The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-12
2,2s2,000
s7,062,oOO
1Othi. -....
IF this latter Item he remarked.

y
OF $40, 100000 OF bonds .......... 2,2S2, ,OO
Total. ......................... 81, ,o62, ,0OI
Ofthts latter Item he remarked:
Probably one Of the most startling facts Ii
connection with this briet financial statemen
is that our financial board have permitted t
be sold upon the market, (because that mat
: ter was committed to them entirely by law,
ten and halt millions OF dollars (sl0, 500, 900
of bonds for about Two million two hundred
and eighty-t thousand dollars (s2, ,282 600;
thus placing weight Of debt upon the people
of this State that cannot be discharged fol
years to come, and for which they have re
ceived the most Insignificant consideration
No we'll Informed man believes they sold q
this rate, but am taking them at their word
II no more, money than THIS c@oulu @
have been realized by the sale of our bonds
they should not have been sold.
THE LAND COMMISSION swINDLE.
Mr.. Corbin then proceeded 10 acalegorlca
exposure of the various schemes OF nnanciaI
administration, by means OF Whicn tne
State had been robbed and it's revenues melted
away like dew before the morning sum-" He
first spoke of the land commission saying
that In March, 1869 the Legislature passed an
act creating the land commission ostensibly &c
purchase lands as they might be offered for
| sale, and to sell them out in small lots to the
poor people OF the State. and provided for the
consisted Of Governor R. K. Scott, Comp.
troller. General J. L. Neagle, State Treas.
urer Niles G. Parker, Secretary of State
F. L. Cardoze and Attorney-General D.
b. Chamberlain. Without their sanction
no tract Of land could be purchased. and the
land commissioner was simply the servant and
agent OF the advisory board. He continued:
Now what has been done by the land commits
| soner and advisory board By the report OF
Hon. H. E. Hayne, land commissioner, dated
November 10, 1871, we have some information.
Here let me say that this Is the first, last and
only report that has ever been given, although
| the law requires that there should be an an-
nual report made 10 the Legislature. The
| truth Is that the transactions OF the land COM
missioner and the advisory board were so In
| famous that they would not make them pub
lie. although great efforts were made tn botn
Houses OF the General Assembly TO obtain q
report.
From this report 1t appears that about
$500, 900 In cash have been expended in the
purchase of lands, and no more. mean by
this that 1t appears that the whole aggregate
of money paid for the several tracts Of land
purchased, as shown by the deeds OF purchase,
amount to this sum. Now, IL you look into
Treasurer Parkers report OF the moneys paid
out on behalf OF the land commission, you will
find that he charges TO the State about sT5O, 900
In cash. Thus, you perceive, upon their own
showing, admitting all the transactions of The
land commissioner to have been fair and just,
here is quarter OF q million OF dollars unac
counted for. Now, fellow-cilizens. what have
we TO say to such public servants?
THE SINKING FUND DEVICE.
He went GU 10 speak OF the Infamous trans
actions OF the ''Slnking Fund Commission
ers," and said Fellow citizens, you are all
familiar with the history of the Blue Ridge
Railroad. That was an enterprise espoused by
the State aud City of Charleston. The State
aud City of Charleston, up to 1871, owned all
the stock, or nearly so, IN the road. About
three millions OF dollars had been expended
In the construction OF the road. The State
had expended about million and half OF
dollars, and the City OF Charleston had ex-
pended something over q million. The State
had endorsed, In addition to this, and guaran-
teed the bonds OF the road to the amount OF
four millions more. About filty miles OF road
order, and immense labor had been RsfiesRed7
on Important cuts and tuuneIs. White tine
work was In this condition, and the work Of
construction gong on, the sinking fund COM
mission deliberately sold TO private corpora
tion all the stock owned 6y the State In The
road, which was far more thau majority OF
II, and gives complete controlling interest
In it, for one dollar per share, realizing the
petty sum of $l3, 100. Thus they have passed
out OF the hands of the State an enterprise upon
which had been expended million and hall OF
dollars oy the Slate, and the credit Of the State
given for four millions more for mere nomi-
nal sum. In my judgment, the sale was abso-
lutely illegal aud void, as the act organizing
the sinking fund commission did not authorize
them 10 make such sale as this. The. terms
OF the act do not comprehend transaction Of
this character. They were to sell only proper
ty not In ''actual public use." What are we TO
say of public servants who would thus sacri-
fee an important public enterprise OF the
Slate In this manner !? think you would
agree with me that, at least, they ought not to
be candidates for reelection to office. [Crle5
of "Put them out p "Tel 1t !" &c.l The
gentlemen responsible for this transaction, as
I have said to you, are Governor r. K. Scott,
Comptroler-General ]. L. Neagle, Attorney
General D. q. Chamberlain, ". J. Whlpper,
Esq, chairman OF the committee Of ways and
means OF the House oi Representatives, and
Joseph A. Greene, chairman OF the committee
of finance of the Senate.
THE PAY CERTIFICATE ROBBERY.
Mr.. Corbin said he desired next TO pay his
respects to F. J. Moses, Jr., adjutant and In
spector- general of the State and speaker OF the
House Of Representatives. About $4,000
had been expended under bis direction to pay
for the 'senrolment Of the militia" but no &C.
curate enrolment of the militia had been
made, or If 1t had, nobody knew anything OF
speaker of the House of Representatives they
knew more of him; and he continued: AS the
presiding officer Of that body during the past
four years, Ia addition to his duties Of presid-
Ing officer, IL has been his duty TO countersigD
the pay certificates OF the members and officers
OF that body, aud the pay certificates or orders
for all other expenses Of the House. The
House OF Representatives consists OF one
hundred and twenty-f0ur members, and
they have heretofore been entitled to re-
ceive six dollars per day. The sessions
have continued usually abont four months,
and the members, consequently, were en-
titled, for each session, TO between six and
seven hundred dollars each. The last session
of the Legislature lasted one hundred and
seven days, and each member, consequently,
was entitled to $642, making the whole amount
required for the session, for all the members
of the House, s79,6 ,608. Now, there are con-
nected with the House considerable number
of employees, such as clerks, messengers,
doorkeepers, porters, pages &c, numbering
probably fifty or sixty. We Will call them an
hundred, and that their pay was equal 10 the
paw of members. This would give us s64 200.
This added To the pay of members woulo make
the expenses of the House $l43, 1903, for which
Mr.. Moses could countersign pay certificates.
Now, fellow-citlzcns, the number and amount
| of pay certificates signed by Mr. Noses, l am
| credlbly Informed, exceeds the sum OF one
million dollars Can 1t be possible that sncn
man, who has recklessly, lawlesily, and, as
think, criminally certified pay certificates In
this manner, can have the andadty to pre-
sent himself as candidate for your suffrages