The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-02-21
THE CORBIN INVESTIGATION.
Report of the Special Committee to E1--
anime Into the Devious Transactions Of
Munchausen Corbin.

Report of the Special Committee to E1.
amino into the Devious transactions ol
Munchausen Corbin.
The committee appointed by resolu-
ton of the Senate of December l9, 1877
"to investigate the conduct of David T.
Corbin in his efforts to be elected to the
United States Senate from this State
on the 18th day of December, 1876, and
if the said David T. Corbin was guilty
of bribery of members of the General
Assembly in said effort" ask leave to
report that, in pursuance of the direction
of the Senate, the committee commenced
their work during the recess. The com.
mittee sent Mr.. Corbin n summons and
also an invitation to be present and give
his own testimony before the committee,
but declined TO send him written inter-
rogatories on the points to which the in
vestigation of the committee extended
in pursuance of his request. He declined
to attend, and sent to the committee
certain printed statements published by
himself. The letters and printed matter
accompany this report and were submit
ted as part thereof, so that Mr.. Corbin
may have the benefit of them. Among
other things, Mr.. Corbin says:
"When Judge R. B. Carpenter enjoin-
ed the State Treasurer and the Carolina
National Bank from paying out the funds
of the State according to Law, and the
wheels of the government thus stopped,
y Iloaned about t,Scnty thou
sand dollars TO F. L. Cdrdozo, State Treas
urer, to meet the immediate e1pe,lses of the
State Government" Mr.. Corbia also says
in the same printed statement. after ad-
hitting that he had held large sum
of money-S2S, ,000-collected in a suit
against phosphate company, 81 SUBJ
mitted my account to the Comptroller
General, and the same was credited and
allowed by him, and I was authorized by
him to retain the amount out of the
funds in my hands, collected in the
above phosphate suit" The amounts re-
ferred to were claimed for fees in this
phosphate suit and in certain suit
against the Savannah aud Charleston
Railroad Company.
1t will be seen hereafter how much of
this statement is confirmed by the state.
ments of other witnesses, and by the re-
cords in the office of the Comptroller
General and the State Treasurer.
The last letter of the Comptroller Cen
eral of which copy can be found in the
Office in reference to this subject, is q
letter of Comptroller General T. G. Dunn,
of 9th July, 1876, directed to Messrs.
Corbin & Stone, of which firm David T.
Corbin was a member. In this letter
Mr.. Dunn says: "I cannot deem it
otherwise than my official duty TO insist
that you pay over to the State Treasurer
all of the moneys collected by you from
the South Carolina Phosphate Company,
except the 624 per cent. of the St, 1884
and as from your letter of the 18th ult.,
you decline to do so for reasons therein
stated, I shall feel obliged to appeal to
the courts on behalf of the State"
1t appears from letter on file of 3rd
June, 1876, from Comptroller General
Dunn to Corbin & Stone that the
amounts collected by them from the
Phosphate Company were S5,9S4, and
S22,O16, total $4,000. and that the sum
admitted to be due to Corbin & Stone
was only 62l per cent. of $5,9S4, and
S325.50 for expenses, making total of
S4,O65.50, thus leaving in the hands of
Corbin & Stone 1923, ,93450, claimed to be
the property of the State. If any con-
sent was ever given by Comptroller Gen
eral Dunn fort this money to be retained
there is no record left in tine Office of
any such transaction, and it could only
have been by some private arrangement,
which formed part of the plan thus
formed to rob the State of her rights,
and impose on the people government
not of their choice by using this fund for
corrupt and unlawful purposes.
A letter to the present Treasurer, S. l..
Leaphart, from Corbin & Stone, OF
June 4, 1877, covers check for $206.O6
as the total balance due the State out Of
the $4,000 collected. 1t may be as well
to state that the Attorney General some
time before the appointment of this COM
mittee had been instructed TO commence
suit to recover the money thus improper
" withheld from the State by Corbin q
Stone, and that Comptroller General
Hagood has been obliged "to appeal to
the Courts on behalf of the State"
1t is scarcely necessary to state that
what is called the election of David 7.
Corbin to the United States Senate was
made in the hall Of the House of Repre-
sentatives by certain Senators of South
Carolina, and by a body known as the
Mackey House, claiming to be the consti-
tutional House of Representatives, while
the true constitutional body, as held by
the supreme judicial tribunal of the
State, was assembled under the Speaker
ship of Hon. w. 81. Wallace in the Car
olina Hall, in the city of Columbia,
while the Mackey House, under the pro-
lection of the United States soldiers.
held possession of the State House.
The attention of the committee has
been especially directed to ascertain il
any and what means were used to infu'
ence those who participated in the pre-
tended election.
In opposition to the statement of Mr.
Corbin above referred to, the late Treas
urer, F. L. Cardozo, states in his e1'
animation before the committee, that
he borrowed from Mr.. Corbin the money
to pay the members of the Senate and
the Mackey House; "that ho did pay all
the members of the Mackey House ano
the Republican Senators that it wa:
"an individual loan;" Chat he did moi
pay out the money as Treasurer" ano
hmade no entry on the books of the
Treasurer's Office, but took up the pay
certificates of the members who were
paid :" "that he turned over the certif
Gates to Mr.. Corbin - "that, as Mr.: Cor
bins agent, he subsequently made ar
effort to get the parties to refund thu
amounts paid them, but with very little
success, and that David T. Corbin nov
holds these certificates as his individua
property, and has made an effort to EN-
ploy distinguished counsel to press th'
payment of them by the State. He alst
states that the money was furnished
scme week or ten days before, but no
paid to him until three or four day
after the pretended election, that it wa
not an official transaction, and that