University of South Carolina Libraries
'^jticnlturc. gorfinultur^, ^omit?tiit ^ ^ ^ lUfi THIEVES' ^KflfVAL. KEPOHT OF THE COMMITTEE OE FRAUDSIt would bo irksome task to enumerate nil the accounts rendered for repairs on committc j rooms. It is sufficient to say that they amounted to thousands of dollars annually, when it is a well known fact that aftor tho State IIsuso was fitted up not a committco room was repaired. See cvidcnce of Robert Scriven and others, who slate that they wcro in oonslant attendance and that no work was dono, except placing the two wooden partititffes. No transaction Was allowed to pass without paying tribute io tho inordinate greed which eharaoterized tho ity ^th^JMUnber^ up to the time of speoific appropriations, pav certificates for 'stationery,' whioh inaMded almost everything, and for other asMunts, Were issued to such an extent thatpKy sold on tho streets for from ten to tmjRly cents on the dolla??" Tho ovidenc^shows that tho average member never^jcoived over ton dollars' worth of ftat^taery; but tho bills rcndcrod and paid bythc State in ono session amouutcd to $08,000 for this commodity alono. ? tL ^ Clerk Jones, inttis ewfence, pays : "Stationery includodf rcfr^kmcnts, dry goods, groceries, carjgpi, fur^ure, horses aud carriages, nnd miscellaneous articles of merchandise, apd tho names used in tho accouuts vrcro '* ? GENERALLY MYTII8. To furthor illustrate the frauds committed under, this, head, wo rofor to vouchers iu evidence of A. O. Jones, designated as Nos.' 6}, 5J and 51 amounting in tho aggregato to $3,GGG. Mr. Jones says : "It is asserted that theso accounts wcro for books aud fiue stationery furnished the memhers "? Attention is called to accounts numbered from 10J to 14, inolusivo, where it will be socn that in January alone ono firm furjiishcd $6,683 29 worth of "stationery," or more than fifty dollars worth p<flr month to ?ach member, in additiou to the above, <tho accounts of Messrs. Bryan & McCarter and Mr. Stokes, well known dealers, who reside in Columbia, aud who furnished stationery to the llouso and Scnato, are . . itemized, and, from appearances, include ** most of the stationery actually used. Clerk Woodruff" says (and the vouchuar SBBfr prove it) sb*. during one scesTohWdnelPl ator received * copy of | Webster's unabridged ; Dictionary, and a calendar inkstand which cost $25. The accounts of the Western Union Telegraph Couipauy, together with Mr. Woodruff's evidence, will show that even the privato telegrams of the senators were paid for by the State. According to cvidenco 0fa accounts, the Senate ofteu used $10'wbrth of postage stamps per day. Qold pens at $10; inkstands at $25 ; Webster's Dictionary and fino stationery certainly afforded our ''Statesmen" every facility for an eztensivo correspondence. JEwKI.KY. Wc cannot refrain from commenting Upon the large accounts of Mr. Isaac Sulzbachcr, a well known jeweller of Columbia; and oall especial atteution to tho accounts designated as "No. 27" and "B 5," incn* tioncd in Woodruff's evidence, whore jew/llrv urns AipniaKntl a QAnntAM . V..J n?o lUiulDiauU iU Utuau/io f f 11 ibtUIll UI*C, Maxwell, Hayno, llev. Win. Johuston and Representative Tiin Hurley. He also furnished fine gold poos costing as high as 810 u pieco, and, judging from Lho bills rendered, from five to ten pocket knivos to each member during the session. The ncceunts of Mr. Hayden, (a jeweller of Charleston,) designated A 1, by Woodruff, olearly demonstrate tho manner in which bills wore raised, tho amount being for five call-bells 812, and raised to $112, by inserting tho figure one (1.) ' We quote p- from Mr. Woodruff's diary in reference to an account of Mr. Hayden for a watch for Senator Whittomoro : "Wednesday, Jan uary 10,1873, oollcctod oertificate for 9940, ana paid Ilayden for Wliittemore's watoh. GRACIOUS GOODNESS ! Whittcmoro must have somewhore about ten thousand dollars this session. That ought to be satisfactoriy. He is always, though, after one more." It has long been a mystery to the uninitiated where the matchless diamonds which flashed their rays of light in tho halls of the Capitol, tho showy watch ohaius and nvnAnalvA wn Molina nomn frnm V*|/VUHI|V TTUWUVO VUUIV IIVUI y UU1 Ull I U * spcction of Mr. Sulzbachcr's accounts, nnd those of a similar nature, will revoal the startling fact that they were furnished by an impoverished State. We submit a portion of Mr. Sulzbachcr's account for RKPAIRINa CLOCKS, t Nos. 251 nnd 26}, and r'ofercd to in A. 0. P Jones's eyidenco, which will show the N^ar- "* ntnwpMo bs several hundred dollars. Mr. Glaze, another jowcllcr of Columbia, has soveral accounts, somo of which nro designated as Nos. 61, 62 and 63, by A. 0. Jones. Instead of jewelry wo now have . gorgeous military trappings for our lcgislativo heroes, who belonged to a well equip ped bttt badly organized militia. These v amounted to something over twenty-one hundred dollars. In connection with these accounts seo evidence of P. Simkins, (under tho head of "pay certificates,") who states that ho purchased some articles from Mr. Glaze, and that his account as well as that of S. J. Leo was settled with a legislative pay cortificato. Afterwards ho and Lee wero both sued, aud ho paid Mr. Glaze two hundred -.dollars, aud Mr. Glaze still holds the ccrli|^to as a claim against tho State! In thoHtcouut of W. J. Whippor, attorney at'l<K designated as C 13, lie charges tho StatJUhc modest sum of flp pK DAY FOR FORTY, THREE DAYS professiJol services reuden^tf^ttttmUee five C. CT Phffer7" receiver*, wnereby the Stato lost a largo amount of moucy, by commissions and other mcaRS. For vcars largo accounts amounting to several hundred dollars, annually, have been paid for CLEANING TIIE HALLS of tho Senate and House of Representatives, wliilo hundreds of convicts were iu tho city entirely idle. To illustrato the economy practiced now, wo will stato, that not ono dollar is paid out for such work, convict labor being utilized. Wo liavo examined tho accounts for fitting locks, to tho desks of members, aud luid that during one session the State was charged with 307 new locks, whero there arc only 101 desks in tho Senate and House, thus giving more than two locks to each desk. Wo suhuiit a few accounts for wood and coal. Upon a close calculation, we find that during ono session more than ONE THOUSAND CORDS OF WOOD and one thousaud three huudrcd and twenty tons of coal wero charged for, and at the same time there was not a single wood stovo in use at tho State IIouso. Sergeant Williams in his cvidcuce states that not a fourth of the wood and coal purchased was consumed at the State House. Ho also says that Mr. Crews furnished and delivered to any of tho members who asked for it this necessary commodity. From the account of Mr. Mayrant it appears that he furnished Scuators Whittcmoro, Maxwell and others with wood, f The bills jrendered show that of dollars were spent <i,i,nuil/^g^BSSSMI iBi^Atho StaU^IIouso fatftir tcstiUc^na^S^^fflfiWw roomsVore furnished with stoves every year, and that, wheu he called for thorn, the members told hiiu. "it was nono of his business." Mr. Fattier states that tho stovos in the State House arc worth $1,500 at this time, and that ho docs uot find ono-eighth of tho stoves at the Capitol which I10 furnished. We will not attempt to give the amount of soap, IIAirt BRUSHES AND TOWELS furnished, but will simply stato that the accounts amounted to thousands of dollars! Verily, they should have bccu cleansed. We respectfully call your attention to the accounts designated as Nos. 81 J, 82, 82J, 83, 81, 85, 80, 87, 83 and 89, in evidence of A. O. Jones, and C 7 aud A 1 in tho evidence of Mr. Woodruff, iu which it is shown that State officials, members of tho IIouso and Senate, clerks and attaches were furnished with most of the leading daily papers af tho State and a largo number of weekly country papers. In addition to the abovo the accounts, vouchers and evidence show that uovcls, law and other books were furnished to the uiemhors in orrlor tlim tlw w might while away thoir idlo hours iu improving their minds at the State's cxpcuse, though thousands of thoir constituents' children woro unable to uttcnd school for the want of books. In evidence of the nbovo wo refer you to uccouuts designated as A 2, W 5, and others of a similar kiud, and tho evidence of A. O. Joues. The accouuts of W. K. Grocnfiold, Ilardy Solomon, M. J. Calnan, and others, show the amounts paid by the State for the use of so-called committee rooms. These rooms were not only used during the sitting of the General assembly, but were often occupied the entire year at the extravagant prico of ONEDOLDAR I'EIt DAY RENT for each room. Add to this the cost of furnishing, gas bills, refreshments, &o., and this of itself would prove to tho world that South Carolina was cursed with the most oxtravagant and corrupt class of legislators known in ancient or modern times. We refer to accounts designated Nos. 2 to 5 respectively and No. 78, included iu A. O. Jones's ovidcnco. It has boon clearly demonstrated that a sufficient sum bos bcon paid in fivo years for rent of upper rooms in more than one-building to have purchased the entiro building. Wo call your attention to what seems to us n most palpable fraud, designated as No. G5 in cvidenco of A. O. Jones, whero H. K. Scott certifies that an account for room rent, amounting to $3,249 60, "is justly duo." Mr. Jonos, in his ovidcnco, says that this is an account of 11. K. Scott for the rent of a cottage for one year. It could not be sold for that amount today. Mr. Greenfield says, in reference to this mattor, that ho rented the cottago in rear of McKeuzic's building to 11. K. ftcolt, to bo usCd as a resort or * CAU crfsJftOOM M jf daring his candidacy Tor thtfTTa^Wd . Rtatcfcj Senate, that ho wa>?paid bjwotMlAhScottyY and that he has no kuowle?o ofpM^eertigJj ficntcs boing issued in payaeat tMnftAlpF j The voucher dosignatcd'Dj IVooHpPiia j No. 26, is for rent of the Hssidonoo JTJohtf 1 J. Patterson, for tho use of SohataBWhit- j tcniorc, OwenS, and others who reviled iu stately mansions, enjoying their gaugj stolen from an impoverished pcoplo *whS their poor dupes iu their lowly cabins won suffering for the necessaries of life. j A TUE ROLL OK RASCALS. J T The private bills of State officci sJroouators and mombors of tho House, referred to ' a"d Lieutenant Govgruor Ilansier, Licutonart Governor Cleaves ; senators C. P. Lcslio, L. Wimbush, Frank Arniui, II. E.,IIaync, B. F. Whiltcuiorc, II. J. Maxwefl, C. P. Ilayno, Y. J. P. Owens, W. E. Jlhnston, J. M. Allen, J. Ilollingshead, Robert Smalls, W. B* Nash, S. A. Swails, Geo. F, Mclntyrc, E. S. J. IlAycs, Jas. A. Grcew, John IjCO, J. E. Greeu ; represen tat i vest Jas. A. liowlcy, Tim Hurley, Joseph D. Piston, J. B. Denuis, C. II. Sperry, S. J. Lee, P. Simkins, 1*. It. llivers, W. M. Thovia^W. II. Jones, F. J. Moses, Benj. llyas, NJiou Davics I For further information wo refer*' to various bills of this class, dctignaAd by , Woodruff as Nos. lj 2, 3, 4, B, G, tw, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 28. %, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 3G, 37, 38, 39, 40, A, 42, 43, 45. 4G, 47. 4S, 53, 78, 110, Ud|llG and 118, C 12, A 2, A 14, W 4, W ^ II 2, 115, D 9, 1110, II 15; also to Nos. 21 j rnd 54 in evidence of A. 0. Jones. To enumerate the bills designated by Mr. " Jones in his evidence as "myth?" aud "queer accounts" would fill hundreds j?f pages. A j few aro inserted to illustrato nfcs manner of robbing tho treasury. The *<friginals aro submitted in his cvidenco, uumberod as follows: , No. 9. A. Washburno $ 700 00 No. 48. James Stebbins 895 lb No. 58. A. L. Stingum 3,554 19 ? Making an aggregate of..;.-' ..'..$20,368 80 ' MYTHS "AND OTUKKS." Mr. Jones says tlicso "myths'' wero i pushed through under cover of "and others," , and that "the number was so great it would have been foolishucss in hiui to havo made inquiries concerning them." llo also says i if ho had placed any impediment in the way , of certificates being issued to pay this class of claims he would h^vo lost his position, , and that in somo iustanccs the only supplies \ furnished was tho paper on which tho account was made out. Scrgt. Williams tcs- , tified that vouchers and accounts were made out in tho names of fictitious persons for , large amounts passed upon by the committco ( on contingent accounts, and pay certificates drawn for them and delivered to dif&reut members. He recognized No. 1 referred to iu evidence of A. O. Jones as one of that class. It calls for $1,125, and ho thinks it was given to W. II. Jones, a member from Georgetown. A largo numbor of accounts were made out in the namo of John Wil liauis, scrgoaut-at-urms, among them Nos. 53 and 01, amounting to 85,432 02, also Nos. 02 to 111, inclusive, amounting to 815,C30 08. While Mr. Williams was boing examined ho said : "I know nothing of most of those accounts. 1 allowed my namo to be used to " assist tho members from time to time.? Ho.vley, Dennis, Thomas and others wore frequently boneGtcd by tho use of my naine. The State received no consideration whatever for the certificates issued iu the payment of these accouuts. 1 did not know my name wns used so often, nor for such largo amounts, until uow. I am euro it was arranged by introducing a legislative claim j . J if it - vi - * iu mjf uuuiu uuu auuiug mc worus 'ana others' to it, thereby gettiug it passed without creating any suspicion that it was n fraud. I rcuicuiber tho $3,500 account; that was for the coramitteo on contingent accounts. I think they took $500 apicco. They promised mo $500, but never gave it to mc." Your cominittco cannot undertako to enumerate all the accounts submitted with this report, but will refer you to & few rondored by Messrs. Kinard and W. D. Love k Co., dealers in dry goods, and to those of Messrs. Strauss k Bro., D. Kpstin, Wm. Robinson, dealers iu olothing. Clerk Jones iu referring to the accounts rondored against Scrgoanl-at-arms WflliamB, says: "It scorns ho was appealed to by thoso who wero naked and ho olothed them, by thoso who wero hungry and he fed them." ; CONCLUSION. Your committeo feci assured that to languago, by way of comment, would add forco to the simpio statement of facts attending this era of revelry, embracing peculation, embezzlements and robberies of a character hitherto unknown in South Carolina, jTh? perpetrators aro covered with infamy *nd1, disgraco, and should be pursued during their natural lives frith the sword of Justice hanghtebxAAkread ovor their heads. yjaPPfn justice to the houcst taxpayers of roSj|ipf-%b&t can be said to relievo those MH^ntsaud^hldOrs who participated in mJ*fl0^8nsiug from such stupendous testimony submitted shows ,persons oither wcro reckless of flra|titciw of tho people of tho State, or id^Scd at, connived at, or colluded with the rtUttrs to fleece tho people?a collusion as hhfl&liating as the faots are digraoeful and f We regret to place this on record ; but it is true, and the facts as proved justify your committee in joiuing with tho good regie of tli?.gtot?jq dOTOuucing Buo^wnCliairman. * H. A. Meetze. On part of Senate. S. Dibble. g. muller. J. G. Blue. On part of ITnuse. : . the cost of bad boads. The Knormous Taxation Imposed for the Privilege of Riding Over Had Romls? Our People Hear it With perfect Equanimity. Extract Front Profo-or SandfonV* Address Before Georgia Agricultural Society.J Wc complain heavily of lladical taxation for the last twelve years, and wo have abundant and just reason for complaint, but I trr?nfiit*<v Htn necnHiAtt llinf tm now ??"?.? f.x* .w. ?.???>* ???V WOMVtVIVM, H*UV IF V |7(IJ 111U1W AVI the privilogo of riding over bad roads, than for our national, State and couuty taxes combined; and this point, L think, is susceptible of demonstration. Now, let us see where these taxes conic iu. Here is a tanner, who, for the comfort of himself ind family, invest $200 in a buggy. Now, in a system of hard, smooth, wcllgradcd roads, this buggy ought to last, in good running order, for ten years. In this instance, the annual outlay for buggies is $20. But what are the real facts in this case'( Docs the buggy last ten years? On our rough uid uneven roads, with ruts and holes into which the wheels are constantly falling with A^t'SSOnieutnin of sledge-hammers, wo doubt whether the life of the average buggy extends beyond fivo years. If this bo truo, then there is au annual expense of $40 for buggies?$20 more per annum than iu the case of good roads. This extra $20 per ftUtthUMWr ta ah.intents and purpose, a tax fortlio privilcgo of using bad roads. And how multiply this .tax for every man iu the Stato of Georgia, who rides iu a buggy, and what a fearful'array of figures docs it bring fiut; a tax for the privilege of bad roads.? What I have said in regard to tho baggy, holds good with reference to every class of rebicles; from the $900 pleasure carriage, lewn through the list of road wagons, carts ind humbler conveyances. I vchturo to jay, that if we could get at tho extra cost if carriages, buggies, wagons, etc., with the wear and tear of harness, aud the unncccsJary consumption of horses and mules, we jhould be astonished at the liugo amouut in dollars and cents, that this fearful array of items would foot up; to say nothing of per Bonai uiscouuort, aud the wear and tear ol patience, which cannot be reckoned in dollars and diuies, but wliich seriously detract from enjoyment. Aguiu, another heavy tax which wo pay for bad roads is this, that we are compelled to keep a number of horses and pay an amount for their support which would not bo u ccessary under a system of pood roads. It is a fundamental maxim with eminent road makers, such as McAdam, Telford and Stephenson, that a pood road should bo perfectly Iroel, or nearly sons the nature of the country will allow. Trustworthy experiments by theso engineers have shown that when a road rises one foot in height for twenty of its length a horse can draw continuously only one-lmlf tho load that he can on a level; and, thcreforo, on such a road two horses will be needed to do the work of one. Now, take the common county and neighborhood roads in our State. How many of them can you find that have as good a grade as one in twenty ? How very frequently do we find a grade of ono in ten, or even as high as ono in five ? If a horse can pull only half his proper load, when tho grade of tho road rises one in twenty, aP AAll rOA WihAn ' ? vi vvuidv nudu in iuud UUU 1U U3U lit) CIIU draw bat ont-forlh of his propir load.? And it is an undoninblo fact tbat ninny portions of our roads do havo this injurious grade. What is the consequence? If the load of tho horse is adapted to his power of drawing on the levol road it follows that when ho conies to a hill rising one in twenty, or still worse, of one in ten, his strength is over taxed, ho becomes prematurely worn out, and there is a consumption of horso flesh which has to be resupplicd with now horses; and nstir horses, in their last analysis, mean simply monjy. On tho contrary, if the kMtd of the horso is accommodated to what he can easily draw up n slope of one in twenty, or of one in ten, then he is underworked on tho level portions of the road, and an excess of horses must be maintained to llinnlv thin iniwilinlitv nf irnrlr T lliinV it a modcrato estimate to say tbat, taking all the farms in our State, at least one-JiftJi more horses arc fed and maintained to do the hauling oyer bad roads than would bo roquirod on S system of good roads. If this hypothesis be correct, then do wo not pay a tax for the privilege of bad roads, equivalent to the expenso of supporting one-fifth of the horses and mules iu Georgia? Another plaefc-wbcre tho tax for bad ro&d comes in, is the lost of time. Hero is a farmer who lives ten miles from Apicrieus, or some other market town. He h?t a wagon and two goo<fc mules ; ho loads on two bales of cotton and starts for Americus.? With tho rutty and'boggy roads, steep hilla aud deep mud holes, you know it is a good day's work to get those two bales to Americus, and return in the day. We will suppose at a moderate estimate, thit his wagou and team Q^wor th. ^ 50 pQE day_-^ Mow^ ?radffliirtSuo^PiWcntodVivo his wagon, it would bo just as easy for his team to carry four bales, as it Is now to carry only two; in other words, he could then accomplish in one day, the satno amount of hauling that now requires tico days. His team, as L have said, being estimated at 82 50 per dav, and his being compelled to tako two days to accomplish tho work of one, is it not a logical inference, that in this ease, the farmer fiays a tax of $2.50 a day, for tho privilege of using bad r~nln? ftit multiply this item by tho uumber of farmers in theStato of Georgia, who go thrugh this identical process numberless times during the year, aud what a fearful burden of taxation it piles up. If this tax came in a visible, tangible shape, or if it wcro collected hv government officials, backed up by bayonets, what an amount of righteous indiguation it would p^pvoke ! But it comes so noiselessly and quietly that our people bear it with the equanimity of Christian martyrs, and in deed seldom think of it as a tax at all. At a certain town in Georgia, which annually ships from ten to twelve thousand babs of cotton, there was a few years ago a long, narrow causeway leading to a bridge, said bridgo and causeway being wider than necessary for one vchiclo, and yet not wido enough for two. Whenever, thcreforo, a vehicle fairly secured the entrance to the causeway, it was necessary for the other vol. ?i 1._ -i. - uivi? ub buu uuu ui iuu unuge, no mailer liow many they were, to wait until the first vchiclo had entirely passed over. On onoocacsiou, 1 passed this causeway, and at tho end of the bridge I counted eighteen vehicles ?buggies with ladies and gentlemen, wagons loaded with cotton, carts with wood, etc. There they stead, on ? wintry day, reminding one of "patience sitting on a monumont smiling at grief," waiting, with Christian resignation, for a ouo-horse team to drag its slow length along tho causeway and over the bridgo. Tho owners of these vehicles never once dreamed that they were paying tho heaviest sort of a tax for the privilege of riding ovor a causeway too narrow for two vehicles to co abreast; nor did they once imagino that the loss of time in buggies, wagons, carts, etc., with tho vexationincident thereto, would have paid the cost of constructing a wider embankment, twice over, in one season. All this is altered now. To the crodit of that town, be it said, a few enterprising citizons saw the heavy tax that thev were Davint?. and r A ?r "Q? ' solved to pay it no longer; and now they have a broad embankment and a wide bridge, ample enough to cover any amount of travel. # . Are We in Danoer ??Governor Hampton seems to think so. Else; why his warning to his audience on the 22d ultl Why the extreme caution that characterizes bis every word and action ! The elections in Sumter, in Gcorgetownr in Newborry, what do tbcj indicate ? How many negroes do you know who even profess to be Democrats ? Do you suppose that the recently unearthed secret history of Elliott, and Nash, and Wright, and Sam Lee, will have any otlior effect upon tho rising young negroes of the State, than to stir them up to follow these illustrious exemplars ? By what majority was Hampton elected, when there was no decent white man who dared to nav nncrht kim V l??. J 0-w -'3 ?? ??? * OWBIing?ninety thousand ; against stealing? niuety-one thousand. Two years ago, then, ninety thousand citizens of South Carolina came out openly and declared for thievery. With all the decent people uuitcd to a man; with all the enthusiasm developed by a struggle recognized as vital, wo carried the Stato by one thousand majority, in a total vote of moro than one hundred and eighty thousand. If our pooplo believe that they will win without special effort, if they believe that Republicanism has no lifo left in it, they are destined to experience a most grievous disappointment. Then too thero is an undercurrent, tho strength of which wo ennnot yet measure. Rut this we know, men who nspiro to offico will often risk rl>? nnhlin weal, that they may advance themselves.? x. Some plausible argument can always bo fjund by self-seeking demagogues, to justify bolting. Let us recognize the dangers of our position and set ourselves to work with energy and unanimity. Let u^ 'organize our clubs and prepare in timo for an activo campaign. Wo will not win if we underrate tho difficulties which arc before us.? Wc will wiu if wo determine to overcomo them.?F. in Greenville Nrxrt. 3