Courts. Mr..
Lyons success in this case did not
prevent the railroad from coming IN
to the State under proper conditions,
which it has since done.
Attorney General Lyon successfully
represented the State in the suit on
the bond Of County Treasurer Ed
wards of Berkeley County, recovering
the full amount, $5,5s6.23. with inter-
est. Also in the suit on the bond of
Detyens of Georgetown, recovering
$9.647.25 for the County.
In the suit of the Carolina Glass
Company against the Stackhouse
Windine-up Commission. the Attor-
ney General interviewed cf HE own mo-
tlon ana aled q return, end upon the
showing made therein the rlass com
pany abandoned Is SUIT and was com
peiicu ~ reiinquisn tie money whivn
the winding-up commission claimed
was due the State.
After a committee of the legisla-
ture had attempted for quite a while
t. induce the city Of Augusta to erect
an adequate flshway at the dam across
the Savannah river, Attorney Gener-
al Lyon took the matter into the
courts and secured an order requir-
ing the city to erect the fishway, and
1t has been done.
In the case of Alderman VS.. Wells,
county treasurer, Attorney General
Lyon defended the constitutionality of
the income tax act, which was sus.
tanned by the Supreme Court, and the
law is now settled and the tax is be-
ing collected annually.
These are only a few of the most
important cases which Mr.. Lyon has
conducted with success, as the lawyer
for the State In all such matters. They
are not as spectacular as his, great
work in connection with the dispen-
sary but they mean much to the
state and show his ability and dill
gence as lawyer. They show he has
performed the duties placed on this
office by the trainers Of our constitu-
ton who established it to be a guide
to otnel branches of the State govern
ment and a bulwark between each
citizen and those who would oppreys
or defraud him.
The lmore this record Is studied the
more 1t will show the force Of LYONS
statement that one Of his PRINCIPLES
has been,