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WINNSBOUO. S. C. 'Tuesday, May 15, : . 1877. B. MEANS DAVIS, Editor, JNO. S. REYNOLDS, Associate Editor. The Cirorlt Judges. The judiciary committee of the Senate has reported that the election of judges in 1875 was void. The ground taken is that the State con stitution provides that the judges shall be elected by joint ballot of the Goneral Assembly, whereas the present inmenbents were all voted for viifa voce. The words of the 'constitntion (Art. IV., ?13) are these: "The State shall be divided into con venient circuits, and for each circuit a judge shall be elected by joint bal lot of the General Assembly." In ?24 of Art. I, is found this general provision : "In all -elections by the General Assembly, or either House -thereof, -the members shall vote vii'a votc, and the votes, thus ,give'n, shall bo entered upon the journal of the House to which they respective ly belong." 'There are two things to 'be con'idored-(1) whether the antecedent provision is repealed by the subsequent, and (2) whether the phrase "joint ballot" noeessarily .involves the idea of the actual cast of a written ballott. As to the first, we think the provision being gonoral, it supersedes any special regulation on the subject. The Legislature is dupowereid to elect the judges. The very section wh'ch provides thatt there shall be a legis'ative department of the government ixes the method of voting in ill elections. The subse quont article on .the judicial depart mont may be considered subordinate or, what 'is equally to the point and more 'in 'keeping with the 'spirit of the constitubion, a separate enact mont, having reference to a distinct and indopendeint bratch of the gov ernment. The only objet in insert ing in this article the method of election is to show the source whence the judges are to got 'their offices-iot from .the peoplo at the ballot..box, but.from the; .ropresens tativen of the Uaaer, "mot .and sit .ting in Genoral Assembly." Again, 'the term ballot by no moans involves the notion ofscasting one's vote wit ton on a slip of paper. Worcester- the very best authority--definos it thus: "I "A little ball, or anything else, wvhich is used in giving a :seret wvote ; a secret method of voting at elections; 'a vote ; ct of- voting." It will thus .be seen that one of the meanings of .the term 'is "a -vote." Hence the teorms "vote" and "ballot" are prop 'orhy interchangeable, and weox may substitute (in Art. IV., ?14) the words "joint vote" for "joint ballot." Now the precodent section distinct ly requires every "vote" .to be viva voce, and it wvould seemi clear that 'the genordl :provision was .intended ~to reqluir'"all elections," of wvhat ~soever nature, by the Legislature, to lbo in the manner stated. The whole spiiit of-our' present constitution is in favor of voting viva voce, and( it is difficult to conceive why its fr'amcrs should have made an exoeption in !the case of the most important eleo tion commuitted to the Gceral As ~sombly. Such are the chief grou nds on 'which we hold the olection of judges ' ~ in 1J875-except,of course, 'Whipper .and Mosos and, p)erhaps, Carpenter *---wass wholly legal and valid. We aire ready, however, to yield to the ' t upcirior judgment of those better 'versed in constitutional law and general jrurisprudence. The Jury System. Thrre is no feature of the system ~put in. force ,in South Car'olina by voters. The right to vote belongs to overybody-4from the most learned .min in the State dowun to fbbe vorioist ignoraus. Th'Io ;jurors have boon ilnimosi instances selectd on the samoe prlinc(iplO, and a fino mixtiu'o thyhave boon. Negroes who have mo equaliificaiion 'whatever, save the upon the different juries in large numbers, and at times in great dis proportion to their strength in the voting population of their county. All must admit that this is wrong, and it is a more sontimentali ty which induces some peopl , and the worst species of demagoguery some others, to advocate it. The negro is entitled to all the legal rights enjoyed by the white man, but to nothing more. It rarely if over happens that whito men unable to read are drawn on juries, and there is no reason why negroes should enjoy higher privileges. The present law was framed fo1r the negro and against the white man. It .smhould at once be radically changed. No man, b he white or black, should bo allowed to sit in judg mont on the life, liberty or property of another, without the educational qualifications necessary to enable him to do so intelligently. No man should be permitted to take a .scat in the jury-box unless he is able to read and write with facility. No man without theso qualifications is fit to be a juror, unless he is en.. dowed with extraordinary intellectu al qualities. And if he has these he can very soon acquire the knowl. edge needed. We have had too much of ignorant juries. Already some of the judges, beginning with Judge Mackey, have ruled that a Iman unable to read cannot sit as a juror in a case where docunentary evidence, whether printed or written, is introduced. As Judge Mackey well said when he first made the ruling, written evidence is to the man who cannot read just what oral testimony is to one total ly deaf, or written words to one totally blind. In all higher courts indictments are used, and it is upon the instrument itself that the fore man wvrites the vordict. What a mockery, what a sham, what a tra vestie is such a verdict when the foreman has to make his cross-mark / How utterly absurd to cause a man to affix his signature, under oath, .to a document of which he is unable to read a single word a ! 'Tho soon or +hi sort. of thina Fdoru thn bettor for the State and for the .causo of justice. The jury law should at once be so amended as to require jurors to be able to read and write. Those qualifications are exacted of jurymen in the United States courts, and the improvement in the charac ter of the juries has bcen immecnso ever since the old law was changed. If a Radical Congress could consis tently enact such a lawv, surely a 'Democratic Legislature may do the same. But we want no6 examplo. The change would be right, and is demanded by every consideration of justice. An intelligent jury is a p~rotection to all the rights of citi zenship :an ignorant one a great source of danger. Let the Legisla ture act promptly in this matter, and the advantages of such action will soon show themselves. The House has p)ostp)oned thme consideration of the usurybui to thme regular session. T1his 'is wise. Tbere is great diversity of opinion on thmis subject, and there shonid -be no hast. Let there be a full hear ing on all sides, and the maturest consideration. Then let the Legis Jaturo act, and its; course will be heartily accepted b~y the wvhole LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS. FamDAY, May 11. SENATE. A nuumber of bills and join't ,rso lutions were introdued, read by title, and properly referred. 'Several committees made rep~orts, which were laid over undler the rules. The following bills wemie road a third timom andl sent to the House : To regulate the appointment and salary of trial jjusticos in and .for the county of Orangoebuug; to incorpo)r ate the Spaitanburg and Rtuthierford Railroad ; to regulate the appoint ment opf county officers.; .to regulate the appointmient anmd salary of trial justices in and for thme -county of Brtrnwell ; to authorize the mayor of CJolumnbia to exercise certain pow ora and duties, and for other purposes therein mfenltioneCd ; a bill to amnd~ an~ act entitled "An act. to ,.+horie the governor to appoint additional trial justices for Union, Georgetown and Greonvillo counties." On motion of Mr. Byrd, the vote whereby the Senate postponed the considoration of a bill to provido for the election of county treasurers and county auditors was recons sidered, and the bill was ordored to bo engrossed for a third reading. Adjourned. HoUsE oF REI'PRESENTATIVES. A number of bills, original and from the Senate, were read by title and properly referred. The 1ousei agreed to the Senate amieflnmenit to it resolution invoking Executive elemency, by a vote of 78 to S. The Houso also concurred in the Senate resolution to elect it chief justice on Tuesday the 15th inst., at I o'clock. The committee on ways and means submitted at bill to raise supplies for the fiscal year comencing Novei bor 1, 1870. On motion of Mr. Sheppard, this bill was maido the special order daily, immediately after the appropriation bill is dis posed of. The bill lev i,s seven mills-Iivo for general Stato pur poses and two for interest on the public debt. Mr. linort, from the committeo appointed to iiivestigate the conduct of Associate Justice Wrig ;ht, sub smitted ia report, and mi-oved that the House go into secret session during the reading of it. The motion was adopted by a vote of 63 to 15. A bill to amend sections 55 and 56, chapter 120, of the general statutes, relative to liens oi crops, was taken up for a second reading, and was discussed without action. Adjourned. SvrunAr, May 12. SENATE. Mr. Whitomore asked and ob tained leave of absence on account of seious illness in his family, and stated that ulpon all matters, with the exception of elections, lie was paired with the Senator from Lox - ington. A number of bills and joint reso lutions wore introduced, read by title, and properly referred. The following were read a third time and sent to thme House: Joint .resolution (House) to repeal special tax levied on Edgelield county ; bill (House) to extend the time for county officers elected at the lat. general election to <g'llify , hill (House) to amend the charter of the town of Greer's in Greenville coun ty ; and bill (House) to incorporate the Mechanics' Building and Loin Association of Gr.cenville. Adjourned. HOUSE OF REPmRESENTA'IIvEs. A numbher of bills, original andh~ from thme Senate, were readc by title andl~lproperly referred. The following bills were read a third tiime :To provido for the drawing of' new jury lists ini cer'tin ounties; to amendli~ se3ctionii 15, chater 30), of-the general statustes, me ilating to the levy of tsaxes in school districts ; to repea~l a joint resolu tion to allowv the county comnmis, siener of CJoileton county to levy a special tax to pay paist indebtedness; to prsovide stationery and fuel fo~r the General Assembmhly ; to au thorize. the apploilfniment, of a triatl justice resident in Bla'cstock ; to samend ebapter 145 ohf th~e general statutes, relating to the pasy of the directors of thoe penitenitiary ; to abolish the oilice of oflicial st/Jmnogmfpher ; 'to allowv A. T. Semy the to redeemc ceertain forfeited lends ; to charter the Hamrp toin Phoi8Jsate Companuy. TJhe appropr~l)Iiat ion bill was taken ump 5umd discussed fill adjournment. [Wo shall publish this bill in fubs as seon s it hsa! have become a law. EDs.] The bill to r(eoa the lien law was discussed without linal action. A messamgo wias received from the governor, stating that he had trans mitted to the President the resolu tion oif the G'eneral Assemb1 ly askinig Excntive clemency for certain as cused persons, anud had areceived the following reosponso.: WAshINoToN, D. C., May 12, 1877. T1o -Goy. W~ADE HAMPTON :I am .informed by thme Attorney General .that lie has instructed the District Attorney df South Carolina to ;puo pare for' trial only three indictments in the Ellenton cases, and to notify :the parties in alil o~thor cases that .they need not prepare for trial. It is possible that only one camse will be triedl. The fact that thme indlict.. moents wvoro found by the grand jury comaposed of both political parties, setemisto justify the assumption that thme prosecutions are not par11tisanl. I agree with you that a general aurmosty shouldextend to all-politi, cal ol'enses except those wJiiah are of the gravest 'ecutracter. iR. B1. IHYEs, rz~iidonv. Mr. Aldrich introduced a concur rent resolution to extend theo'thanks of thme General Asaembly to Presi dont Hayes for his olemoeney. Ajrinedi KISSING T HE QU E EN'S HAND. ----0 110 W 1'PA li~''IS .t lI !'RI :.VTE;) A TI7 TBll| uilils,, Cl'rT. A CourtDross .-Tedious Formaltios - A Moment of HpiLilines) s Superior Privi logos Accordod to the Sons and Daughtors of Uncle Sam. Olivex Lo~an1 in 11.(a pers' Iim-r. The London fashionable Scsts really begins with the first opening of the Queen's drawing room. To be presented to her uu-ijusty is the great object inl life of all ladies who have a desire to figure in English socioty. A kiss of her majesty's han(1 is a prereq1uisite of i (lit ree into distinguished salons. A few vords of advice are here given to American ladies who desire to share this honor with the native Briton. The first condition of the cereino nay (after you have received notilica tion fromt the United States minis ter that he can-or rather that his wife cal--plresent you at a certaini dai(:) is that you shall order a court, costunme. Now, a court cost ume can be made to cost more or less mooney: or perhaps I should rat her say it. can be made to cost. more, i'in t not less. It must certainly be it ball dress of a good deal of elegance, an(d it impera tively requires that cumwbeirsome and always thereaft:,r useless article, a court train. Individual taste may hang this train fromo the waist or fromn the shioulrsT ; bou) it lax ly who shouilid present herself at court wit h out it would inevitably be refused admittance, as not cMnformiing to court rul's, thal widV1h1 the taws of the Medes am I Persians were ntu mi we inexorahlo. Again, it is ih lerativc that low.-sneck.ed body and short sleeves should be worn : and as lnuiiy Amlericanl ladies have not appe:red ill dress (lit in tis way since childhood. and not unfrtent ly have consCiciniolus scruIles ab,>ut, such exposure, the con(di tiou is sonetines a1 h:rd one. But, it is quite inflexible. with court authiori ties. Ill hel.th is the Only exelp tiol. The Queen's (rawing-rooms are held at three o'clock in the afterinool, at tho >soumbihi e but imposing Bue!: inghami Palace, in LIan ie n. 1'er sonls whoe und1erstanmd the lumuy3 tedions ori s 11 a1 delays wvhicih con 5smni1(e timi-e at these ceoiiI(flnies cen crilly mike it at point to start for thepal ase ut, ue as two 11011b hO fore the time fixed for the oienn.g o: the court. Reeon tly it has beten more than ever desirbie to be at. the palLce in good season, as the Queen somaetimes r'emains lbut a snort time, when the ditty of receiv in;g is relegated to the Princess of W\'ales. The fattigue of sitauniluig becomes in toleralde to the Quaeeen afterc ani hour or sC, n1od( this, cou - led~ wi th the fact t hmt the heated atmosphuerO (engenderedt. byv crowded roomJs causest' heri nattSue. renuders lher dlisappecaraince noit surprisihng ; niever thieless, to miyke great eforts for weeks to be p)resented to the Q ueen, .to at last attain that object, anld then at the stupremie inomlnent to arrive at the palae and find the Queen gone, its, to say t he least, a rathier disaps~ pointing experiene Befoie enlteriing the ( Queen's pres ence the lady whlo is about to be pre senuted must remove her righit-hiand glove. Whent thme Lord Cnamber-)i'. lain reads aloud her iname from a card whiich has b,.een furnished him, thus introducing her to the Queen, the presented lady nmust make a pro found courtesy and (xtendt her bare vight haindl. with the pahni~ diown ward1. Upon1 it the Q ueen placesI her handi(, and the hltidy kisses it. Let it here be obsuerved t hat sho must kiss it with her lips only. At 'the leaLst intrusion of the nose-tip in the perfor(mn1ice, it is said, tihe Qtueen withdraws her hand hastily. Inuneiidiately afteri the Queeni's handiol is kissed1, thme ladty mtust ris(o andl~ paiss on.. courtesying as gracefully and rapidly us she catn to timo other .members~l of the Royal family. At <the door of thme prsec chiamb er ber trinii, which hats b~een carefully looked af ter by3 (1on1 t oiiih--taken off' her arnm at the enmtran ce, and spreadl out to its full extent when she was atbou t to .appr~oalch the Queenm--is restored to her arm. T1his is a p)olite bit that she may put ini a1 (tpearance ats soon ats 51bo likes. 'ThIe whole ceremony lasts so short ia timno that it is tanitaliz, img. But to English lidies of a certain .rank in life a presentation to the Queen is indispensable. Its absence would be likely to cause the umost unp~leasanit remarks. On accession to a title a lady of rank must 1)0 pro sented to tihe Queen, on comning of ago, on marrying. To omit the ceremony wvould indiento-what ? That thie lady inl question did not ,entertain a suitable esteem for the recognized head of thme British govft ornmnont ? that the Queen had made objections to the lady:? Hefr .mnijos. AVy is said to bo extai'eely strict in tie HUall0.4' &xejt'taundeis ni u--- sf applicants for presontation Oxcopt those whose moral charactto' will bear thiorought ex:tnination. No doubt that hindreds of such appli' eants havo been refused the privilege of kissing the Queen's hand during the thirty live years Victoria has worn the (owIi ; and a worse hu. inliation than this by far is that of ia few persons who have succocdod in el'ecting at presentation only to be afterwards branded with the tor. rible disgrace of having their names piblished5 far and wid1o a8 persons whose presentations are to be con sidered as never having taken place, the 1amo having eot cu'irrel tI ough an error im regard to hi ir private charactor or their social standing. I have known of two casos5 of this sort within my own cirelo of nraquaintance. ono was a young mitan from Now York, who was prescntmld as an American. It was afterwairds known that he was horn an Englishman of low degree, and had been naturalized ; so ho was obliged to bear the mortification of being repiudiated as not worthy of pre;entatiun to the Queen. An other was the ease of a lady whose history was sad(, but, in no degree a eriminal one. The obloquy of the disavowal of her presentation to tho Queen literally broke her heart. The victory achieved by George Washington gives to every Ameri enna the right of asking a presenta tion to the Queen. But British sul. jects enjoy no such privilege. Such of them whoso birth and social standing entitle them to presenta tion are but as the merest fraction against the enormous number who may never hope to enjoy this (to themi) unlohtainable honor. And iw't. only have hundreds and hun dr 'ds of thousands of 'nglish ladies and gentlenen never been present ed to tle Queen, but thousands and thiousands never saw\ her or any of her children. If they are so loyal Sto her her merely becauso she is their sovereign lady, I lie representa tive of all that is great and powerful in England's wealth and strength, when they have n1o Personal knmo wl edge of her whatever, not even by sight, what wouild be the miteasure of popularity the great Queen of Great Drt ain ald Empress of India would enjoy if someS practicalscheme conld be devis.ed by which on eertain days tnid during certain hours the great public, irrespective of birth or rieh es, were allowed to present them. selves before her Majesty, and ono by one bow in token of respect anud esteem SOUTII CAROLINA NEWS.. Ninety-.six has beoe risiteda by hiilst:iies as large as a hon's egg.. Thie "no fence" systei based ufponi naitu:dI agreemn(:t is Working A oioeld wonmin has been ar rest ed in Lancsaster, chiargedl w~ith st;ang fireV to a house and burnina two colored children to deoath. Mo grmain mald les cotton then u: al lias beeni plan ted inl Kiershawv this year, 2iail the f~~arers are hard i t work. The outlook is oncour'ag A new p)aper1 will shortly be0 pub lishied at Ninety-Six. It will be under thme control of' Mr. McSwcony of Columbia, at (one timil% a1 ~omp~osi... toir in the office of the 1Tuion-JLe. aitd. J. J. Daerlington, Esq.,, of WYash, ington1, D. (C., will deliver the ora tion befoloC tihe Alunni Association of Erskinie College at the coinug comnhnccement in June. Wi. Christie Btet, Esq.,and Miss. Susan11 McGowan, dauighiter of Gon. Mc tGow-mia, wereC miariried inlAibovillo on1 thme :rd inst., and left for a visit to Scothmnd, the bridegroom's place of nativity,. The amatecur tr'oupe of Camden nndeir the dlirectioni of Mr's. Dr' Barnehi of (Camden, hlave ronlderedl "Pmdi i Pry" with great succ0, The reempts, amaounting tot200 wl he used to purcl'hase uniformns the lire comlpany.fo .rThe Young Meni's Chriulian Asso, ciation of South Carolina met at Gr'eenavillo last woock, and hiad an interesting session. The following ofhecers were elected for theoensuing year : T1. S. Moorman, President;. W. H. Cuittino, 1st Vioo President; J. A. Elkins, 2nd Vice President L. B. Austin, 3rd Viee President L. N. ,Zealy, Secretary ; J. N. Rob~ son, 'i'.l aurer. Georgo Gr'ioe, colored, wvas killed on the 6th inst., on the Old Doby p)lantaitionl upon the western side (If WaT~torce river in Kor'shawv, by (Goorge PhillIips, also coloredl. The night Mead boonu playing cards at aghtiand Gnally quarreled about the game, whereupon Phillips stab, bod Gr'ico in the region of the beart, inflictmng a wvoundl from wich the latter died in three minutes. Phillips abscondod. Jonnio Juno Croly and Mmne. Demnoresut are goitig to Europe for t~wo or' throo~ mon~iths, andl will bring hiome thQ fuhionis s hanrs,