The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-02-08
9 o,snosrnins the ,;bills (! IL! psssble,'s, 9,

YOUR HONORABLE bodies authorized my
predecessor, tho Hon. Niles e.. Parker,
ex; State Treasgrer, to borrow money. to
pay the legislative 3oeIsia acstes. and to
give his obli6atiou,t which would be
binding on the State. As no money
was borrowed, SO lar as the records
show, presume he was unable to do 80.
He issued, however, sbills payable" :" in
lien of the "legislative certificates, -
taking from the party WHO made the ex.
change q receipt therefor. Tho transao.
ton Is, therefore, one of official record
The receipts or records OF the issue
OF bills payable state tho number, or
letter and amount of each, and also
what legislative certificates were received
in exchange for it.
The official records show that $780,
87f.07 Of bills payable were issued. mud
that s170. .9s2. 27 were paid up to Octo.
ber 81, 1872. and that $238, ,8s8. 80 were,
therefore, outstanding. (See report OF
State Treasurer for fiscal year ending
January, 1873. $46. 6l3. IS of bills 'paya-
bic. in accordance with joint resolution
of January 20. 1873, leaving a halan &C
outstanding OF 1892, ,274 95. (Seo Trea-
surer's report for fiscal year ending Oo.
tober 81, 1873. page 29.) Tts commit.
tee authorized by your honorable bodies,
by concurrent resolution of January 81,
1873, to register the outstanding legisia.
tive certificates and bills payable, report
that they registered $3.50, SOC. .85 of bills
payable. (See reports aud resolutions
OF General Assembly, 1872 and 1873,
page GAG My attention was called to
the fact, that the committee reported
S68. 231 moro as outstanding than was
recorded in my Office. On noticing this
difference. determined that whenever
1 should be authorized to pay the bills
payable, should be governed by the
records OF my Office in paying such as
were issued in lieu Of legislative certii-
Gates. IhaTo WAS presented to ne on
the 9th instant by tho President of the
South Carolina Bank and Trust Com.
pany one bill payable for S25. 900, which
ls not on record in my Office, being
neither lettered nor numbered, and for
which there is no receipt showing that
legislative certificates wore given in OK.
change for it; nor is there any evidence
whatever On c:y records to show .hat
the Stats ever received any considera-
tion from its issue, either in the delivery
OF legislative certificates or in the re-.
csption Of money.
Your honorable bodies have author
lied the payment of the claims of the
South Carolina Bank and Trust Com.
pany. In the performance Of that duty
l have discovered this anomalous condi-
tion Of the account of bills payable, and
deem it my duty to communicate tho
fact to yonr honorable bodies, that you
may take whit action. If any, that you
may deem proper under the circum.
stances. deem it duty that I owe to
the State. as we'll as to myself, that in
asmuoh as the Treasurer made the
issue OF bills payable in exchange for
legislative certificates matter Of re-
cord, carefully taking q receipt from
each party to whom he issued bill pay.
able. numbering or lettering it, and
stating il the receipt that tho party de.
llvered legislative certificates in ex-
change. that I should call tho attention
OF your honorable bodies 10 the fnct
that d bill payable has been presented
for payment which has not passed
through any ono of these forms.
Il / pay iiiese oiaitiis, entirely tlisro-
gardtng the records of my Office, it
would be establishing precedent of the
most serious and important nature.
There would be no guide to direct me-
in sitting out legal from illegal claims
of this or any other kind, and there
could and would not then be any limit
to these or any other claims Of which I
have records in my Office. My records
state that there are 1922 of this
class of claims outstanding; but if 1 am
not to be governed by these records,
then $l,O00.000 of them may be pre-.
sented for payment, and wonld be paid
If you made an appropriation for them,
and ordered them to DO paid, without
inquiring from the records of tboir
legality.
In connection with this subject, I
deem it my duty, also, to inform your
honorable bodies that tho President of
the South Carolina Bank and Trust
Company has attached the moneys of
the State, deposited in his bank, to the
amount of $6S. 900, without any process
Q! !sw, and has refused to pay ny
official checks. and thus stopped en-
tlrely tho payment Of the creditors of
the State. have the honor to be, very
respectfully. your obedient servant,
F. L. CARDOZO.
Treasurer State OF South Csro,ina.
The communication was referred to a
special committee, and made the special
order for MOndov poxk ~ m ID RJ