Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-03-26
A MUDDLE.
From he Union -Herald.l

In the Senate, on Monday, the claim
Of Thomas W. Price, of Philadelphia,
for books and blanks furnished the late
State Auditor, came up second time
for consideration.
Mr.. Nash, the chairman sof the
committee on claims, stated that MIR.
Thompson, of Beaufort, had made the
contract with the late State Auditor for
furnishing these books and blanks; had
gotten Mr.. Price to do the work for
$4,000; had received the Comptroller's
warrants to the amount of $4,000, being
S8, 900 more than the work had really
cost him, and had never paid the $4,000
to Mr.. Price. Nevertheless, Mr.. Nash
thought Mr.. Prices only claim was on
Mr.. Thompson.
Mr.. Dunn said he had been informed,
on good authority, that Mr.. Thompson
had himself done part of the work for
which he had made the contract; had
another part of the work done by Walk
er, Evans & Cogswell of Charleston,
and had the remainder of the work done
By Mr.. Price, but had never received
any warrants in payment. -,
This brought up MIR. Smalls, who said
that Mr.. Ounn's statement was not cor
rect; that the warrants had been issued
to Mr.. Thompson that he himself had
come up to Columbia with Mr.. Thoml =
son to try to get them paid, on Mr..
| Thomson promising to pay him rs per
cent. for hts services that he had gone
with Mr.. Thompson to the Treasurer s
Office to get them paid, and had there
seen and handled them himself.
Mr.. j. NJ. Smith proposed that MIR.
Prices claim should be paid, and the
amount OF it deducted from Mr.. Thomp-
sons warrants.
But Mr.. Dunn insisted that no war
rants had been issued to Mr.. Thompson,
and, on his motion the matter was post
poned until information could be re-
ceived from the Comptroller-General as
to the issuing of any warrants.
In the evening communication from
the Comptroller was read, stating that
no warrants in the matter had been is
sued either by his predecessor or him
self.
Mr.. Sma!ls then proposed that Mr..
Prices claim should be paid, and said
that the warrants to Mr.. Thompson had
been issued by the late State Auditor,
and that he himself had had $4,000 Of
them in his own hands.
In reply, Mr.. Dunn sent up to the
President a communication from Mr..
Gary, late State Auditor, which was
read, stating that he never issued any
warrants to Mr.. Thompson that there
had been no appropriation on which any
warrants could be drawn; that all he
had even given Mr.. Thompson was q
certificate of Mr.. Thompson having done
the work, and of not having been paid
for it ; that the work had been done
partly by Mr.. Price. partly by Evens &
Cogswell, and partly by Mr. Thompson
himself; and that the amount allowed
Mr.. Thompson for the whole work was
about $500.
Mr.. Smalls still insisted that Mr..
Thompson had received warrants to the
amount OF 50. 900, and had pledged them
to the Fredmen's Savings Bank, at
Beaufort, as security for loan. The
late State Auditor had said some things
which were not true. and which he would
not swear to.
Mr.. Dunn ntortcd that Mr.. Small.
had gotten things a little mixed that
the warrants for $1,000 were issued to
Mr.. Thompson for other work previously
done for the Superintendent of Educa-
ton, and had no reference to the work
done for the late State Auditor. He,
himself, had no interest III the matter,
except to protect the reputation of an
honest man against unjust imputations,
and he thought it neither manly nor
honorable for Mr.. Smais to insist upon
repeating statements which the commun-
ications from the Comptroller. General
and the late State Auditor showed to be
false. And then the Senate, believing
the matter had been sufficiently vcnti-
lated for the present session, postponed
| its consideration until the next.