The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-10-01
SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER CARPET BAG

SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER CARPET. BAG
RULE. E.-Ool. Nj. r. Deiany, O member of
| the South Carolina State Executive Com
mittee, has come to this city, for the
purpose Of raising $15. 900 to aid in the
election of Grant and Wilson, but more
especially of the State ticket, headed by
Gen. F. j. Moses. late Speaker of the
South Carolina House of Representa-
tives. Col. Delany is very intelligent
colorod man, formerly on the staff of
Gov. Scott, and claims that part of his
mission North is to assure the communi.
ty that the nomination Of Moses for Go
vernon is calculated to rlise the credit Of
the State, which has been so long the
prey Of carpet-baggers. Col Delany was
called upon, Wednesday, ut the Freed.
mau's Savings Bank in BECKER street, by
number Of the unfortunate holders of
South Carolina bonds, who wished to
learn from him what would be done by
Gen. Moses and the other nominees for
State Offices on his ticket, to improve
the credit of the State. Among others
who called was reporter of the Tribune,
although be dill not make his vocation
known. The picture given of the cor
ruption III the Legislature and the thefts
by the State officers, led by Gov. Scott,
fully corroborates all that has been hero
tofore asserted by the Tribune.
Col. Delany said that the State was
able to pay its liabilities, including the
interest on the various classes of bonds,
II the receipts from taxes and other
sources were not stolen outright. The
fortunes of Gov. Scott he estimated mt
81, 900. 900, that of State Treasurer Niles
Ct. Parker at 81. 900, 600, and others who
we're operating with them, including
Land Commissioner Leslie aud others of
the State ring, at from 500 900 to $780,
600; and these sums, he claimed, had
been absolutely stolen frona the State by
these men. The school fund had been
stolen, and the schools were closed in
consequence. The prieons and the peni-
tentiary were leased, because there was
40 money Forthcoming for their support,
and all of the Cou 1ty and town officers,
aud those of the State oficials not iu the
ring, had received no pay for q year or
eighteen months past Secretary of
State Cardozo told Col. Deany that he
had received no pay for year past, and
that he WAS compelled to borrow money
wherewith to pay his board Nearly
ST, ,OO0,0 900 has been collected for taxes
for the present fiscal yssr, and nearly the
entire amount has been stolen. Had
this been properly applied, the interest
on the bonds could have been paid.
Two years ago Colonel Delany iened
from the staff of Governor Scott, be.
cause he did not wish to seem to be IN
collusion with plunderers. There we're
many In the Legislature whose votes
could at any time be purchased thei.
price ranging from 500 to $1,000, al.
though as much as S25. 900 had been
paid to secure the vote and influence of
leader in either the House of Repre-.
sentatives or the Senate. Ono of the
most prominent in this selling of votes
was Maj. Gen. Whipper, colored mem
Der of tue House of Representatives and
Chairman of the Committee on Ways and
Means. For his influence in securing
the passage of bill in the interest OF
the Greenville Railroad Company, he re-
ceived S12, 900; for similar transaction,
$40. 600; and it was generally understood
that during the last session of the Le-
eislature he cleared from $4,000 to
$4,000. When Whipper went to
Charleston, at the end of the session, he
deposited in bank at one time S4O, 900,
and he had previously deposited con
siderable SUMS He paid one wine,
liquor and cigar bill alone of S1.2OU
| AO Oulteu IoGhIeb OeudCOr EreQerlCk A.
Sawyer was due much of the corruption
that has prevailed among the colored
members of the Legislature. Most Of
these were ignorant; many of them were
field hands; the great majority wero un-
nble to read or write, and totally unac-
qua,nted with the modes of legislation.
Nothing was easier than to procure their
votes for an act which would put hun
dreds Of thousands of dollars in the
pockets OF those for whose benefit it was
passed. This was OF comparatively
triiing outlay, the larger amounts being
paid to white men who had control Of
the bill and to Governor Scott, who
signed it. Generally. however, the Go
vernon was more or less interested in any
bill the object of which was State plum
der. The colored men were apt sch GLARS
however, and it was not long before IL
number of them began to demand and
obtain good price for their votes on all
bills where plnnder was intended or
suspected. Things have now come to
such pass that something must be done
or all semblance of government will dis
appear. The colored voters, comprising
majority of those in the State, were
now fully alive to the necessity for a