The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-10-30
Republican Opinion About the Conversion
Bonds.

| The idea of recognizing the conversion bonds
and providing in any degree for their payment,
is evidently distasteful to large portion of the
| Republican party of this State. Some of them
have at last begun to think, and many are
! nauseated and tired out with the long saturna-
liza of corruption and fraud. The speech of
Mr. Boston, colored member of Legislature
| from Newberry, delivered in Committee of the
Whole, on Wednesday, is significant of a seri-
Gus change in that class of people. He calls
| for an honorable scaling of the debt, and in
the discussion maintains tone and sentiment
that are rebuke to the managers of the little
scale proposed Of the entire debt, he says:
"Tbe present proposition is not satisfactory,
because it is general some of the State debt
is not legal; the courts and people think and
believe this, and they do not mean to pay one
dollar towards liquidating the S5,000,000 or
S6000,050 conversion bonds no one doubts
that South Carolina has been imposed upon by
certain amount of this debt which is illegal,
and which she ought not to pay; those bonds
are out without being duly changed by law.
All acquiesced in the cry to throw out this
portion of the public debt. He had seen in
q circular recently issued regarding the State
finances, where the former Treasurer had said
the money raised by these bonds was raised for
the benefit of the State; he would like to ask
what year it was 100000 were applied and
spent in the benefit of Ssate affairs it was in
1871; this was the year when schools were
closed and judges threatened to resign because
they could not get their pay, and members OF
the Legislature were compelled to go home
without pay; this was the year when these
gigantic schemes were going on, and dehclen-
cies now exist for that very same year the
II. IL. +ho al Of no
State contracted these debts, the State must
pay them, will not do; the moment that the
Financial Agent went outside the special
Act authorizing these bonds, the whole became
nullity. He would like to know of mem
Der who could conscientiously stand up and
say the State ought to pay S6,OO0,O0O of bonds
not properly issued it would not do to take
bonds up at random and scale them, whether
legal or illegal"
He called upon his own race to consider we'll
movement un3Vee r Rhey have allowed themselves to
be too easily influenced. The project is against
the people and the whole interests of South
Carolina.
Mr.. Green, of Beaufort made short remarks,
which were lisened to with much attention.
It struck his mind that as the lost bill had
been found and signed, which forbade the levy of
the tax, as instructed by the Supreme Court,
there was no further need that the Legislature
remain in session, as to consider that levy was
what they had been called together for, as he
understood the matter. He would like to know
what the Legislature was in session for; for
what purpose does it propose to stay here until
the next regular session. Was it because
these men come and say, "You havn't dol
lar to pay your wash bill or to get home with,
and, therefore, we will make you pass our
bills ?" Lie had come to the conclusion that
the best thing the members can do to save
themselves and prevent increasing the debt
$500, ,000-which meant million-and for
which they would bear the stigma for burden
ing the people, was to now adjourn. One man
says, scale the debt, another says sink 1t, and
so on. He then offered a resolution, to be
considered when the committee rose, that the
House adjourned sine die tomorrow, as sub
stitute for the whole matter under considera-
tion. We can 90 home; we know the road;
VIC can walk it if we have got no money. 1t
will rebound to our own credit to do so, and
to the credit of the State; there are few of us
whose credit is worth more than that of the
State. BY the passage of the resolution we go
home while we have few dollars left, and
come back here again at the proper time, and
when the treasurer has some money to pay our
lust services. What have you got now? 10
talk about 100000 of bills receivable is only
new name for million. The ground for ad-
io1rnment is perfectly clear; the Governor can
not object, as the signing of the bill has secur-
ed the object for which the extra session was
called; the tax has been prohibited.