The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-08-15
Secretary Cardoxo to Gov. Scutt and
Treasurer Parker.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
OFFICE SECRETARY OF ST.rr

OFFICE SECRETARY OF STATE.
y, COLUMBIA, 8. g.. Aug. IA, 1872.
10 Hls E;ccellsmcy e. X. Scott, Gooernor
So~M Carolina. and Hon. Niles G.
Pdrher, State Treasurer.
SIhs: L have carefully read your replies
to my letter to my attorneys, which np.
peared In the Phoenix. OF Friday, the 9th
lust aud Will now answer them. I will
nrst hotice what you are pleased to term
"the ev,i spirit which prompted The pub
lication' Of my letter. 1 deemed it u
public duty. though exceedingly painful
ana unpleasant. to give my attorneys and
the public ali the Information in NV nos
session, to prevent, if possible, the fur.
ther issne Of bonds, and thereby iucrease
the debt OF the State. My only regret
IL that was not in position to make
these facts public tVo gears earlier. l
nave no doubt. Whatever. that it ia quite
impossible Tor either Of you to understand
now any person Gun be influenced by
sense Of pubic duty That the public
may more clearly understand our re-
speotlve duties In regard to the bonds, I
VIII state that by the laws of this State,
three officers are required to DreDure
oohds. The Governor sigus, the Urea.
surer countersigDs. and the Secretary of
State seals. This d~iy is purely n,iniste-
RAJ. After they are thus prepared the
Financial Board composed of the Go
vernor, the Treasurer aud the Attorney
General take possession of the bonds
and sell or hypothecate them, and order
the disbursement of the moneys arising
from such sales or hypothecations. It
Will he at once observed that my duty, as
Secretary of State, is simply ministerial.
L am concerned III the preparation Of
bonds only, aud have nothing whatever
to do with the sales or moneys resulting
from sales
Ihe Governor and Treasurer have stu
diousIy, meanly aud with a malicious
cowardice, characteristic of them, endea
vored to in1piicate me in the responsibility
winch attaches to Them ss indiuiduals and
members of the Financial Board e.rclu.
Sioety, Tor the issue and sales of bonds.
ihls ID evident from the whole tenor of
both of their letters. A more detailed
account OF the manner and the circum-
stances under which the ''sterling loan
bonds" were sealed, will fully illustrate
und explain this.
The Governor. the Treasurer and nv
self had resolved to prepure the ..sterlinp
loan bonds" The Treasurer informed
me that his Excellency hal authorized
his name to be printed on the bonds in
New York, and that he himself (the
Ireasurer) required to go to New York.
and would be absent ull summer. frhe
reason of his absence can be seen by
reference to pages 514 and SIS of the
'Reports aud Resolutions" lS7I-72.
where 1t will be noticed that S2Ol,Sl6.GI
had been loaned to the Blue Ridge Rail
road, and S203, 900 used to redeem old
bonds, no. only acihoM authority of law,
but III p0SitiOe Ui0l1fion thereof, much
as this money had been appropriated for
the Lunatic Asylum, the Deaf and Dumb
Asylum, the schools, the penitentiarv,
and the salaries Of officers, aud he dared
not remain and withstand the indignant
remonstrances of those men whose right
ful moneys had been thus MuerfedNto
use his Excellency's mild term. No won
der, then, that it became necessary to
levy ftOo tares for one fiscal year-see
Stat, vol. IA, p. 7O6. and Is, p. 293-the
one to meet the regular appropriations,
the other to cover up Mieir irregular and
un"drra,'ted expendituresD But to re-
turn to the subject. myself was absent
from Columbia that summer, having
taken up my residence on Sullivau's
Island. for the benefit of my family. I
told the Treasurer, however, that would
authorize my clerk to seal the bonds be-
fore leave, and that his clerk could de-
liver them to mine when they came.
They were so delivered, generally in the
afternoon, after the arrival of the North.
ern train. They were sealed by nv
clerk ut his house, it being after Office
hours, and because they were required to
be returned Immediately to the Treasu.
rer's clerk. that they might be sent back
to New York by the next mail If there
is anything surreptitiouS in that, it is the
first time that I have heard SO ridiculous
and nonsensical o charge.
What were the reasons that induced
his Excellency to send the Comptroller.
General to New York to obtain posses.
sion OF these bonds. is certainly more
than know. He, doubtless, possessed
some of that peculiar information, re.
ierred to in my last letter, as the abso-
lutte and exclusive prerogative of the
Financial Board. Nor can see what
relevancy that statement has to me and
my action. fear that his Excellency
siyly took advantage of that chance OF
attempting to elevate himself in the eyos
OF the public. by paradipg his usual Pick
WiCki0n rOliCu re 1okto, ,,.;k;z~