The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-03-10
EOT 4 STATE WAS PLUNDERED.
Phiiadelpnia Times.


Ten yeazs hence the story of South Carolina
| under the scaiawags and carpet 5sggere will
| seem far more unreal and quite as fantastical
| as q page rom the Araoian Nights Entertain
| ments. Already we ind it hard to believe that
| such thin ss happened os are described in the
report an Investigating committee now make
public, and yet the narrative is told By the
committee in plain words and unvarnished sen-
tenoes, in the most business-like way, and is
fortified by sfndavits aud vouchers that carry
convi viction with every letter and figure. Tweed
ism in its palmiest days never reached greater
heights of dsvffieh extr9vEgaEce than we're
attained at bound by the illiterste field
hands of the long-prostrate State, under the
tuition of the political trarnps who claimed to
be doing the work of morality and loyalty in
the country that has been bound and gagged
~ the reconstruction acts and placed in their
hands for safe-keeping. Let us glance at q
fow features of the era of oppression and pro-
1igacy ut Columbia, as pictured in the long
official report now published.
The theory CT these thieving legislators of
the Moses type was that laid down by an illus,
| trious Senator in the words: "a State has no
right to be State unlees she can pay end take
care of her statesmen" Broad as this propo.
sitiou is in the plain terms given, it wss in
Gaitely broader in application. The State was
expected not only TO take care cf the states
man in princely style. but to do quite as much
for his household Ho arrayed in broad
cloth and fine linen, with jewels of barbaric
splsudor. H'o wines and liquors and cigars
were of the finest quality; whatever their real
price, the State was made to pay $40 case for
champagne $40 dozen bottles for port wine,
$40 gallon for sherry. In one session $125 600
were taken from the treasury for refreshments.
bar open day and night in the capitol,
and, with the legislators who had the run of
i5, nothing was more common than to carry off
a bottle of champagne aud dozen cigars for
home consumption, although orders to have
such things sent 30 their chambers in any
quantity were always honored. Stationery
was made to iDolude anything ttat a man or
his wife children rould eat, drink use in
any way. Thus Wostphalia hams, imported
cheeses, deviled meats, fruits, kid gloves, skirt
bvaid, c0rsets, ladies' hCse, garturs, chemises,
parasos, bustles and pap.tators, boots, sns
pepdeTs, collars, Ovcrcoats and drawers, twenty
five dollar inksJSnds stoves, towels, 6oo even
horses and carriages, mules and harness, wood
and coal, and SO on through d catalogue of
articles equally iuoongruoos half . column
long, were classified in tie accounts AZ sta
tionery The State paid for clocks costing
from $50 to 5000 each, and for mirrors at
5000 each. Two hundred Thousand dollars
we're inv asted in furniture for the legislative
halls, and the most LIBERAL sppraisement of
hat remaining on hand when the Hampton
Government came in was SIT us. New car
pets of the moet costly texture and pattern
we're bought at The beginning of every session
and carried away at its close. Thirteen hun
dred > ards were an abundance to carpet the
W bole S ate House, but 658 yards we're sold
to the State in q single session, more than one
thousand being of the fpeet body Brussels.
In one instance fine carpets thus bought were
chip ed to Massachusetts,. There was not
ore wood stove in use, and yet 900 cords
Of wood and 800 tons Of coal weFo chsrg-
ed for. The houses of Legislators we're
furnished at State expense in style that wac
simply pslatial. negroes who had never slept
OF anything softer than bag of shncks max
ing the acquaintance of oiled walnut bed
ste sda, pier glasses, "Oriental sponge mat.
tresses and extra long towels" ExtraVagant
prices were paid in all cases, and then the
bills were doubled in eTdeF-thss- the buyers
might divide with the sellers in plundering
tue State. Although their houses and apart
meuts were already elegantly Furnished
through these frauds, every time the Legisls-
ture sdj0urnad the members divided up the
furniture in the capitol and carted it away"
This is a fitting climax TO The story which We
take many columns to print it in full.
DiHioult as is may be to us to realize the