Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-02-28

any particular year, as will appear by the
vouchers turned over to your committee.
We now call attention to the accounts Of
George Symmers, mentioned in the evidence
of Mr.. Woodruff, designated AA, ALB, AC,
All, aggregating S3,157.S0 from March l,
1871, to the 7th day of same month, amount
ing to more than $3.50 per day for wines and
liquors for the Senate alone. The evidence
and vouchers are not confined to Solomon,
Fine, Gibson and Summers, but prove that
Messrs. Cooper & Taylor, VIM. Kennedy and
Joseph Taylor, citizens of Columbia, also
furnished supplies of the same character. We
insert literal copy of one of the bills found
among the vouchers of the Clerk of the Sen.
ate:
COLUMBIA, Feb. 18th, 1872.
Co.. H. j. Ransieer, Dr.. To Joe Taylor.
for licours & segars and other articulars, $2s0.OO
Recuieved paymen
Joe Taylor.
This trade was not confined to Columbia,
as shown by the vouchers of Messrs. Klinck,
Wickenberg & Co., of Charleston, and 9th
ers, or to the State, as proved by the accounts
of Kuhn & Co., of Philadelphia, dealers in
wines and liquors. We call especial atten-
tion to their accounts designated as G 15, in
the evidence of Woodruff, amounting to ST.
$50, furnished to Senate at one time; and to
No. 83, in evidence of A. O. Jones, amount
ing to $2,08S for the use of House, and de-
livered in one day also to account Of Mr..
Summers in Woodruff's evidence, designated
as No. 16, by Woodruff, in which sweet
meats and delicacies of every kind that could
tempt the epicure were supplied. This is on.
ly one of many such in our possession. In
addition to the parties above designated, we
find that numerous other persons furnished
Refreshments under the head of supplies"
and rendered bills against the State for
amounts ranging from 500 to $4,000, as will
be seen by vouchers attached to the evidence.
The prices paid for these supplies were
most extravagant. In Woodruff's evidence
there is an account designated as No. II, in
which Mr.. Symmers charges $40 per gallon
for brandy, sherry wine $40, whisky SO, ci-
gars $40 per 100. In the itemized account of
Mr.. Solomon the prices are equally as uncon'
scionable- lager beer $3.50 per dozen, brandy
by the dozen (euarts) $40, cigars 500 per
100, champagne $40, by the case, port wine
$40 per dozen. An estimate cannot be found
of the amount of wines, liquors and cigars
used in single session, but enough is shown
by the bills rendered and the certificates is.
sued to demonstrate that to have used all
that was purchased, every member of the
House and Senate must have consumed one
gallon per day, with few extra bottles of
ale and wine thrown in, and smoked not less
than one dozen cigars within the same time.
During this era of "elevation," while the
average statesman was deprived Of the en-.
oyment of his accustomed luxury-the sue
culent watermelon-it is not strange to find
him seeking the luscious fruits of tropical
climes, hence the bills of Messrs. Brook.
banks & Co. He (Brookbsnks) says in his
evidence, "that he was connected with con.
fectionery and fruit store, that he furnished
such articles as were usually kept in such es-
tablishments, and that he rendered bills made
out under the head of 'Sundries, and re-
ceived in payment legislative pay certificates" !"
u PORTION of these accounts una
refer to those designated as Nos. 81, 56. 60,
6S, SO and "a, aggregating $1,OS0. Wood.
ruff says "those accounts were for fruit and
cigars furnished the Senate" We also refer
to the evidence Of A. o. Jones and John
Williams, concerning other accounts Of a
similar nature.
We cannot better illustrate the e6rontery
of Carolina's leading statesmen at that time,
than by referring to an account designated as
III, in evidence of A. 0. Jones, where it ap-
pears that Gen. VIM. Gurney, Treasurer of
Charleston county, claims to have furnished
refreshments to the amount of 1900; but
strange to say, the itemized account of Hardy
Solomon proves that Gen. Gurney was the
recipient of supplies from Solomon's store,
and that the State paid for the same: Ser
geant-at-Arms Williams says of this: II know
Of no supplies being furnished by Gen. Cur
ney, nor do l know anything of No. 2l3, re-
ferred to in A. o Jones evidence"
We now proceed to show the enormous
expenditures for other purposes The first We
shall consider is that of
FURNITURE.
We find that there has been paid out with
in four years, for furniture alone, over $780,.
900, and of this amount Mr.. Berry and Mr..
Pagan, furniture dealers, testify that at the
present there is at the State House only ST.
lis worth appraised at the prices charged for
it, q list of which was sworn to by them and is
attached to their evidence. This includes S325
worth of furniture purchased BY Attorney
General Melton, and paid for by him out
of his contingent fund, and at this time is in
the Attorney Generals Office. Mr. Berry
says he furnished large number of commit.
tee rooms outside of the State House, as we'll
as bedrooms. He remembers furnishing the
rooms occupied by w. J. Wbipper, T. Hur-
lev, T. B. johnson, j. E. Green and others,
and some of the rooms he furnished as often
as three times. He also furnished rooms at
Mrs. Randals for Speaker Moses. Traded
furniture to member for pay certificates, and
furnished almost all the Offices in the State
House every session. In continuation hestates
that be furnished at least forty bedrooms, but
does not know who occupied them all, or
what became of the furniture; but he was
paid for tin legislative pay certificates.
We ask reference to the evidence of Ser
geant-at.Arms Williams, on the subject of
furniture. He says he purchased a lot of fur
niture from Mr.. Berry, consisting of beds,
tables, washstapds and bed room sets. Some
of the rooms thus furnished we're occupied by
w. j. Whipper, w. H. Jones and James A.
Bowley. He does not know what became Of
the furniture, but endeavored to collect it, and
was told by j. B. Dennis, James A. Bowley,
BENJAMIN Byas and Charles Minort, that he
had nothing to do with it. Consequently, he
troubled himself no more about it. He says
the rooms over the South Carolina Bank and
Trust Company we're furnished also, and were
occupied by Senator Y. j. P. Owens, T. Hur-
lev and w. H. Gardner, and that he also fur
nished Speaker Lees room and other private
rooms at the boarding houses of members
with fine carpets, stoves and other furniture,
and that they were claimed as committee