The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-08-10
tFrom tho Coldmbis Guardian.1 =.
d. nj. CBAMBERLAIN, ESQ.

The fagraut swipdles psrpetrated by
the Land, Commission ers, BY which the
State has been robbed Of probably three.
fourtlis of the 100000 appropriated to
purchase homes for the poor aud needy
oolored people, and the iniquity Of
charging those helpless aud deluded
persons price four times greater than
the actual paid value of tho lands in
order. to cover up the villainous pluuder
of the money by the Commissioners
have been frequently commented on by
this and other journals for some months
past. - .".+
An anonymous writer, over the sig
nature of "Repuplican," undertook In
ou. columns to answer for two, and t,oo
only, of the six Commission ners, viz,
Gov. Scott and Secretary Cardozo. But
while doing this much, even, this apol.
ogist did not hesitate to fasten the char>
ges Of crime upon the other members of
the Commission, and named as special
and marked culprits Leslie and Par
ker.
r. @. DeLarge, having succeeded Les.
lie as Land Commissioner, felt that he
would be regarded rs implicated in
these swindles unless he plainly showed
his Innocence. To his credit as ma
tive colored man, imbued with that
sense of honor which through life he
had full opportunity of knowing was the
prime and indispensable characteristic
of Southern man, and without which
he is out of the pale Of respcctabillty,
nc replied at once !; he acquitted himself
completely of all participation in the
infamous conduct Of the Commissioners
by showing that he took his seat at the
board after the rpJ5eries had been con-
sun,mated.
We will not pause now to take
exception to the unsatisfactory aud in
sufficient apology which the writer of
the communication signed "Republican"
made for Scott and Cardozo. Even if
they are not guilty of sharing the plum.
der, robbing tho State, and expressing
the poor blacks with fraudulent, quad
ruple exactions, they are responsible for
neglecting the duty which they assumed
and betraying ever since criminal
indifference to the villainy which their
spokesman admits has been perpetrated
by their colleagues: and whic.
has long been patent to thcir observa-
tion.
We pass on then to the remaining
three Commissioners, Chamberlain,
Neagle and Parker. Ofthese, wo have
at present to deal only with MIR. Cham
berlain, by the grace Of credulous and
deluded negroes, Attorney General Of
the State. He has vouchsafed an an =
swer at last, but not so much to the
accusation of official delinquency as to
that plain and truthful representation
of himself and his carpet bag colleagues
as "unkn to our people, penniless,
without credit or even endorsement Of
responsibility"
In the language which wo have used
to expose and denounce the infamous
conduct of this Gland Commission" We
have employed every fitting epithet
within the range of, perhaps, overstrain.
ed propriety, if not just within the
bounds of decency; driven to it, as we
have been, by the tough coated con>
sciences, if not the utter insensibility of
the branded criminals with whom We
were dealing. Yet Mr.. Chamberlain,
in. his reply to us, mildly speaks of our
characterizations as "your various vaguc
charges and tnsinuations"
Our charge was direct and erpzicn
The State has been robbed of ninety
thousand dollars en- one Land Commits
sion JOB, alone and Ae colorcd people
haze been cruelty, picket'Iy and hea,4lcss-
" cheated out of the cheap homes Csc
called) which unprincipled Yankee
intruders, carpet baggers and scalawags
pretended to buy for them, at cos,
of near three quarters of q million dol
lars.
Is that "vague" charge? is that an
",nsinuatione
IF Scott and Cardozo were ignorant
of the transaction, never Gas is alleged)
having been consulted about it; if Leslie
was out Of Office before the money was
paid in, and DeLarge was not inducted
into oaice until both sale and paym emf
were completed, then We were justified
IN saying, and wo repeat it now that
the remaining three Commissioners are
responsible for the robbery and the
cheat. Without the signatures and sane
tion of all three of them, not one dollar
of the money of tho State could have
been appropriated to the fraudulent
purchase.
Mr.. Chamberlain vohemently protests
that, "in oil the purchases by the Land
Commission, he has acted houostly and
conscientiously," and that "not q
farthing has been made by him out OF
any purchase of land or other transac-
ton"
We have said, in our comments upor
his letter, that eve are bound to believe
him."
But is it enough that he did MOI
pocket $50, 900 or more, or "a farthipg e
Of the 100000 swindlc? Who die
poches the money! Is that no busines.
Of his Is he Land Commissio
without duty 7 a custodian ofthe pub
lie money without responsibility? ,
$4,000 salarled officer without heed tt
the embezzlement of+the very funds
which were put to his hands for tht
benefit Of the poor? Is he a "well-breG
gentleman" (God save the markD a