The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-06-26

ch"iSe", ho"eFcr, DclnB given 10 the
world in the Charleston Ne,cS aud Cou-
rier, from which we opine Mr.. Bowen
will not so readily escape. He has foe
in the paper referred to which will not
cease in its expositions and damning
charges until justice hns been done and
the charge for prisoners diet has been
made by and for other parties.
TO THE EDITOR PHOENIX: Upon my re-
turn to Columbia, after IN absence of
few days, find in the PHOENIX of the
10th inst, letter from W. B. Guick,
Esq, in reply to tho few remarks made
by me at Parker's Hall, in relation to the
administration of city affairs, to which
desire to submit a few words in reply,
inasmuch as Mr.. Gulick seems to be
laboring under the impression that Gen.
Stolbrand's report and my former speech
contained ABOUT oil the points that can
be presented by the Council.
In my remarks at Parker's Hall,
confined myself almost exclusively to
the figures presented by tho report of
the Citizens Committee, and made no
effort whntever to group those figures to-
gether to make them mean anything else
but what they did mean, nor were they
adroltly used to mystify or mislend the
public. I showed conclusiyoly, think,
to any fnir-minded man, that large
portion of the expenditures of the two
Republican Councils were not of their
own creation, but were debts handed
down to them rs O Democratic legacy
from their predecessors. But these
points Mr.. Gulick does not think of suf-
ticient importance to notice in his reply,
but satisfies himself with another display
of figures, arranged to suit his fancy,
and doubtless the fancy of oil those who
build castles of figures, only to have
them knocked down with stubborn facts
There can be no objection to any gentle
mans fixing up the city debt in Just
such figures rs he likes best to see, but
there is objection to his including in
such Indebtedness only such items as he
thinks ought to go there, and leaving out
all those which do not seem to suit his
purpose to include. Let me illustrate:
a person horrows $4,000 upon his note
OF hand, for one year, agreeing to pay
therefor interest mt the rate of seven per
cent. The year passes and the borrower
fails to pay his interest as agreed. Now
J. would like to ask how much that per-
sons indebtedness was mt the end Of the
year: Was it not the $4,000 he bor-
rowcd with the interest included? To
an ordinary mind this would seem to be
the case, but Mr. Gulick thinks not, if
we may draw our deductions from his
last statement. 'Mr. Gulick figures up the
city debt May 81, 1870, as follows:
Five per cent bonds S 15, 500 90
Six per cent. bonds ~ 1877 900 90
Seven per cent. bonds. 161, $50 90
Past due bonds 3O25O 90
Bills paySblc. .. 5000 90
City currency outstanding. :. 1G,2Oi 10
desire TO ask all those persons who
are honestly looking after light in the
matter Of city finances, if they regard
the foregoing rs q fair statement of the
case? Now it seems to me that n faircr
and more just statement is rs follows:
city Debt Nay 81, 1870
Bonds bearing interest at
hve per cent. t.............. Sl5, 500 90
Bonds bearing interest mt
six per cent. nt.......... 10000 90
Bonds bearing interest nt
seven per cent. ....... 1G1,450 90
Fast due bonus. ........... 3O 25O 90
Seven years past due
lhtefSt. Sl5i, ,G12
Amount paid MS per
report. ......... G5,19G
Due. 69,47G 90
CITY currency outstanding. 31,S77 30
Bills payable. ......... 10000 00
Total debt .s5O6, ,453 35
1t will be observed that the foregoing
statement differs slightly" from that of
Mr. Gulick, in that it makes the actual
debt at that time S1O7, 129. 25 more than
his statement, and yet l am confident
that this statement is several thousand
dollars less than the actual debt of the
city was at the time mentioned above.
appeal to the business men of Column