The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-02-27

1oUJ.
MAKING HAsTETO GROw RICH.
1t is no longer n matter of surprise to
your committee that members who. only
received six dollars per diem could, in q
few weeks after their arrival in Column
bia, obtain elegant furniture for their
rOoms, and Brussels carpets for their
floors, and reclinc N Oriental spring and
sponge mattresses, when their constitu-
cnts were being bounded down by the in
eNorablc tax-gathcrer to pay the price Of
these luXurics.
AS Il further illustration of the inordi-
nate greed of this horde of robbers, we
present the following, for nothing, how
ever small, escaped the Argus-eycd COM
mittcemcn who so dcXtcrously played
the game of addition, division and 81
lcncc:'
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE.
1871, TO james NJ. Allen, DR..
Sept. 81. Bookcase-..."""...........S 2G0
Sept. 81. Fitting closets. $40
Nov. 81. Fitting up door frnmes..... 100
Dec. &. Partitions in cloak ROOM. $50
Dec. S. Partitions in cloak room... $50
$1,000
BY reference to tho evidence of Mr..
Wing, Il master mechanic, it will he seen
that the partitions charged for ut $3.50
each, would be worth now about s25
each, but at the time the account was
rendered it was worth about onc-third
more. We also call attention to the evil
dence Of several witnesses who testify
that the account was raised by inserting
the figure $50" in the item, Fitting up
Closets and the figure ''6' in front OF
the two last amounts, thus making Il
gain of 5 $500.
We find that under the head of "Fur-
niturc' accounts were presented for
mules, horses
BUGGIEs, CARRIAGE HIRE y HoRsE
FEED.
These accounts were passed upon and
certificates issued accordingly.
In this connection we refer to the evil
dcncc of Mr.. Pettingill, (undcr the head
of "pay certificates who WAS u dealer
in horses and mules, and who says he
sold them to different members, and was
paid in Legislative pay certificates, NAM
ing Speaker S. J. Lee and w. II. Jones,
of Georgetown, us two of such purcllas-
ers, and that he also received pay %certifi-
Gates for ''horsc food, buggy hire" &c.
Mr.. Greenfield says lie did not sell any
buggics or carriages directly to the State,
but sold to the members and was paid for
them with pay certificates. lie rcmeln-
hers receiving Il certificate, which proved
to be fraudulent, III payment for u car
rige. At II time a proposition was
made to him to sell Il large portion Of his
stock of carriages and buggies if lie
would make ont his account against the
State and receive pay certificates III pay
ment thereof, which he declined. We
also refer to the evidence given by Sallas
Randall, a committee clerk, who testified
thata house OF illt;tme in the City of Co.
lumbia was supplied with furniture at
the expense of the State. We also refer
to the account Of Mr.. LyBrand, Il dealer
III
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,
designated as No. 81 by A. O. Jones, rs an
evidence that, whilst rcvclling in their
Bacchanalicn sports, tho Muses. were not
neglected. The soft melody Of the melo-
deon was invoked to inspire what spirits
would not.
CAErETING.
We could moi ascertain tho actual
mount of carpcting purchased or used,
but the bills rendered amounted to sever
nj thousand dollars per annum. That
some conception may be formed of this
enormous expenditure, We refer to the
evidence Of Mr.. Purse, who measured all
the committee rooms and Offices in the
State House and committee rooms Out
side, and t~cStiiics that it would require
only 1900 yards to carpet all of them.
BY reference to the account Of Stewart,
Sutphcn Il Co., designated as No. - by \.
0. Jones, and reported from committee
on contingent account, 1t will be found
that during ono session alone they sold to
the State
4,65S YARDS OF CARPETING,
more than one thousand yards being fin
est Brussels. General Dennis and Ser
gcant-at-arms Williams both testify that
the committee rOonS were furnished with
new carpets every session, which were
carried away i'll the spring of tho year.
Gen. Dennis says he knows that some oil
it was shipped 10 Massachusetts.
1t would be al irksomc task to enu-
mcrate all the accounts rendered for re-
pairs OH committee rooms. 1t is suili-
cicnt to say that they amounted to thou
sands of dollars annually, when it is a
we'll known fact that after the State
House was fitted up not Il committee
room was repaired. sec evidence OF
Robert Scriven and others, who state
that they were in constant attendance
and that nc work was done, except pla-
cling the two wooden partitions. Nc
transaction was allowed to pass without
| paying tribute to the inOrdinate greed
which characterized, the majority OF the
members.
""sTATIoNERY."'
MIR. Woodrutf's evidence OH this sub
jcct is rs follows: "During Mr.. Parkcr's
term of Office and part Of Mr.. Cardozo's,
up to the time OF specific appropriations,
pay certificates for Stationery which in
cluded almost every thing, and for other
accounts, were issued to such an extent
that they sold on the streets for from ten
to twenty cents on the dollar" The evil
dence shows that the average member
never received ovc ten dollars worth OF
stationery; but the bills rendered and
paid by the State in onc session amounted
to $3.50 for this commodity alone.
Clerk Jones, in his evidence, says
"Stationery included refreshments, dry
goods, groceries, carpets, furniture,
horses and carriages, and miscellaneous
articles of merchandise, and the names
used in the accounts were
GENERALLY MYTHS.
TO further illustrate the frauds commit
ted under this head, we refer to vouchers
in evidence of a. o. Jones, designated as
Nos. st, )! and 81 amoumting in the uggrc-
gate s ,G6G. Mr.. Jones says: ut is as
serted that these count were for books
and fine stationery furnished the mem.
bers." Attention is called to accounts
numbered from l0l to II, inclusive where
it will be seen that III January alone one
firm furnished sG,GS4 20 WORT, cf "sta-
tiOnerY." or more than fifty dollars WORTH