The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-01-16
AS TO SPECIAL JUDGES.
BIease Defends Himself for Refusing
to Appoint Special Judges.

to Appoint Special Judges.
The governor of South Carolina
sent a special message to the general
assembly Thursday, in which he de-
Tended his position on the appoint
ment of special judges. He reviewed
at length the conflict with the su-
irene court and told why he refused
70 appoint upon the recommendations
of the chief Justice, Ira B. Jones.
In the house the message was re-
ferred to the judiciary committee ana
printing in the Journal was deferred
nntil the committee made its report.
Concerning the conflict over the
special term of court for Richland
county, the governor stated in. the
message that some of the, newspapers
Of thu State tried to make it appear
that he did not like Duncan G. Ray
and therefore did not appoint him as
a special judge when recommended by
the supreme court The governor
states that he likes Mr.. Ray. He
charged that the supreme court rec
commended Mr.. Ray when two other
sircuit judges were disengaged at the
time. He said that the two judges
were in Columbia when the recon-
meudation was made.
:. "Judge Watts and Judge Memmin-
ger were in Columbia at the time"
says the governor, "eating in the same
dining room with part of the supreme
court and were positively disengaged,
unless you call electioneering among
your members as being engaged with
In the meaning Of the statute" The
governor next charges the chief JUS
ice with violating the law. The su-
ereme court at the time held that
there were no disengaged circuit
judges and recommended Mr.. Ray up
On the recommendation of the Rich
land county bar.
Z. = Alleges Violation.
In his message, the governor next
refers to the Horny county court,
and charged that the chief justice vio-
lated the law by not assigning dis
engaged circuit judge. He means sew
eral judges alleged to have been dis
engaged at that time.
With reference to his refusal to
commission Ernest Moore as special
Judge for Union. county, he declared
that Judge Gary was disengaged then.
s The governors message states that
each time he refused to commission a
special judge there was q disengaged
circuit judge.
r., -. -. LIE GOFeFGVES JOhcs
ttI wish to tell you little joke on
the chief justice" says the governor
in his message. *sHe met my friend,
Nr: Bynum, of Newberry, on the
streets Of Newberry, when he was
there: attending the funeral of the
late Chief Justice Pope and said to
Mr.. Bynum that he liked him and that
he hoped to see him some day on the
aench, but that he would never sit on
the bench while he was chief justice
because his name was on 'Blease's'
eligible list In a few days, a case
came up in the supreme court in
which the chief Justices. son was one
OF the parties and the chief justice
was thereby disqualified from sitting.
I appointed Mr.. Bynum to take the
place of the chief justice, and in a
very short time after the chief JUS
tice had told him that he would never
sit on the bench, Mr.. Bynum was sit
ting on the supreme court bench
wearing the chief Justices robe"
The message next states that Mr..
Brezeale, of Anderson, and Mr.. Rags
dale were commissioned as special
judges. "Both Of these gentlemen
were on my eligible list" says the
governor.
Special Term in BarnWelL.
In his message the governor gives
the following letter from Ira B. Jones,
former chief justice, to R. G. Duncan,
secretary of the Barnwell County Bar
association: F'I have been considering
the petition of the Barnwell bar for
a special term of the court of COM
mon pleas, commencing October 10,
1911, and continuing for three weeks,
if necessary. In looking over the en-
2agements 0f tho rae1,1ar i1dees- If is