Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-10-11
Governor Harvey lag bly, Cons
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Governor Eiaryey EIig ghly Come
naended g.
Did we ever have such q governor?
= am 80 years old plus, and "A sure
II never have. When he makes q dive
he brings up the meat Of the old
bones.
Why constables have to make their
weekly reports to him, something
new under the sun. He would let one
Turner choose his time to serve his
sentence, if he did have q crop to
gather. Didns his lawyers have a lot
of cheek? Don't you think it would
have been a good thing if the gov
ernor had used the meat axe on their
inecks
We have the best governor the
State@has had in years. He stands.
four-square for the enforcement Of
the law and has high regard for the
.verdicts of the jury and the sentence
Of the court. That also is something
new under the sun.
Governor Harvey knows h ow to do.
things. He is becoming a terror to the
evil sdoers. He don't fail to comb the
woods and briar patches for the boot
leggers. He is every inch q man from
spur to plume. he is. doing his duty
unafraid.
He sees that the gates Of the peni-.
tentiary are closed day and night. I
notice in the Charlesto American"
of September 12, 1922, that Mr..
Blease says that South Carolina has
written a record Of crime and law
lessness that has robbed her Of her
right place a mong the states Of the
union.
But he don't say why the begin
ming Of this crime wave was. When
he, as governor Of the state raised
the. lid Of the. State prison and turn
ed loose j, ,708 criminals. That is why!
Governor Harvey is after all violators
of law like hungry wolf on heat
ed trail, and never fails to get their
scalp. He is laying the foundation
upon which the governor elect must
build. Our governor doesn't listen
much to petitions for pardons. The
beauty about his administration is
he doesn't blow any trumpets. When
he says go get that yiolator Of the
law and put him back in the open"
it is done. Yes, these old dry bones
that have been disturbing the peace,
and dignity of our state and county
have never had such a shake-up as
they are getting from our chief ex-
ecutive. He is the man of the hour.
We are beginning to let go the will
lows at the bank and getting out in,
the swim. So mote it be. God bless
Governor Harvey! In my estimateion
he ranks next to Woodrow Wilson.
f I am glad the editor of The Adj
vertiser said just what he did about
the judges. This is not the first time
that Judge Rice has ripped the jury
up the back. I admit that in many
cases the jury fails to convict. But
how many hundreds of cases where
the jury has agreed upon verdicts of
guilt, and a lawyer jumps up and
asks the court for an appeal, and in
almost every case it is granted, and
then put off from month to month.
Finally the criminal walks out Of the
court room as free as a jack rabbit
in briar patch. The truth of the
matter is just this: The laxity of the
law lies within the bar Of the court.
This everlasting putting off cases,
= = ~ :
so many technicalities almost to the
dotting Of an 81" or the crossing Of a.
.dt. Ct =
Y Judge Rice said Call the judges
can do is to give affair trial" But iit
is the judge who fixes the penalty. It
is often the case when jury finds
a man guilty of violation Of the pro-
hibition law he will get light SEN
tence, Say a s1OO fine. That same
bootlegger will jump over the high
grass behind the briar patch and
make is s10o fine by gray dawn the
next morning and laugh at the sem
tence Of the court.
As a general thing the sentence is
not severe enough, and often it is the
case that part of the sentence is sus-
4 I I. II 4. J5,.