Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-02-12
OUR COLUMBIA LETTER.
COLUMBIA, Feb. 10.

COLUMBIA, Feb. 10.
The last few days have been prolific OF
excitements in state politics. Old Blue
Ridge was once more up for settlement,
and showed the usual amount of vitality
possessed by two millions of dollars.
During the debate Senator Whittemore
gave expression to the opinions really
entertained by the republican managers
in regard to the .a.
FARcIcAL DEBT SETTLEMENT.
He said that the present state of the
public debt was " a delusion," and that
" if the party" tell the people that the
"debt is reduced to $4,000, 600, "they
"will tell them lie." He said further:
"I make, right " here, single predic-
" ton, that the settlement Of your debt
twill not be worth the paper upon
(which it is written. You may repudi-
late, but the real debt will still be the
ISIS, 100000, as reported. You will be
"held to that"
The fact is, the conservatives OF the
legislature have been completely fooled
by the oily Moses They aided in giving
to his excellency the only weapon he will
have in his coming compaign. While
they, in their simplicity, think the con-
version bonds and Blue Ridge Scrip to
be dead, the republicans are saying. to
themselves that this debt settlement Is
60 D ENOUGH MORGAN
until after the election. They know that
resurrection day will surely come.
There has been fight over the salary
grabs of the two houses. The Senate
asks for S65, 900 for salaries of the Sena..
tors, the pay of employees and Incidental
expenses. There are thirty-two senators,
and their pay is 5000 each. which would
amount to about $1,000. The employees
incidental expenses ought not to absorb
more than $4,000 moro. DIR. Mackey
of Charleston, asserts that the arrange
ment was to give each member a pay
fertifcate for $500 and similar certiti-
cate for S4O0, making $1,000 each, in.
stead of the $500, which is the lawful
salary.
The House insists that the Senate
takes more than its share, and has passed
a bill of its own.
$4,000 DISPUTE.
Treasurer Uardozo discovered among
Hardy Solomous' papers presented tor
payment, under the bill passed for his
relief, bill payable for $4,000, which
was not numbered or signed, and for
which no vouchers could be found in the
treasury. He says there was nothing to
show that "the State ever received any
consideration from its issue, either in
" the delivery Of legislative certificates,
cor in the reception of money " Treas:
"ursr Cardozo declined TO pay it, and
reported the facts to the General Assem-
bly,.
These bills payable were ordered to be
regi 1ered before a committee last year.
That committee of the Legislature re-
ported that they had registered $500, SOC
of bill payable, which was S6S, 23l more
than the amount recorded in the treas
ury office. A careful record had been
made of every bill payable that was
is. u.d, and Treasurer Cardozo deter
mined that, when he should he author
ixcd TO pay the bills, he would be gov
erned by tie records Of Ii, Office. Mr..
Solomons, in his reply states that Mr.,
Parker, came forward and, in the
presence Of the State treasurer and
others, stated that Soiomons had deliv-
cred to him vouchers for each of the
claims. and that he had left them in the
State treasury.
In the house, the general appropriation
bill was reported. 1t provides in the
aggregate for 81, ,0l0. 900 in round num-
bcrs. For salaries and contingent funds
S2lS,0 is appropriated; and $j6,-
473.O5 for the Republican Printing
Com pany, which when paid will bring
up the amount received by them this
year to over S326,OO0 for work which
cost them not dollar over 100000.
For the payment Of the interest upon
the public debt the proceeds OF the one
nill tax levied for that purpose is set
aside, with provision that the surplus,
if any, shall be applied to the extinguish-
luent Of the principal OF the debt.
ln the Senate the report of the COM
mittee on rctrenchment relative TO clerks
aud other attaches was, on motion OF
SwailS, indefinitely postponed. Some
csures were INDUCED in as to the
humber reported. Nash said that sever
al of these were unknown entirely and
we're not in the State. 1t is the same
old steal.
THE COMPTROLLER TAKES A HAND.
On Friday last Hardy Solomon's, pres
ident of the South Carolina Bank and
Trust company informed the state treas
urer that he had received Instructions to
open an account with each fund for
which special tax had been levied and
TO pay no check unless drawn upon 4
specific fund for which an appropriation
mad been made. Soiomon's bank is the
only authorized depo itary Of the public
tunds. The law requires the state treas
lrer to deposit the public funds in the
pank appointed within three days after
he receipts OF any moneys, excluding
sundays.
Cyan act approved December %, 1873,
o raise-suppUes for the fiscal year COM
nencing November /, 1873, specific
evy is made for each specific purpose,
ectiou 9 of which runs as tollops:
That the proceeds from the taxes lev