The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-21

: Huphc .fraUQS nave supHlteeo tue 1oiio"
ing additional report:
Among the. remarkable frauds .perpe-
trated against the State, that Of the South
Caroline Bank and Trust Company
should not be overlooked.
~ On the 29th day Of October, 1873, q
bill was introduced entitled "a bill to
make appropriation to pay the claims of
the South eiarolina Bank and Trust Com
pany. !" which provided for the payment
of claims amounting to the sum OF one
hundred and twenty-five thousand dol.
lars. The itsmized schedule furnished
by Hardy Solomon, President, estab-
lished cohclusively that only the sum of
$103. .s65.7l was due the bank, and that
q large number of claims on this sched-
ule were Of doubtful character. This
bill was referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means, of which committee
( the notorious Bowley was chairman.
Upon thissbil there were majority and
minority reports. The minority report
contained, amongst others, these objec-
tions: q 's.,'' ~. .s.,sf
teThat the wording of the bill was so
Obscure and indefinite, that it was i'm
possible to separate the principal from
Che interest; that the terms OF tho bill
required and directed the Treasurer to
make q distinction In favor of these
claims rs against all others, which Is at
once Illegal, unjust and odsous; that the
!. passage of this bill would be to give san
unjustJand unfair preference to power
! full corporation, when it Is 9 we'll known
fact, that the salaries OF school teachers
who have s'fabcp,d for q mere pittimce,
School Commissioners, Judges of our
Courts, County Auditors, clerks of diff
ferent departments of State and many
members. of your honorable body remain
unpaid for months, and IN some instances
: for yeass. AS still more griegous fact,
it is known that 500, ,000 OF the aIpro-
pristiop for. public schools for the years
: 1S71-2, and . large portion for 1923,
remain unpaid"
The presentation of such. considerations
ayailed absolutely nothing, and under
the leadership of Bowlev and the pasua-
s;ire afgumests furnished by Hardy Solo:
mon, the: House was induced to pass the
bill.
= ThsseTidence before your committees
indicates, that the same ,cogent reasons
influenced grave ana reverend =Senhlots
to vote IN favor OF thus thiniy disguised
fraud Stor It ls noR' known,tnat tne Dank
feterrsdto was lnangurated ~ 1rauo' sup
ported by = nng OF Pohsacat, pirates com,
posed OF chamberlain, Scots, farSer ana
esher State officials, and exhibited during;
its existence series of coruptions and
robberies unknown IN the history OF any
ether corporation. 1t was through TINS
c.sgracefnl channel that thousands OF
dollars worth OF fraudulent pay ceftin,
: Gates and armed force orders .1oanu
their way into the state treasnrers once
ind were pad, Whilst honest Claimants
were turned away heartsicS ana ols-
susted:
At tho time the bill referred 10 was un,
der consld Iteration 1t was well understooa
that this most secure 6011E could not exist
without aud. 1t is not surprising there
fore that tue bill was passed oy the eS-
penditure of $4,000 by way OF b.ibes,
absorbing more tnan two-tnlias OF tne ne
Gntre,amcnnt OF tne appfoprialio9: "
tnls mere San De NO Ioavs' ie, .tsh WIZ az
amazing enrontety tne Dooas oi tneDalA na;.
show the fact Tnoer tine entry Oh legisia-
1--WE expenses
The time Tor the failure OF this oanK
had not. arrived IN the interest,". OF tne
Sipg. The passage OF the Dill anoroed o
@brief relief, ana when the auspicio9s toc-
caslon arrived, fits FAILURE came VAIN over
$2O0,OO0of the money OF tne otase ana =
large amount OF scnool ana county Iunas
on deposit with as worthless q loI ot >. assess :s
as were ever 1enoesea IN scoutt n 2, insei-
.Fency. 40 tnls laiinre we snan II, refer
Thereafter "a q separate report we aIe
coneernG now only 10 present. tne Por,
lions of the evidence showing the method
and means by which this iniquitous meas
ure was fastened upon the people, and q
special tax was levied upon them Tor the
payment OF the claims embraced by 1t.
1t viii be observed that . small poI-
ton OF these claims were valid demands
against the State. : These we're, however,
ID q large measure 81 s9oseq9enlly aossIac
= ed fromLne Din, ano pau oy tne olaee
give place to- yeEtwenty thousand dol
lars of fraudulent pay certificates manu-
1aetured lOr the occasion, SO tnaG certain
State officials might secure their share OF
a''gratifcation.n
Prince 3. Rivers testifes, that he "vo-
ted for the bill; met the members at 6
caucus Hardy Solomon was there and
spoke in the cancus the next night the
members were-to meet him there, and he
was to see them separately. He offered
v,a e6nn. IN M a omit ha a ffarwa rds naid
me at the bank, in city bills. Sperry, of
Georgetown, invited the members to
meet Solomon at caucus. think 1 met
Keith and Humbert, of Darlington, at
the bank"
Keith testifes that he was. paid $50 in
J eiftFt bills, sand labout- $50 in groceries.
: Builder Spears, member from Sumter,
received goods amounting to about $l20.
W. w. Ramsay, member from same
county testifies that he "yas paid SlOO