The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-08


The public will remember the highly
dramatic scene in the State Republican
Convention :ast September. Mr. Cham
berlain, then Governor, was a candidate
for the Republican nomination. Elliott,
Dunn and Patterson opposed him. The
grievance of Elliott was that Chamber.
lain had publicly denounced him, and had
solemnly declared that salvation for the
Republican party lay in unloading such as
be, aud in :hat only. I. gas announced
that Elliott would make disclosures dam
aging to Chamberlain, and when he arose
to make his set speech the excitement was
intense. He said "he had been approached
by the friends Of Governor Cham: arlain
and advised not To make known what he
had intended TO-" He said that he had
been warned that whatever he might say
would do no good. Gas Governor Cham
berlain has seventy.six votes that would
stand by him, if he was proved guilty of
larceny" With n flourish, however,
Elliott then presented letter, written in
1870 by Mr.. Chamberlain to State Treas,-
rer Parker. explaining that, at the time the
letter was written. Cardozo and Delany
were candidates for the United States
Senate, and that Cardozo "had just been
ruined.by n conspiracy in which he was
induced to take the Seal Of the State to
New York to seal" fresh bntch of tie
fraudulent Conversion bonds. He then
read the letter, AZ follows:
LAURENs G. H., -, 1870.
Dear Parker: Yours Of the 2lst received
this evening. was very glad To hear from
you. There ia nothing Of special interes.
now. For few days we have had suIne
fears of an outbreak in I.aurens aud
Newberry, but the danger is over
About the United States Senatorship
don't know what 10 say. am we'll satis.
fled with my present office. but my posi-
tion is just this: If my friends m isli me
to be II candidate for the sake of keeping
the party from going over to negroism, !
shall, il it is to defeat such n calamity,
consent to run.
d. Ii. CHAMBERLAIN.
There was nothing specially offensive in
this letter; it did not come up to the cx-
pectations of the Convention, and was
IL lame and imp0tent conclusion To Ell.
liotts speech. The hypothesis was that
Elliott, in some way, had been bought
of, and that the letter he read was not
the letter that was promised, or was only
n part of that letter. Mr.. Chamberlain,
who followed Elliott, said that Il Ind
been forewarned for weeks that "his pri-
vate and personal character" would be
attacked in the Convention. and that he
was told that he could purchase the sup.
preston of the threatened disclosures,
either with money or with promise TO
give his influence in favor of the Blue
Ridge scrip and Conversion bonds, if
elected. Those propositions he had re.
jected with scorn. The end Of it nll was.
Ihnt Chamberlain was nominated tor
Governor, and Elliott for Attorney Gen
eral. They worked harmoniously to.
gether during the canvass, and had been
fast friends ever since. '
1t will be noticed that in his speech in
the Convention, Elliott mentioned that
Cardozo, at the time the letter was writ.
ten, was II candidate for the Senate, and
had just been ruined by conspiracy in
which he was induced to take the Seal of
the State to New York to seal bonds. Ell
liott did not mention that Mr. Chamber
lain, then Attorney General, gave his
sanction to this proceeding, authorized
the Seal of the State to be taken to New
York, and instructed Cardoz0 that his
business was to zeal as many bunds rs
were presented to him, and that the pur-
pose for which the bunds werc to be issued
was no concern Of his. Nor did Elliott
review .ile history ofthc Conversion bond
frauds, and show that Mr.. Chamberlain
WAS one of three persons constituting the
Financial Board, who, with Financial
Agent kimpton, had entire control over
the emission aud sale or hypo,hecation
Of those fraudulent bonds. The allusion
to Cardozo was bare hint of what might
be said; and, flour information is correct,
what Elliott read in the Convention, as
the letter of Mr.. Chamberlain to Treasu-
rer Parker, was only q part of that letter.
What purports to be an exact copy of the
letter has been sent to Es. We give it in
full, and print in italics the words and
sentences omitted by Elliot. :n -ead!::,.
tho letter in the Convention:
SEpTEaiBER %, 1870.
Dear r.: Yours, Of the 2lst, came to
me this evening, was glad, indeed, to
hear from you; and especially that The f.
ndnces no,O promise to ,Ueather the storn,.
Ihaue no doubt it pa- aceH to defer the
''stdtemenP unfI October.
There is no special news here. For
few days we have had fears of an out.
break in Laurens and Newberry, but we
hear, yesterday, that the danger is ov ,r.
About the United States SenatorshiL,
don't know what 10 say. I 6no,o uery
'rcH tits, IN EVERY WAY BETTER FOR NE,
to re,irin 10here I an, for the rest of mi
term. STU, I am called candidate al.
ready, and my position is just this: If
my friends wish me to be n candidate.
for the sake Of keeping the party from
going over to Negroism, l will sta d !;
but, If no such need exists, IohouId prefer
to remain achere am. What the chances
are I have no means Of guessing now /
toiW serre my friends in any ray IN my
poWer, ana especially YOU.
Do THE COMMISSIONS FOOT UP PRET-
TY WELL? EH!!! REGARDS TO K.
Yours, faithfully, CHAMBERLAIN.
A glance at the italicized passages and
those in capitals will explain why Elliott
! did not read the whole letter, and how
the letter could compel Mr. Chamberlain
to consent TO ElIiotts nomination. There
was no manner of doubt that Mr.. Cham
berlain's position rs Attorney General
! and member of the Financial Board
was such that he had either been strange.
ly blind, or was fully cngnizant Of ihe
ways in which the State was defrauded.
II needed only the evidence of his inti-
macy with Treasurer Parker and Finan-
cial Agent Kimpton to complete the
chain of evidence. What does the letter
show? 1t shows that Mr. Chamberlain
was in the confidence of Parker and
Kimpton that he knew of their troubles
and sympathized in them; that he con.
sented to g postponement of some "s,a.e-
ment (of the debt, probably in order
| that n better shovinor MIGHT ha poJa