The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-27

another citizen if Yocum is not guilty.
The trial is still progressing.
THE WAR AMONG THE RADICALS.
Judge Carpenters Reply to the Gov
ernor's Speech.
To the Editor Of the Ne'os and Courier:
You published in your issue of the 14th
inst. my remarks in the Convention, and
the reply of the Governor, characterizing
the former as "bitter" and the latter
"crushing." If you were right, the Bit
terness was simply that Of facts that cam
not be denied, and if, for temporary
purpose, anything was crushed, it was the
truth. As you did not publish my re-
joinder, I must ask as an act of justice to
myself that you publish this letter. My
general charge against the Governor was
that he had not only deserted the friends
who elected him, but had persistently,
with personal taunt and executive lash,
tried to drive and keep them in the
wrong, with a view to their destruction
and his e1altation That charge was
supported by the most ample and con-
elusive proof. How was it answered?
By the statement that he had met me at
Chester, in 1870, as the chosen leader of
the Democracy, and that I had made a
vulgar, vituperative and profane speech.
This, in whole and in part, is simply un-
true. We met there on the occasion re-
ferred to for a joint debate. The late
MI. Jonas Byrd opened the discussion,
and Governor Chamberlain followed in
carefully prepared speech, and when ]
rose to reply, his crowd began to throw
boulders, raised a mob, fred pistols, and
broke up the meeting, and I did not
speak. The speech referred to by the
Governor is purely the product of his
imagination. The truth Of this state
ment will be found in your paper of
August 21st, 1870, and the testimony of
every person then present. But MIR.
Chamberlain did deliver a speech which
was subsequently published, and is before
me. He asserted in that speech that
only 100000 had been added to the
State debt since the Inauguration of Gov
ernor Scott that the funded debt of the
State, when Governor Scott came into
Office, was only S4,934, ,S4s,17; that his
administration was wise, prudent and
honest; that it was endorsed by New
York, the brokers' board and the bankers
desk, as solvent, trustworthy and honest,
and characterized a statement of Mr..
Byrd's, that the bonded debt was then
$l4,5O0,OOO, as absolutely false. He said
he was giving an account of his steward
ship, spoke as state officer holding a
high public trust, and proposed if any
fraudulent act, an instance of misman-
agement, or misappropriation of public
funds could be proved, he would agree to
be driven from office and from the State.
Pages l, 3, and 5. What were the
then existing facts? The State debt had
at that time been increased 81 1854, 900
without any reference to the past preten-
ded indebtedness of the State in any
shape, and every bond making up that
increase had been issued. The items are
as follows: For the relief of the treasu-
ry 1899 900, conversion bonds fraudulent
| " issued S5,965,0OO, land COM
mission 100000. The State paid inter-
est on all these bonds from January 1st,
1869, to 1S71-except $50O,00O which
were issued October lst, 1869, and $780,
900 issued March 1st, 1870, and the cou-
pons since 1871 are held as demand
against the State. The records of the
treasury show that two years interest was
paid upon this enormous issue of conver.
sion bonds, as well as the others. These
facts were for the first time to my kuowl-
edge clearly established by the evidence
in the case of the State against Parker
By law the financial board, of which he
was member, had absolute control over
these bonds, and it was his duty to have
known the facts. Whether he did know,
or neglect plain duty, is for the public
todecide. In that speech he ridiculed and
scoffed at Reform, and his eyes blazed
with as lurid light then as when he was
making his unfounded charges against
me in the convention.
The Governor denied my statement in
regard to the contingent fund. If I
am wrong, I am misled by the laws
as published. The whole amount of
contingent funds the last year of Gov
ernor Moses's administration was SAT 100,
and in that is included $500 not proper
ly charged to it. (See acts and joint res
olutions 1874, page 6O9.) 1 am wholly
unable to find the $4,000 additional in
any appropriation bill. He claims that
by vetoing the tax bill passed by the
| Legislature in the spring of 1875 he
saved the people 1876, 900, that being the
estimated difference between the proceeds
of that bill and the end he approved
Now it is notorious fact that there will
be large DEFICIENCIES under the bill
he approved in every branch of the pub
lie service; that the salaried officers of
the State cannot receive more than one
half of their salaries, and the penal and
charitable institutions cannot receive
much more than half the sum necessary
for their support.
Where is the merit of leaving these Of
ficers and these institutions without funds
in midsummer? And where, is the
saving to the State when these funds
must be supplied by deficiency of tax
next winter? The Governor charges that
1 sowed in the campaign of 1870 "those
dragon teeth that afterwards sprung up
into the masked Ku-Klux at night" and
that subsequently I came here and gave
testimony to shield them from justice.
The first of these charges duplicates all
who were acting with me, including the
Ne,cs and Courier. Is it possible that any
man in South Carolina can believe that
such men as Governor Perry, Gems. Ker-
shaw, Conner, Kennedy, MCGOWAN, But
ler, Col. Rutledge, Judge Aldridge, the
late Chancellor Dunkin, Col. Simpson,
and other distinguished leaders, and the
whole mass of their followers, were in
citing. the people to the commission of
such crimes2 IF true it must not have
been so, for they gave me generous and
continued support to the end of the can.
vass. 1t is true, I obeyed the process of
the Court, and was examined as witness,