The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-12
The Robbers and the. Robbed.

A Northern man, the other day, said to q
South Carolinian who was bemoaning the
rascality and corruption Of the State admin
istration ssYou deserve to be robbed il you
l..sdo nothing to stop the stealing The
point OF this remark lies in the application
OF it.
Before the present government was fairly
| installed, the schemes for cheating the
people began. Out OF the fluctuations OF
| the bills receivable, out OF the conversion OF
the bills into State bonds, out OF the bill to
pay the interest and principal OF the State
debt In coin, the knowing ones made tens OF
thousands. AS their appetite increased, they
branched out into the Land Commission
| and kindred schemes each one representing
go many diamonds, or fve-tWenties, or city
lots or wine and fast horses for these who
put up the job. A year ago the general
smash came, when the State debt was de.
| clared to he about $40, 600, 900; but even
this was turned to good account by State
officers who were in the secret. During the
session OF the Legislature last winter, other
hideous disclosures were made. The iour
million dollars OF taxes, falling due within
fourteen months, proved to have been wholly
insufficient to meet the rapacious demands
OF the Ring. New taxes were authorized,
which cannot be collected without reducing
host OF good citizens to bankruptcy. The
interest on the public debt remained unpaid;
the creditors OF the State applied in vain for
their money. To cap the climax, bill
was passed to give nearly two million dol
lars to the Blue Ridge Ring, and the at-
tempt was made to make valid, by an act OF
Assembly, the bonds which one wing OF the
Radical party declared to have been issued
in fraud. Since the adjournment OF the Leg
isature the treasury has been empty, the
public schools are closed, the State quaran-
tine is required 10 be supported by the City
OF Charleston, the Penitentiary .and The Lu-
natic and Deaf and Dumb Asylums are in
the last extremity.
Yet the taxpayers make no sign. Radi-
calls like Judge Orr, District Attorney Cor
bin and Representative Bowen, denounce
their old chums, and VOW that the govern
ment shall be purified. But the mass OF the
white people, who have all to lose, who do
not make politics trade, are silent as the
grave. Tue answer to every expostulation
| is that it Is best 10 allow the rogues to foil
out, and that a political movement, led BY
the white taxpayers, would throw back the
better Radicals into the extended arms Of
the Scott -Mackey- Moses crew. But we are
| talking business, not politics. There are
other ways OF furnishing rascality than at
the ballot-box. When the weapon is putin
your hands, Taxpayers OF South Carolina!
Is it not your interest and duty to use 1t?
The Taxpayers Convention, which met in
May, 1871, was grand engine for attack
and defence. That Convention was COM
posed OF the best men in the State. 1t was,
all in all, the strongest representative body
brought together in South Carolina In ten
years. 1t came to nothing, or worse than
nothing; although it could have been per-
manently active organization, holding su
pervisory control over the financial affairs OF
| the State This convention ratified debt OF
ten million dollars and adjourned. There was
the end OF it. No effort was made to stop
the stealing or to punish the thieves.
But it may be said that there was and Is
no evidence upon which to found judicial
proceedings against the suspected officials.
There aoas abundant prima facie evidence;
there is for more. Passing by the scorch.
ing denunciation OF the Whittemore-Bowen
report, and the startling charges which il
contained, we find new array OF grave ac-
cusations in cases now before the courts.
The first case is that OF Mr.. Gary, the
State Auditor, who applies for an injunction
to restrain the State officers from receiving
the Blue Ridge or Revenue Bond Scrip in
payment OF any sums due the State, and to
restrain the County Treasurers from paying
out any money upon the order OF the State
Treasurer. Auditor Gary maintains thai
the Revenue Bond Scrip is invalid, and his
counsel alege that Treasurer Parker has
paid out hundreds OF thousands OF dollars 10
plain violation OF law. And Mr.. Parker, In
his affidavit, admits that he paid out half
million dollars for the legislative expenses OF
last session, and three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars in due-bills on the treasury.
Besides this, there are bushels OF unpaid
pay certificates issued by Lieutenant-Gover-
nor Rensier and Speaker Moses. This last
charge was anticipated by Senator Corbin,
who, in his Fourth OF July speech, declared
that Speaker Moses had issued $4OO, 900 OF
pay bills to people all over the State, as
bribes to support him and enhance his pop.
ularlty. The case OF Auditor Gary is now
before Judge Willard in Columbia
The second case is that of John NJ. Mac
kay, OF New York, against the Blue Ridge
Railroad; an application for an Injunction to
restrain the officers OF the road from dispos-
ing OF any OF the Revenue Bond Scrip, and