The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-29

corruption to Secare snch Legislation aS Ae
jobbers required.
Public money has been squandered for OBJ
iects of no public moment. The expenses Of
some branches OF the government have been
| SO enormously increased as to astonish all
who are not familiar with the character Of
many of those who fill important positions In
the State Government.
'Pay certificates" drawn by the speaker of
the House of Representatives, purporting to
be for expenses of the late session, to the
amount Of over sl,OO0,0 ,0Os, have already ap-
peared at the treasury and been paid or eX-
changed for the notes OF the treasurer, and 1t
! Is estimated by those In a position 10 Judge
| wisely that $3.50, 900 In ."pay certificates" is
still afloat In the community, to be presented
being allowed. This will make the expenses
of q single session of the General Assembly
over 81, ,250,0 900, or more than 1000 per cent. OF
the sum which was formerly considered sufi-
Client TO pay them.
Enormous sums have been lavished In pre-
| tended support of an EARNED force" Wnlcn ls
VIGOROUSLY non-exlstent. .,s
The most corrupt practices have obtained
| in the making of contracts by State omcals.
| The contract with the Roberts ana otner
| arms companies of New YORK, unner WHICH
| there was drawn from the State treasury over
5000, 900. while said arms company received
iess than $50, 900, is type OF the manner 10
which the State treasury has been depleted.
The public are familiar with the enormous ex-
| tent of the bills for State printing. Formerly
| thls item OF expense tor session Of the Legis-
lature was not one-hflieth, certainly not one
forlieth, of what 1t has been during the year
past But to catalogue the abuses existing n
the executive and legislative branches Of the
the State government, wonld not only weary
our paiieuce aud sicken our hearts, but one
who should attempt to characterize them
would peggsr the English language IN looking
for fiji terms. You already know them In
gross. You can hardly appreciate their enor,,
NIFTY in detail Till you examine the facts and
| figures We allude to but few OF them as
specimens of the kind of expenses that
| have brought the credit OF South Caro-
| lima so low that there Is "none so poor to
| do It reverence" and which have made the
government OF the State go odious to the
people of the whole country.
In this condition OF affairs, was It the duty
| of the Republican party? THESE wrongs are
n no way the result OF the action OF It's princi-
Piles. They arise from the greed, and selfish.
ness. and corruption oil those who have stolen
The yarb OF Rspublicanism TO cloak thalr evil
deeds, aud who should be cast out OF the COM
pany of honest Republicans and honest men
as having degraded their high calling. o,u;o,.
Our plain duty points to this; our OBVIOUS
interest, demand this; the interests OF party de-
mand 1t; the interests OF the State demand IL;
| q decent regard for the opinion OF mankind
demand 1t. We must pat forward for Official
position those aud those only who are known
as upright, true and unstained men, Wncse
Repub!icanlsn is as undoubled as their integ-
| rily and their capacity to perform the func-
| lions OF the offices fOr which they are nomlna-
led. Within the liues OF the Republican party
our work lies There are honest hearts and
| wise heads enough in that party to 90 our
work. Every good citizen, whatever hs party
affiliations may have been, owes IL TO himself
ri
Goyernment; but The work especially belongs
TO us. We caunot abandon 1t to our political
adyersares until we have demonstrated our
Inability TO do II ourselves.
With this necessity upon ns; in an emer-
g.ncy more exlsent Than has existed In the
history of our party In South Carolina; with
the eyes of the National Republican party
upon US, and expecting us TO rise TO the de-
mands OF the occasion, like honest men, the
convention now n session IN tnis CITY mas
placed In nomination, as O candidate for GOV
ernor, the one man whose official acts nave
brought upon the State, and the positions he
has held, more disgrace than has attached 70
any ott,er officer Of the State Government.
MFR. F. j. Moses, Jr., was the person VINO, as
adulant and inspector. general, made the con
tract with the Roberts Arms Company. we
do not know that he received any part OF tae
the office of the financial agent ot the state
of South Carolina, in New York, to the office
of the Roberts Arms Company; but we do
know that 1t disappeared. The financial
agents books show that II was paid; the arms
cSmpauy's books show that they did not re-
ceive it.
sneaker of the House OF Representatives, flood
ed the State with a shower Of pay cerlih-
oates and sweled the expenses Of that house,
for single session, from $l45. 600, (the highest
possible figure to which they could amount
i.gitmately, and this is based on most ex-
Lravagant calculatlons,) to quite, or over, .
million dollars. And this palpable violation
OF law, this direct hlching from the treasury,
Is neither denied by him nor his friends, but
Is excused Oh the ground that ne disposed OF
q larrs amount of these certificates In favor OF
the puor people who fed from the persecu-
tions of the ku Klux Klan. Was candidate
ever before driven TO straits Ike this!
false certificate, fraudulent AMI unlawful
draft of public money from the public treas.
ury acknowledged, and tL- act defended
on the ground that the money vas dis.
posed OF IN charity! Yet even this infamous
excuse is wanting, when we know lnat not
one per cent. Of these unlawfully issued Ger
tiflcntes was thus disposed Of and when we
daiIy observe the style of living this candidate
holds-a style betting prohigate million
aire. but impossible TO an honest man, with
the legitimate income of speaker ,of the
House and an adjntant and inspector.general
We do not attempt TO explain the entry OF
slI 900 against the "armed force" appropria-
lion, paid to Mr.. F. ]. Moses, Jr.; bnt the
known character of the speaker of the House,
and his career In that office, awaken suspl-
clon very well defined, which he has not only
failed to clear up, but has allowed the matter
to 20 unexplained, though for many days
il has been commented on by the neWspa-
pers, and though itwould seem to be all-m-
portant that he should explain 1t to those
whose suffrages he was soliciting.
We are straight Republicans; none WILL 90
farther than we in any path OF duty or honor
10 serve the interests of the Republican party.
The cause of the late Republican party Is dear,
unspeakably ldear, to US; lis principle fthe
EQUALITY OF all men before the law ls that par
ticular level which outshines, with liz, every
brilliant In lis casket But honesty In Office,
capacity In administration, fidelity to public
IrIlsts. are principles which cannot be Ignored
by true Republicans; and we cannot endorse
the action of convention which Ignored
them all in its selection OF candidate for the
highest Slate Office, however Irregular" that
convention may be. We have, therefore.
ioined In a movement for the nomination OF an
independent. true Republican ticket; ticket
contaiung The names OF men whose hdelity to
Ibe dictates of honesty and duty Is as we'll
known as their zeal In the cause 0ftrue Re-
publcanism. They are firm supporters OF the
nomination of Grant and Wilson, and ol :he
great measures oil The national Republican
| Sariv which has placed them In nomination,