Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-20
THE CRIMES OF KIMPTON.
IIo,c lie Brtbed Speaker Noses and Stole
the MOneay to do It.

the arrest of Hiram 81. Klmpton, late fnan-
cial agent, and the prospect of his speedy
extradition to the capital of our State to be
PIT on trial for the serious crimes alleged
against him. To recount the various rob-
berries of the resources of South Carolina
committed by this man Kimpton, in connec-
ton with his quondam associates of the
financial board-Scott, Chamberlain and
Parker, aided and abetted on many occasions
by such men as Patterson, Moses, Worthing-
ton, and other statesmen of that ilk-would
require more space than your
daily columns can spare. At each
session of the general assembly, when
bills of doubtful character were to be
passed, kimpton was the chief lobbyist
who held the purse-strings and dispensed
the brides to the willing and hungry legis-
lators. His appearance here at the begin
ming of every Legislative term was the har-
binger of plenty for those who had votes to,
sell and influence to exert among their fell
low members. By his lavish expenditure Of
funds, which really belonged to the State,
and which were afterwards charged up to
any account which was most convenient all
of the bills were passed by which the spo-
liation of the treasury and the increase of
the State debt were effected. Notable
among these were the bills to redeem the
bills of the Bank of the State; to pay the in
terest on the State debt in gold coin; to
provide for the issue of the Blue Ridge rev
enue bond scrip; to effect the consolidation
of the GreenvIlle and Columbia and Blue
Ridge railroads; to issue bonds for the relief
of the treasury; to establish the Office of land
commissioner and to define his powers and
duties; to provide for the issue of conversion
| tn ho oil <,
effect settlement with the financial agent.
All of these bills were enacted into laws by
dint of the most wholesale bribery, in which
organized system of Legislative debauch-
cry Kimpton was the chief actor and the
trusted agent of Patterson, Scott, Chamber
lain and Parker on the one hand, and the
virtuous and honest legislators on the other.
The truth of this accusation has been most
fully proved before the Democratic legisla-
tive investigating committee by the COM
bined testimony of Scott, Parker, Moses,
Dennis, Neage and many others. Their
evidence relating to Kimpton's criminal con-
nection with the bribery of the legislature
has never yet been published. 1t is pre-
sumed that it has been reserved for use on
his trial by the committee. I can refer to
only one Oh two of the many instances where
it has been plainly proved that he corrupted
the legislature, or in other words, bought
them up at wholesale.
just previous to the session of 1901,
when the members of the financial board
and Patterson and Neagle and other leading
officials, each had some pet measure or
scheme to push through the legislature, they
determined that they would best insure sue
cess at the least expense by combining their
various interests and making a contract with
the legislature to give them 80 much
money to pass their various bills,
the money being payable when the bills were
approved by the Governor (Scott) and not
before. To effect this purpose according to
the sworn testimony adduced before the in
vestlgating committee) committee was
formed, consisting of Patterson, Neage and
Kimpton, whose duty it would be to confer
with the various members of the Senate and
House and their presiding officers and ascer-
tain how much money each would individu-
ally demand to cast their votes in favor OF
every bill presentei by the three above
named. The House of Representatives was
especially instructed to Kimpton's care and
supervision. After they had made their in
quiries and found how much money would
oe necessary to carry out their various
schemes, they came to t. conclu ion that it
the naming and appointment of the legisla-
tive committees, which in the Senate were
elected by the members of that body and in
the House were appointed by the speaker.
kimpton accordingly waited on Moses,
then speaker of the House, to arrange with
him for the wholesale purchase of the
committees, with unlimited power to place
as chairman for each whatever member he
wanted and to fill up the remainder just
as he might desire. The contract was
an important and valuable one. On
the one hand it took out of the speakers
hand the power to name his own commit
tees, which, in political point of view, W; 8
generally esteemed a weighty weapon, and
on the other it would place that power IN
the hands OF an INSCRIPTIONS lobby, who
could thus appeal both to the cupdity and
the political ambition of the various men,
bers. Moses swore that Kimpton proposed
to him to give him (Kimpton), together with
Patterson and Neagle, full power to take the
roll of the House and to appointth committees
thereof just as they pleased, with the agree
ment that they should not be changed with
out their consent at any time during the legis-
lative term, and asked how much money it
would require to secure this privilege. After
many consultations they arrived at con-
clusion by which they agreed to be bound.
Moses at that time owe Kimpton $4,000
for money advanced him Y the latter
at various times, to secure which
Kinpton held recorded mort
gage on very valuable plantation owned
in this State by Moses. The agreement was
that Kimpton should return this mortgage
marked ''canceled and satisfied and in ad-
dition should pay to Moses $14,u0O in
money. Kimpton gave Moses list of the
various members to be appointed on the
designated committees. Moses announced
them in the House, and Kimpton returned
the mortgage marked satisfied" and him
self paid to Moses in hand 1000 as agreed
According to the testimony given by those
above named witnesses the estimated cost of
this Wholesale purchase of the general as
sembly-committee and members-amount-
ed to over 100000. AS this
money had to come out of
the State treasury, measures had then to
he adopted to cover up the stealage and to
charge it to some State fund which would at
least appear legitimate. Means to do this
were very speedily discovered, and the testi-
mony of Moses, together with the vouchers
in the treasury, supplied the information on
this head which was sought by the investi-
eating committee.
Besides being speaker of the House from
1868 to 1872, Moses was the adjutant and
Inspectors general of the State during the
same time. Governor Scott drew from the
United States government 10000 old regula-
ton muskets as the quota of South Caro-
lima, and under orders from Scott, Moses
visited New York and entered into written
contracts with the Remington & Roberts