The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1876-02-03
VOL. ".
Cavender and His Gees"


of warrants undor tho provisions of
the Little Bonanza. Governor Cham
berlain, as soon as his actions became
known to him, cut off his official head.
The Governor is timing thom out
rapidly, and we commend him for it;
The letter of Governor Chamber
lain to Mr.. Cavender published to day
is clear statement of the charge that
Mr.. Cavender has been guilty of im>
proper conduct, to use q mild phrase,
in the Issue of warrants under what
is commonly called tho Little Bonan.
Ea Act, and it is evident that the facts
admitted by Mr.. Cavondor, in his
letter Of dofonce, justify tho requires
mont that the accused person resign
the places he holds, and are ample
reason for removing him summarly.
The Little Bonanza Act, or tho Act
"to provide for tho payment of COR
tain Indebtedness of tho State" levics,
in three annual instalmcnts, total
tax of three mills to pay claims passed.
at tho previous session Of tho Gonoral
Assembly, the unpaid appropriations
for printing, sundry specified indcbt
edness OF the State, and tho past in
debtcdness and unpaid appropriations
of public institutions. Tho amount
OF the claims and Indebtedness so pro-
vided for is about 100000; and the
Comptroller General is required to
issue warrants to the persons entitled
TO tho proceeds Of the taxes levied by
Act. These warrants are for the full
amount Of the claims, and bear in
tcrest; ono third of tho warrants being
payable respectively out of the pro
goods Of the taxes Of 1875, 1876 and
1877. Governor Chamberlain was
satisfied that much of the indebted
ness provided for in tho Little Boz
uanza Act was wholly or partly frau
dulcnt, and he insisted that q proviso
should bc inserted requiring The Comp.
trollcr General "to audit tho claims"
embraced in the Act, and requiring
BIN to "disallow, in whole, or in part,
anysuch claim which he shall find to
be illegal" This proviso was subsc-
quantity stricken from the bill, and
was only restored upon the Governor
making il known that, without that
protecting provision, the bill could not
receive his approval The Comptroller
General, Mr.. Dunn, was selected as the
Auditor, both because Of his official
position, and because of the high es>
teem in which he was held by both
Republicans and Democrats in tho
General Assembly.
AS soon as the bill had become q
law, Mr. T. S. Cavondcr, tho Auditor
Of Darlington County, and ono of the
three Auditing Commissioners under
another Act TO provide for paying
past Indebtedness of the State, (lnown
as the Big Bonanza) was givon cntirc
charge, by Comptroller Dunn, of the
issuing of warrants under tho Little
Boznana Act. The selection was APP
parently wise ono, as Mr.. Cavendcr
is highly capable accountant and n
close friend of Mr.. Dunn. Warrants
were prepared, and up to Friday
night last had bcen issued to tho
amount of $4,000. Whether any
claims embraced in tho Act have boon
rejected, we do not yet know. SO far
as the public were advised thcro was
no reason TO doubt that the require
ments of the Act had been, and wero
to be, faithfully complied with. This
was the situation when Governor
Chamberlain was informed that Mr..
Cavender was engaged in lovying
black mail on persons holding claims
payable under tho Act. The infor-
maton is mainly contained in an
affidavit of Mr.. Berry and lotter of
Mr.. Symmors These, together with
MIR. Cavonder's defence, will bo pub
lished to morrow For the present
we confne our attention TO the state.
ments, for and against Auditor Cav
ender, contained in Govorner Cham,