The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-03-19
JUDGE SEASE MAKES
A STRONG CHARGE
COURT CONVENED on
MONDAY MORNING.
Docket Not Very Heavy-IHdge SeaSe
Stresses Importance of Educa-
ton and Roads.


Thos. S. Sease presiding. Solicitor
Cooper, stenographer Aull and the
other officers of the court were in
their places.
The docket is not very heavy for
this term.
All the members of the grand jury
with the exception of L. o. Stoude-
mayer, who has moved from the coun-
ty, answered to their names. R. e.
Counts, who was present, but who has
moved out of the county, was excused.
E. A. Griffin and Y. Jones were plac-
cd on the grand jury to fill the two
vacancies. Mr.. E. A. Griffin was
elected foreman.
Several bills of indictment we're
handed out by the Solicitor, and this
being the first term for the year.
Judge sease charged the grand jury
along the line of their general duties
for the year. His charge was excep-
tionally strong and forceful, dealing
with matters of Importance to the
whole people.
He said he knew nothing better to
talk about for a short while than the
purpose for which the court was or
ganized. 1t was organized for the
purpose of suppressing crime. The
criminal was the greatest enemy to
organized society, he said, and the
court was organized for the purpose
of suppressing him. The grand jury
should be a terror to the evil-doer, as
we'll as a refuge to those unjustly
prosecuted or prosecuted. This court
was here to protect organized society
against the marauder and wrong
doer. to see that every citizen had
the right to live peacefully, and un-
disturbed by violation OF property
or personal rights. A man had not
onlv the right to be safe from the mo-
lestations of the marauder and Grim
inal but to feel safe, and that was
what the courts were for, he said.
Sometimes, he said, petit jurors dlo
not perform their duty to the full, and
criminals proved guilty beyond rea-
sonable doubt were turned loose upon
society. Where was the fault? 1t
might lie in the witnesses. 1t might
lie in the fact that jurors we're not
trained in sitting evidence. 1t did not
lie in any wilfulness or dishonesty on
the part of jurors in this State. Some
times iurors we're carried away by
sympathy He was proud to say that
in South Carolina verdicts were not
influenced by dishonesty or wilfulness.
He spoke of the duty Of investigat-
inc the county Offices, directing spe-
cial attention to the Offices OF super
visor and superintendent Of education,
because it was through these two Of
fees that practically all the. money
was spent. There was no more I'M
portant office than that Of superintend-
ent of education, because he was at the
head of the schools. The Office was
close to the administration Of justice,
because as the people were educated,
so would justice be meted out. Intel
ligent jurors wrote intelligent verdicts.
Suppose we had had compulsory edu-
cation a hundred years ago, the diff
ference between what would have been
the result and present conditions is
incalculab,o. e -,c ,e,gi3.&sc,are should
now pass a compulsory education law
the benefits would go on increasing
long after this generation had passed
away. There was no true progress
unless it took into consideration the
welfare of future generations.s
The Newberry court house was an
example. 1t was a monument to the
right kind of progress. And yet, as
he remembered at the time it was
hnil+ tho naopIa we're opposed to a
bond issue for building it, and had
overwhelmingly voted down such
bond issue. But the then Newberry
delegation in the general assembly
too'- the bit in their teeth and provld-
eA for the bond issue, and now he dar-
ed say not man could be found IN