The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-03-22
Stop Thief!
THE GREAT PRINTING FRAUD.

The public treasury of South Carroll
ma, were it allowed, to speak Of all its
wrongs, would ill the ears of the public
with many a sickcning story. There is
nothing we desire more than to see
fair and impartial exhibit of the real
condition Of the public debts of this
State. The public would like to know
which debts are genuine and which are
fraudulent. Men in high places have
been arraycd before the public, by the
cry of Thief, Thief" which cry has
passed on sover the land from month TO
month, from press to press, until the
public have been led to believe that
there was not an honest man in connec-
tion with the government of South
Carolina.
The time has now arrived tor care
full investigation by the public mind
which will be certain to separate the
wheat from the chat. Some men who
have been charged with great wrongs
may yet pass into the garner; while
others who have been loudly crying.
Thief, THE" may pass away with tn
chaff 'lSfe
Those who have wronged the public
and abuse the credit of our poor State
will be classified by an enquiring public
sentiment. 1t will be found that somo
who were in high places accumulated
great deal of wealth but it will not
follow that they actually robbed the
State. Being of keen eyes and skilled
in speculation, their thousands have
been made BY Watching occasions for
sharp trades. /: will now and then be
seen that men anl classes of men have
actually defrauasd The public treasury.
We are going to aid the anxious an |
suffering public all We can in this nves
tigation. We7beginiour work by inves
tigatins what has SO long been termed
| y
In our efforts to throw light on this
subject, we desir" to be delivered FROM :
biased o: payt .zln spirit
The Legislature did authorize Tic
! publication of the laws Of 1S7l-12 in
the newspapers Of the >tne The b si,
! at charg", we arc told. wa, ten ceatS 4
line Whtlc We believe that the Who'll.
n ns VA, caused hy ring" and tha,
the publication OF the laws N he
palcrs was n~rlDss; yet it was an act of
the law making powers, AID should
have been honestly carried out BY all
who undertook the work for the public
From the CuNi"iun Of 18th Fcbru
airy, we obtain the following extract
which will show what u correct bill fer
publishing the laws, at ten cents line,
would amount to:
The acts OF lS7l-72, published, make
29G pages octave There are "A lines
tc each page, which reduced to news
paper column measure (C,"o'imiuI.) in
long priu.cr type, will give Sli lines to
each octave page Thus, 29xoOj=lG,
5S01 lines in newspaper measure, this
at ten cents per lie, is 81 $50 Tor the
publication entire. The measure allows
for the blank spaces between the PIG
laws aud % resolutions in the amphle.
which when reduced to newspaper
measure, would be equivnl. n, to about
900 lines less in favor Of the ncwspnp
or measure. Besides this. the calcula
ton above is for long primer type
whereas, most Of the papers USE small
er type, which woAld go t, such Il re
ductiun OF the number of lines as is the
difference. in measure between long
primer aud the smaller type used. in
no event can the numhcr OF liucs exceed
the estimate above, $50 There is
no paper which has mad the publication
o! the acts OF narrower columns than
the Cnrotinian. There is no type which
has bceu used lager than long primer
We are, therefore, entirely in bounds in
placing the number of lines at 10. $50.
The greatest charge which could pro
pcrIy have been made, could not haze
exceeded $1,000, upon basis of ten
-cuts line.
BY no possible correct calculation,
could any newspaper brought in bill
exceeding $4,000 But to make every
allowance possible in favor of the papers,