Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-09-25

were despatched to Branchville, and assistance
promptly rendered. The bodies of the poor
men who had lost their lives while in the faith
full discharge of their duties could be distinct
ly seen in the water; but so firmly were they
wedged in the debris of the cars and engine,
that it was impossible to get them out until
10 o'clock, yesterday morning. No passen-
gers were hurt. Engineer Brickman leaves
a wife and eight children the others were un-
married men. All were residents Of Charles
ton.
The State Debt.
- The Columbia correspondent of the
Charleston Ne,us and Courier, writing on the
voluminous subject of the State debt says:
The leading topic of conversation among
the politicians connected with the State gov
ernment, or attached to "the party" is the
matter of the State debt and how it is to be
adjusted. From present indications, it seems
that there is likely to be three-cornered
fight upon the question: First, there is the
Bond Ring, doing business at present under
the firm name of Morton, Bliss & Co. Ofthis
ring Cardozo and Hoge are reported to be ac-
tive members.
The purpose of the ring is to bull the par
ticular bonds which they have bought up and
which are the five several classes embraced in
the suit of Morton, Bliss & Co., amounting in
all to something over $3,000,000. The pre-
sumed course of the Ring will be to prevent
any hostile action whatever on the part of the
Legislature, so that they may proceed with
out interference or delay in having tax le.
wed solely to pay the interest upon the bonds
held by them, according to the recent decis.
ion of the Supreme Court. 1t is said that the
Ring is friendly to any effort which looks to
the overthrow Of the conversion bonds upon
the ground that the more the debt is reduced
in other directions the greater will be the en-
hancement of the value of the bonds owned by
them. 1t is believed, too, that, having as it
were, secured the vantage ground for their
bonds. the Ring will stoutly oppose any at
tempt at general scaling of the debt, which
would throw their bonds in hodgepodge with
all the others, and thus cause them to lose
whatever peculiar advantages they now enjoy.
The bond Ring will thus form distinct par.
ty in the struggle which must inevitably be
made over the settlement of the debt.
The second party will be the holders of the
Blue Ridge scrip and of unsettled claims of
doubtful character and of various kinds against
the State, headed by the willy and notorious
DR.. Neagle. This crew of "neer do weels"
are anxious that hodge.podge Of the debt,
with view to general reduction, should be
made provided, however, always that their
now worthless scrip, bogus warrants upon the
treasury, fraudulent certificates, &C., shall be
put in along with the rest and "biled down"
pro rata. It is the only chance left for the
holders of such claims, and they will work
like beavers to insure the success Of their
scheme.
Then we have an active party Of which At
torney- General Melton, and, perhaps, Gov.
Moses, may be regarded as the leaders. These
have two-fold object in view to satisfy the
demands of the people, by reducing the debt
in some measurably equitable way, and at the
same time to avoid an investigation into the
conversion and other illegal bonds and pre-
vent their utter reputation. They favor the
scheme of a proportional scaling Of the pres
ent bonded debt, so as to reduce it to about
$8,000,0G0. They are thus Numerically op-
posed, ostensibly at least, to the bond Ring,
nor can they afford openly to favor the plan
of the scrip holders, for they know that even
the acknowledgment Of the conversion bonds,
though in submissive way, cay at twenty
eight cents, would be unpalatable to the peo-
pie, and that the scrip would not 60 down at
all. This is what may be termed the admin
istration party; the objective point Of which
is the next elections. Between these conten-
ding factions it is expected that a most spiri-
ted and interesting warfare will be kept up
from the time the extra session commences,
the 21st October, to November 18th, when
the comptroller must announce the rate of
taxation for the next fiscal year.