The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-17
CONSCIENTIOUS CARD0Z0.
HIS LAST DYING SPEECH AND CON
FESSION.
",You Lie, Villain, you Lie IA New
Fraud Unearthed-The Sealing Busi-
ness-Governor Scott's Hearts Blood
Poetical Peroration.

Fraud U UncarCneQ-Inc SealtnS busb-
ness-Governor Scott's Hearts Blood
A Poetical Peroration.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
OFFICE SECRETARY OF STATE,
COLUMBIA, 8. c., Aug. Ia. 1872.
To his Ercellency r. K. Scott, Governor of
South Carolina, and Hon. Miles G.. Par
ker, State Treasurer.
SIRs-I have carefully read your replies to
nv letter to my attorneys, which appeared In
the Phenix of Friday, the 9th inst, and will
now answer them. will first notice what you
prompted the publication OF my letter.
deemed it public duty, though exceedingly
painful and unpleasant, to give my attorneys
and the public all the information 10 my
possession, to prevent, If possible, the 'tur-
ther issue of bonds, and thereby Increase the
debt of the State. My only regret is that l
was not In a position to make these facts pub.
lie TWO years earlier. have no doubt what
ever that 1t Is quite impossible for either CT
you to understand how any person can be
Influenced by sense of public duty. That the
public may more clearly underHtand our re-
spective duties In regard to the bonds, will
state that, by the laws Of this Slate, three
officers are required to prepare bonds. The
Governor sgus, the treasurer countersigns
purely ministerial. After they are thus pre-
pared, the financial board composed of the
Governor, the treasurer and the attorney
peneral) lake possession Of the bonds and sell
or hypolhecate them, and order the dishurse-
ment of the moneys arising fro n such sales or
hypothecalions. It will be at once observed
that my duty, as secretary OF State, Ia simply
ministerial. am concerned 10 the Prepara-
tion OF bonds only, and have nothing whatever
to do with the sales or moneys resulting from
sales.
The Governor and treasurer have sudlously,
meanly and with a malicious cOwardice, char
acteristic of them, endeavored to impilcate
me in the responsibility which attachee to
them as individuals and members OF the imam
clal board exclusively, for the issue and sale
of bonds. This is evident from the whole
account of the manner aud the circumstances
under which the ''sterllng loan bonds" were
sealed will fully illustrate and explain this.
The Governor, the treasurer and myself had
resolved to prepare the t'sterliDg loan bonds"
The treasurer informed me that his Ercellen-
cy had authorized his lame to be printed on
the bonds in New York, and that he himself
(the treasurer) required 10 go to New YORK,
and would be absent all summer. The reason
of his absence can be seen by reference to
pages 5l4 and SIS of the Reports and Resolu-
lions" l87l-72, where 1t will be noticed that
S2Ol, ,sl6 81 had been loaned to the Blue Ridge
Railroad, and SOS, 900 used 10 redeem old bonds
not only without authority Of law, but In POSI-
tive violation thereof, inasmuoh as this money
lum, the Deal and Dumb Asylum, tn schools,
the penitentiary, and the salaries ti officers,
and he dared not remain and with Ind the
indignant remonstrances of those men whose
riphtful moneys had been thus diverted TO
use his Excellepcy's mild term. No wonder,
then, that 1t became necessary to levy two
taxes for one fiscal year-see Stat, vol. Ia, p.
7O6, and Is, p. 293-the one to meet the regu.
lar appropriations, the other 10 cover up their
irregular and unwarralted expenditures }
But to return to the subject. ! myself was
absent from Columbia that summer, having
taken up my residence on Sullivan's Island,
for the benefit of my family. told the treas
urer, however, that I would authorize my
clerk to seal the bonds before left, and
that his clerk could deliver them TO nina.
when they came. They were 30 delivered,
generally In the afternoon, after the arrival OF
the Northern train. They we're sealed by my
clerk at his house, 1t being after Office hours,
and because they were required TO be re-
turned Immediately to the treasnrer's clerk,
that they might be sent back TO New York by
the next mail. II there Is anything surrepti-
tious in that, it is the first time that have
heard so ridiculous and nonsenslcal charge.
WnaC were ll6 CGu6OuS LudL luuuCcu HlS CA-
cellency to send the comptrollrrgenerall 10
New York 10 obtain possession of these bonds,
Ia certainly more Than know. He, doubtless,
possessed some Of that peculiar informaLion
referred 10 In my last letter, as the absolute
and exclusive prerogatiVe OF the Financial
Board. Nor can see what relevancy that
statement has 10 me and my action. i fear
that his Excelleney slyly took advantage of
that chance of attempting to elevate himself
to- tl,y.. nj hn mi narnAln0 nllal
Pickwlckian policy OF letter-writing, ostrich.
like, buryine his head In the sand, unmindtul
of his protruding body-a policy which de.
ceives nobody who knows him, especially the
hunters on his trail
will now notice what you say about my
taking the seal to New York. In May, 1871,
Immediately after the adjournment Of the
Taxpayers' Convention, the financial agent
requested me, In the presence OF the attorney
general and several others. 10 seal the ster-
ing loan bonds 10 New York, as your Excel.
lencv's name was to be printed on them there
by your special order, aud Mr.. Parker, for
the reasons before stated, was 10 sign them
there. The proposition seemed to me exceed
Ing inappropriate, and promptly declined TO
do 90. but not before asking the attorney
general If such q thing were legal, to which
ne replied that there was nothing illegal In It,
and the propriety of it must be judged by The
circumstances. thought and stil think that
his Excellency was present. He says he was
not. We will concede this point to him, es-
pecially as 1t does not make y particle OF dli.
ference, as will be seen hereafter. ! insisted
that the sterling loan bonds should be sent 10
me here. and they were sent and sealed here
In October, five months after, when the
treasurer entreated me TO seal small amount
of bonds, In order to save very large amount
that would otherwise be sacrificed, yielded
conditionally, viz: that would see and Judge
for myself of the emergency. / therefore
took the seal with me 10 New York, having, as
said before, the verbal opinion OF the a!tor-
ney-generai that 1t was not illegal, and whom
did not have time TO obtain written opin:
ion from, aud feeling 1t entirely unnecessary
10 do so, Tor In all my official and personal
communications with the attorney-geperal
have always found him gentleman Of the
strictest Veracity.
When went to New York stopped at the
same hotel with his Exceleucy, in order to
better observe the situation, and govern my
self accordingly. On this occasion I had de-
termined not to seal before his Excellency
had agreed to sign, though neither law nor
custom required me 10 do 30; 1t was simply a
matter Of convenience, notwithstanding his
Excellency's studied attempt to make It ap-
pear otherwise.
I do not desire to enter into O detailed ac-
count of what saw In New York, and hope
it will not be necessary. Suffice 1t to say,
that after refusing for more than week 10
sign the bonds required, and swearing, by all