The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-01-03
The Land Commission Fraud.

Orc OF the most interesting chapters
Of the Rerort of the Joint Legislative
Committee Of which Mr.. Whittemore is
chairman, is that which exposes the
frauds OF the Land Commission. AL
most every provision Of the Ordinance
creating the Board of Land C0mmis-
sioncrs, and of the Acts regulating It's
operations had been violated, and oil the
safeguards which they were designed to
throw around the management OF its
friends have been disregarded; and as
consequence hundreds of thousands OF
dollars of the public funds have been
wasted with no other result than to en-
rich o number of rapacious plunderers
at the expense of the public Treasury,
AS the Land Commissioner could not
net without the authority ofthc Advisory
Board consisting of the Governor and
Attorney General, both in the purchase
and sale Of property, they are properly
responsible for all his official acts, and
cannot avoid their full share of liability.
One Of the most fragrant violations OF
law as shown in the Report, is in the
ovor-issuc of Estate bonds in behalf OF
the Land Commission. The whole
amountauthorizcd to be issued by thcActs
Of 1869 and 1870 was 100000 in bonds Of
the State, signed by the Governor and
ccuntersigncd by the Comptroller. But
The whole amount expended by the Land
Commission, not in the bonds Of the
state, but in money, has amounted to
:T74G, 7724,O7; and to raise this sum tie
Lends have been sold at less than sixty
cents on the dollar, in violation of the
clearcst provisions of the law, and at an
expense of hundreds CT thousands. Of
dollars to the State.
Another provision of the law Isl, tiias
the rate Of purchase shall not exceed
three-fourths Of the value of the land
purchased, including improvements
thereon, whereas the State has been
charged at the most eSorbitant rates for
the lands purchased, in some cases ten
times it's true value, and this excess has
not been paid to the seller but has gone
to swell the pockets Of the State official.
Cn this point the Committee say they
hsve gathered from the records OF the
Clerks of the Courts and letters OF COR
respondents, little to encourage BELIEF
that the State has valid titles to one half
the land purchased by the Land Com
mission; more than this, large propor-
ton of the lard paid for is either
inaccessible, or SO poor thatthc class
of people, for whom The public
lands were intended, will not be anxious
to settle, Or able, out Of the products Of
such lands, to pay for them even in the
time provided by law, Tho statement
will bear reiterating, that the Land
Commission and its operations have
bce2 cr our.ageous,aad enormous swim
,e, ard the only satisfaction or comfort
sat u paop!e oil the State can take IS,
al aly nE exceeded more than the
g,...,a . arr>-.1t au1hcfi:a3 5y law, the
yy!.ro3e c. ID" GaE,. GoG..nissiod' have
5aou g&.oe| ana 10 .u.taor exrcnd:-
-,r-c can % made. r.
sA&a,n tie Land Commissioners is re-
qujreG by iaw to make annually to the
Legislatures detailed report of the trans
actions of his office. This report he has
nera. aadc. and neither from his books,
nQI,thcsc Of the Treasurer, can the amount
of expenditures by the commission be
ascertained.
The studied concea.mcnt which has
characterized all the operations of the
Land Commission, would indicate in
itself their fraudulent purpose, whilst
the facts already ELECTED, show their
sweeping extent and unblushing charac-
ter,