The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-12
Downright Robbery.

| OF tne ScOCC dumlnlSLrallOu CduuOG De luily
known until the government is once more
controlled by conscientious and intelligent
representatives Of the people. Theft after
theft, and fraud after fraud, have been
brought to light, but all these are a flea-bite
to what must remain untold until the Reform
| Legislature can search out the hidden vii
lanies Of the Ring. The burden of blame
rests upon the shoulders of a mere handful
Of men. They who manipulate bank bills
and State bonds control the Land Commits
| sion Fund. The hands which paid out
s4S,OO0 to secure the passage Of the Sinking
Fund bill are stained with the spoils Of the
Railroad Rings; and they who bribed Land
Commissioner Leslie to resign his lucrative
Office, were themselves at the mercy of those
who demanded to be his successors What
the Scott clique are known to have done in
one department of the government, they will
| he found to have exceeded in other transac-
tions which are not yet unveiled; and, it is
for this reason that we attach so much i'm
portance to an exposure of the operations of
the Land Commission. The downright rob-
berry Of the public, under the pretence of
giving land to the iandless and homes to the
homeless, is an unerring guide to the char
acter OF every other financial scheme lin
which the same officers, or the majority Of
them, are engaged.
The Advisory Board Of the Land Commis-
sion consists Of Governor Scott, Comptroller
General Neagle, State Treasurer Parker,
Secretary Of State Cardozo, and Attorney
General Chamberlain. They appoint the
Land Commissioner, who shall ''hold his Of
''ice at the pleasure of the Advisory Board" :"
and the commissioner must, ''in all the du-
''ties imposed upon him. be governed by
''their instructions and advice" 1t will not
be denied, then, that the Advisory Board
are directly and entirely responsible for the
proper conduct of the Land Commission and
for the proper disbursement ofits funds. What
are the facts which have been unearthed
and are not gainsaid? Land is bought
to the amount Of $500, 900, while the law is,
that the purchase shall not exceed the
amount of money appropriated for the pur-
pose, which was 100000 in bonds, In
Oconee the Land Commission buy two thou
sand acres OF land atthe exLravagant price,
for that land, of Sc an acre. In Lancaster
County the Land Commission pay SS032 for
a tract of land declared to be utterly worth
less In Charleston County the State is
charged Sl20, 900 for tract Of land which
cost $50, In Beaufort the Land Com
mission bought nineteen hundred acres of
land at 50 so an acre, and made the seller
sign titles at SIS an acre. In Darlington
County the Land Commission buy o tract of
land for the nominal price OF S59S6, and the
State is made to pay sll,6O3. The detailed
particulars OF these jobs have been printed
in these columns and we now add state
ment of similar transaction in Williams
burg, as furnished US by trustworthy cor
respondent:
''The Land Commission operations In Will
liamsburg County extend to but one case, but
that is a fine specimen, although on compar-
atlvely small scale.
''Some lands of the estate of William Stag
gers were sold at Kingstree some eighteen
months ago, by the executor. One Of the terms
of the sale was that the heirs had right to
buy to the extent of their interests respective
ly, without paying any money. No reference
or other proceeding had been held before the
sale, in order to determine the interests of the
heirs. At the sale, which was public, DR.. John
W. Staggers, one of the heirs, bought one
tract for $500. The fact that he had an inter-
est to this extent not being ascertsined, the
executor did not make him title, and matters
remained in this condition till some ten months
ago, when the local agent Of the commission
there's. A. Swais, State senator and county
auditor-in connection with the clerk of the
court, NJ. J. Hirsch, and by the use of the
name OF the father Of the latter, (an old gen.
tlenan, John N. Hirsch, not worth dollar,)
purchased the land from DR.. Staggers for the
sum OF 1920. The title was taken in the
name OF John n. Hirsch. Then this old gen.
tleman made q title to the State for $4,000, thus
clearing $500. This sum was divided between
the said State senator and the clerk of the
court With their shares each has bought
himself house and lot in the town"
From this statement Of the transactions
of the Land Commission, but one conclusion
can be drawn: That men who will wink at,
or take share in, the speculative operations
OF Land Commissioner whom they control;
who openly defy the law under which they
act; who themselves, or by their agent,
waste, if they do not steal the moneys Of the
State; cannot be trusted to administer the
laws, or to handle finds of the State, or 10
perform any duty which requires for its per-
formance integrity, truthfulness, or common
decency. We do not say tha. all the men,
bers Of the Advisory Board had an equal
share in the profits OF the Land Commission;
but the Board controlled the Land Commits
sioner, AMI any member who, by his negl-