The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-07

Land Scrip D0nQS. ......'...'...'..'' A'A,o00
Blue Ridge Railroad endorsed holds. $4,000
IL. Total. Sc, ,122, 900
2. The Agricultural Land Scrip account
shows that the sale Of the scrip, at 72a cents,
produced $3.50, 500. Or this amount, $780,
1872 were invested. in Land Commission
bonds, viz: s1OO, 900 at 6s, s6s,0OQj ssl, 900
at 672, SCI, ,S52, and $4,000 at 67i, $500.
The expenses were is25s, and "a balance OF
s54 so is transferred to the credit OF the
State on account No. !.
8. The State Arms account shows that Mr.
Kimpton paid out $751; 1902 6s for State
arms. To this is added s24, ,O25 OF for in-
tersst, making the balance against the State
s206, 627 ;6s. This account clears up some
Of the statements Of the Radical Joint 1n-
vestigating Committee on the same subject.
One thousand Winchester rifles and ammu.
nition cost s3s,275; the remainder OF the
amount paid out for arms (s144, 4,s27) repre-
sents, We presume, the expense OF altering
the 10000 Springfield rifles given to the
State by the General Government These
arms were thoroughly serviceable, but it was
determined to convert them into breech
leaders. Contracts we're made with the
Roberts Arms Company for the conversion
Of 5000 rifles at SO s5; with the Rem.
ingtpn Arms Company for 5000 at
SO; also, with the American Metallic
Ammunition Company for one million
cartridges at $37 thousand. These con-
tracts amount to SIPS, 25O, but We find that
the payments made by Mr.. Kmpton, upon
these contracts, amount tofsIH, S27. What
has become OF the difference Of sls,077 be-
tween the amount OF the contract and the
amount paid? Was 1t Mr.. Pond or Cover
nor Scott who received this commission! :!
But the sum OF $3.50 is only small part
OF the cheat Mr.. Isaiah Woodbury. who
was. at different times, the treasurer OF the
Roberts Arms Company and Of the Ameri-
can Ammunition Company, made affidavit
before the Joint Investigating Committee,
that his company were furnishing cartridges
to other parties at S3l a 2usand at the
time that it was agreed to supply them to
the State at $37 o thousand. The committee
also show that the price actually paid the
Roberts Arms Company was Sc 50 gun,
instead OF So IS; and it is doubtful whether
the Remingtons received more than s6 a
gun. The American Ammunition Company
gave receipts for $37, $50 and only received
s2I,sl7. These different statements enable
us to make an approximate estimate Of the
stealage in the matter Of the State arms:
stealage Of 81 36 upon 5000 guns Of
Roberts Arms Company s1l, $50
stealage of So upon 5000 guns of Rem.
ington Arms Company. $4,000
Commissions on one million cartridges, l3, ,l72
Difference between the nominal amount
of the three contracts, ($126, ,250,) and
the amount (sl44,327) charged the
State for conversion Of arms and for
ammunition -; 18,077
=
We do not pretend to say who are the
thieves. Mr.. Kimpton paid out TIE money
upon the order OF his official superiors The
responsibility rests upon those who signed
the drafts upon Mr.. Kimpton, and upon those
who received the money. 1t is the fashion
in the Legislature to deride the report OF the
Joint Committee, but it is plain that Comp.
troller Neagle sabstantiates their most dam
aging assertions il regard to the South Car.
olina Arms swihdle.
4. The Land Commission account gives 10
detail the sums OF money paid ont by the
Financial Agent. Among them we lind
drafts to the order OF z. B. Oakes amount
ing to sl2O, 752. Ex-Governor Orr received
81, 400 and SIT, ,02O, and Joe Crews received
sA,15O. The total expenditures were s64s,'
s55 50, and the interest at per cent. is
s63, ,223 81, making total OF s7l2,O7s l9.
The whole resources of the Land Commls'
sion were 100000 in State bonds, and i
these bonds were sold at an average of 50,
which We doubt, the Land Commission have
exceeded their means by at least $3.50, OO0
And, unless the Land Commission is terribly
slandered, the property which it has pur
chased at a cost OF s712, O7s would not BEL
to. .day for q hundred thousand dollars