The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-30
TIE ALLEGED SCHOOL FRAUDS.
EI-Commissioner Moulton Emery De.
mics the Charges Made Against Him.
CHARLESTON, November %.
m TIE EDTT0R OF TIE NEUs

mics the Charges Made Against Him.
| CHARLESTON, November %.
TO THE EDITOR OF TIE NEWS.
SR-On my arrival from the country, this
morning, see that In your paper Of yesser.
day am made the subject of most wanton
and unjust attack by the school. commissioner
of this county. He has gone out of bis way
to charge me with gross fraud In the previous
administration OF the office.
am at loss to understand the motives for
his gratuitous aspersions, unless 1t be but part
and parcel OF q contemplate system of annoy.
| ance with which, for the past two years, have
been visited, In the shape of insulting anony-
nous communications from the Z. Z. z. and
pushed their inquiries in every direction, but
failed to discover anything. against me-, at
| last, through Mr.. E. Montague Grlmke, their
exertions have eliminated In these charges.
Now to the facts, unperverted and unvar-
| nished. ~ .gs-.s.
To the charge that allowed claim of
$500 for building school-houses, OF which but
one Is In existence, have to cay that the
board Of trustees in that district, in whom the
law had lodged tho power, had exclusive
charge of the erection Of the houses. am as
much surprised as Mr.. E. n. G. that they are
not In existence. The board of trustees drew
the order on the county treasury for the
nav In the name, as supposed, OF the builder,
and on their assurance that the work was
done, I countersigned 1t and received their
voucher for the same. 70 this extent was I
connected with the transaction-no more, no
| less, and there 1t ended. II Mr.. E. N. e.,
or a million such men, mean TO charge or
insinuate that l eonnived at any fraud In IN
the matter, pronounce the assertion wilfully
false. Ifhe has any evidence, let him pro-
! duce it.
Mr.. E. M. G.. further states that I paid q
teacher $37 so for claim, and drew q pay GER
| iiacate for $3.50 for three months services.
This deny. never allowed to any eingle
teacher Except In one instance, to the pr1n-
more than $50 per month. The amounts due
principal and assistants were put collectively
into one pay certificate, drawn to the order Of
the principal.
He may say this is technical error on his
part, and that the certificate was for FIVE
months service; as 1t must have been, II true
at all.
II this Is what he means, answer very like
| ly such was the case. know not to whom
be refers-whether such certificate embraced
one, two or three teachers; but II Irefered to
my books I might instance case or, two
where In teachers settlement with ME the
disproportion between the amount In cash r.
CelVeQ aQQ CRe lace Oh Lnc CeEunCdV6 was
| even greater; and why?
The state supplied the books to the pupils
through the school commissioner, holding me
RESPONSIBLE for their value. Not only these,
but others which the State prescribed but did
not furnish, Issued to the teachers as the
law provided, at but ten per cent. on their
cost, with the special instruction Of my supe-
rior in office that the teacher should sell
them to the pupils at the prescribed rate. and
the money returned every month. found
that 1t was utterly impossible to carry out
these instructions, as the money received by
| the teachers was, in the absence Of pay from
the State, their only reliance for support.
Hence, making q virtue Of necessity, told
them to go on and would deduct what was
due from their wages. Some teachers drew
nearly their whole pay this way $40
Finding my term of office drawing to q
close, and myself responsible for many
hundred dollars, worth OF books and no posi-
| bility oil the teachers getting their pay, was
obliged to take their certificates, and, after
| ded1cting the amounts due for books and the
| ruling rates of discount for all such paper, to
borrow the money and pay them the remain
der in cash. This effected in most cases by
depositing these certificates at their mar
ket rates as security. If the discount was
high, the victims, If such there were, can
| thank those who, by every Misrepresentation
possible, deprecated such paper.
transacted this business not through any
| third party around the corner, but openly and
| above board, unconscious then as now OF Vio-
lating any law or in any way doing anything
| dlshonorable. In no case did I purchase the
certificate of any teacher who was not In my
debt, though UNFORTUNATELY besought 80 to do,
at any price, wishing merely TO protect myself.
Again, when commencing to organize schools
l established grade Of pay Of ten, fHeen
and twenty-five dollars per month, according
a. o,,ko fln In
with the State superintendent, was Inform
ed that the grades OF wages recommended oy
| the State board of education were twenty-five,
thirty-fve and fifty dollars per month. gov
erned myself accordingly, and 30 Informed the
| teachers. Each pay certificate was drawn ac'
cording to this schedule, regardless Of whether
O teacher was Indebted to me or not. For every
months wages drawn on these certihcates
there is monthly report OF services render
ed, and for every pay certificate there Is q
proper voucher on file in the school commits
eioner's Office.
The charge that have defrauded the county
Ia utterly baseless. Possibly may be amena-
BILE to the charge Of having acted the part
OF Shylock. If so, never heard Of 1t from
find purchasers elsewhere, and whose business
1t was, II anybody's, to complain. Mr.. E. M
G. seems to have invented grievances for
them, doubtless wishing to thrust upon me the
discarded mantle of his ancestry.
In conclusion, let me say, fear no investl-
CATION, and that, were placed now as then,
should do exactly the same thing. confess,
however, to feeling of modification at being
subjected to such aspersions, but am confident
that In the opinion Of every unprejudiced man
they are deemed to be-, as they are, false. TO
the verdict of those who are pleased to think
otherwise am wholly Indifferent.
Very respectfully,
MoULToN EMERY.