The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-02-27
The Thieves Carnival,
LIFTING THE VEIL FROM THE
INCIDENTS OF THEIR RULE.

crs ~Squandcrcd the Peoples Mon
ey-An appalling Picture of an Err
which was only Ended by ilamD
ton at the Head of the United Dc
mocracy Of the State.
Especial Dispatch to tie Nrws and Courier.
COLUMBIA, Tuesday Night, Fcbruar.
l9.-Thc feature Of to-dar's session q
the General Assembly was the report O
the Committee ON frauds, which was pre-
scented in both Houses. The document i
probably unique in the annals Of lcgisla
ton. 1t is as follows:
The Report.
The committee respectfully invite nj
tcnlion to the evidence and vouchers
submitted with this report under tl'
head of "supplies." The abuses hav,
been so great, and of Nlrh palpable III
turc that the most Credulous person
would hardly believe that such frauds
could be perpctratcd under the forms q
legislation. History fails 10 cite an i'll
stance which can be compared with such
Il carnival of fraud and extravaganza IL
has been held in South CorOlina, by and
through the purchase of supplies for Tux
members OF the General Assembly. In
this connection, we submit Il number o
the accounts against tho State; also &
few individual accounts of
THE AVERAGE "sTATEsMAN'
of South Carolina. under the late regime.
We not only make the assertion, but We
present the proofs, that the whole country
may see how one OF 1.-THE Old Thirteen
las been robbed and laid proStratC
through ignorance on II side and cor
rupt adventures Oh the other. Our re-
port is necessarily elaborate; the charges
arc so grave that we deem it unwiSc to
make them unless we S~ul,Stantiatc them
BY evidence which no one can doubt.
If the simple statement was made thai
the senators and members OF the House
were furnished with everything they de-
sired. from swaddling clothes and
CRADLE TO III COFFIN
of the undertaken, from brOganS to chg.
! mons, finest extracts to best vines allu
liquors, aud all pad for Gythc STATE, II
, would create 4 smile Of doubt ami derlS-
ion; but when W C make he statement
and prove it by several witnesses anu the
vouchers found i'll the otliccSO the clerks
of the Senate and House, Ill will Will
sorrow admit the truthfulnc>s of this re-
port. For your guidance VIC deem it rS-
scntial to place under appropriate heads
the class of supplies and the cridcncc re-
frrring thereto.
We frs: call YOUR attantiOn to the cVl-
dcncc of Mr.. Woodruff, who WAS clerk OF
the Senate ut that time, and necessarily
cognizant of everything conccrIllng the
furnishing Of supplies. He says: TN,
der the head OF supplies WAS embraced
ANYTHING that Il Senator chose to order.
These orders were generally gwen
through the clerk, and the acoounts were
rendered against the clerk OF the Senate.
At first the orders were moderate, and NJ
Guided only stationery and postage
stamps, but they gradually increased UNI
iii they assumed gigantic proportions
In the commencement Of this business OF
furnishing members they gave orders on
the clerks TO deduct the mount from
their pay; but very soon the Orders
largely exceeded their pay, and the ac-
counts were then included in the report
OF the committee on contingent accounts.
and pay certificates thus issued for al
most every description OF merchandise
In addition to this, pay certificates were
drawn. and turned over to the chairman
OF the committee on contingent accounts
for collection and distribution. AS these
matters became common, the cnators
claimed that
ALL TuEIR EXPENSES SHOULD RE PAID
.ov tho State, or in the language of Scna-
tor &. Z. Leslie, the State had no right TO
be Il State unless she could pay and take
care Of her statesmen. MIR. Woodruff
saws. and the vouchers and certificates
prove, that ''gratification' certificates
were frequently issued for the benefit of
the senator's. Senators Jcrvey and Gail
lard, of Charleston, and Senator Cain, OF
Edrciicld, also corroboratc this tcStimo-
nv and acknowledge that they received Il
portion of the fraudulent certificates thus
issued. \. o.. Jones, Clerk of the House,
t~cstities that supplies were furnished ul-
der the head of "Lcgislativc expenses,
suudrics and stationery and included
refreshments for committee rooms, gro
ccrics, clocks, horses, carriages. dry
goods, carpets, furniture OF every de-
s%cription, and miscellaneous articles of
merchandise for the personal use of the
members.
Your committee find upon the cNami-
nation Of the vouchers III the lrcasurcr's
office, that i'll
ONE SESSION
there were expended upon the respective
heads of 'SupplicS,' "SundricS' and
"Incidcntal Expenses not less than
three hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
onchundrcl and twenty thousand dollars
OF which were spent fer refreshments, i'll
Guiding the finest wines, liquors and ci-
CARS.
We can only prove how universally
this system OF fraud WAS practircd and
carried out by the bills and individual ac-
counts turned in us vouchers, ii portion OF
which i've submit with the report, and
the evidence of Clerks Woodruff and
Jones and Scrgcant-at-armS Williams.
Woodruff t~cStiiics that "tlc practice be-
caIucss general as TO embrace nearly cr-
cry Republican and
SEVERAL DEMOCRATIC SENATOR'S.
Such accounts came to he regarded as
prirlirgcd matters, and the Senat rule
requiring all reports to lie over one LAY
was generally suspended and the re-
port considered 1T once and the accounts
ordered to be paid. without Il dissenting
voice, Senators left their accounts with
the chairman of the committee on con
tingent accounts. When settled in this
way they were generally returned to scn-
atOrS rcceIpteu.
We find there was a regular system by
which these accounts We're passed upon
by the Senate and House through the
nianipulati0ns of the committee on con.
,tincciit accounts. The following exam.
| pie will suffice:
The committee would report that they
had considered the accounts Of n. Il and
G (Which were honest c%lainlsl and found
them correct, and would recommend
that they be paid; but after the last name
on the accounts we III most instances
found the ominuus words "und Othe,iS' OF
.ssundrirs and othc1x." which heilg in.
tcrprctcd meant '..frdud.' Woodruff
comtinuclng, says: The committee t.
audit the contingent expenses OF the Sen
ate claimed the right to order what they
pleased and include it in their report un'
der the name of''Sundrics and Others"
Jones, in his evidence, speaks Of then
Us
'QUEER ACCOUNTS"
and says they were generally paid under
The head Of land others" Your com
mittec find it necessary to classify the va
! rious supplies furnished in order that you
may perceive the magnitude of the rob
berry and the ruthless expenditure o
taxes to provide for the pleasure and com
! fort of our statesmen! Under the elias:
of REFRESHMENTS We ask attention Il
these facts: \ room in the State-hous'
was fitted up wherein to serve wines
liquors, catablcs and cigars to State uill
cials, senators, members of the llous'
and their friends at all hours Of the da,