The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-07
PRINTING FRAUDS.
THE ENORMOUS SwINDLEs OF THE
PRINTING RING.
The Legislative Allios Of tho Republican
Printing Company-Another Installment
of tho Investigating Committees Report.

of tho Investigating Committees Report.
The following additional report vas
submitted by the joint investigating
committee yesterday, and exhibits the
inner history of the "circle of friends"
who DETAINED the art preservative by
using it as cloak for robbing and plum
dering the State. The story forms q
striking chapter in the volume of cor
ruption and profligacy:
After having reported on other matters
referred to them, your committee has
now to consider the matter of public
printing. Before entering into the de-
tails of asystem of fraud by which, under
this guise, the State Treasury was de-
pleted more effectually than by any other
scheme iunlcss it be through the issuing
of pay certi6cates) the committee desire
to engage in advance the public indul.
gence. Whilst fraud, bribery and cor
ruption we're rife in every department of
the State government; nothing has
equalled the magnitude and infamy at
tending the management of the public
printing. So much of comment is ne
cessary, even though each statement we
shall make is verified by reliable testi-
mony.
The corruption was every where prev
alent, and the division of the spoils 'eK-
tended from the highest official to the
Humblest members of the General AS
sembly; indeed it embraced q majority
of the State officials and two-thirds Of
the members Of the General Assembly.
In addition to the amounts expended for
the benefit of those persons, the fund
obtained was devoted to the establish
ment and support of various Republican
journals, daily and weekly, but princi-
pally to aid the Charleston Daily Repub.
t;can, the Columbia Daily Union and
Columbia Union Herald. A large amount
of money was expended annually for the
support of these and kindred papers
without any legal authority, and bills
purporting to pc presented under, or by
virtue of law illegally and fraudulently
increased in amounts to many thousands
of dollars, were paid year after year from
the State Treasury. AT first, as will ap-
pear from the testimony, under Mr..
Denny's contract, the spoils were con.
fined to few of-the leading members Of
the General Assembly but q majority
did not like Denny's close manner OF
conducting business. Hence the Caro-
lima Printing Company was formed,
composed sot certain State oflclals and
the editors of the Columbia Union and
Charleston Republican. After this the
system of issuing pay certificates tor
public printing for division become al
most universal, resulting in many thou,
sands of dollars worth Of printing, pay
certificates being issued annually with.
out any considerations, to pc paid "out
of any money not otherwise appro-
priated," unless the taking ofit by the
officials and members can be construed
as an appropriation, which it literally
was not content with this, claims when
paid by the Treasurer for permanent and
current printing were in several in:
stances raised to three times the original
amounts and thusr paid and divided ;
these payments thus raised were added
to the printing accounts in order that
this ring should not lose thereby. The
checks and evidences show that the Clerk
of the Senate (Woodruf) was to take
care of the "circle of friends" in the
Senate, and Clerk Jones of "the friends
in the House," and they were jointly to
take care of State officials.
Your, committee experienced great diff.
fculty in arriving at the amounts actual
ly paid for public printing, as the sum
was largely in excess of that charged on
the books of the State Treasurer. We
ascertained that large payments had
been ostensibly for printing which were
charged to other convenient accounts,
and hence we were obliged 10 examine
and 20 through all the vouchers from
1868 to 1876, at the expense of much
time and labor. The amount appropri-
ated. and paid during this time, includ-
ing the publication Of the general laws,
and claims for printing, was 81, 326, ,5S9
q sum largley in excess of the cost OF
public printing, from the establishment
of the State government up to 1868, in
cluding all payments made during the
war in Confederate currency. In this
connection, we respectfully invite atten-
tion to paper marked exhibit E. @. G.,
in further illustration of the extravagant
and enormous cost Of public printing
during these flush times Of the so-called
printing ring; also to the appropriations
made at the sessions .1S72-73, when ap.
propriations for public printing and
amounts paid newspapers for printing
acts reached S45,000, or $l71,759 more
than the printing cost the State for
twenty years commencing at 1904
and ending 1866, including A2-
141.63, paid during the war in 1864 in
Confederate currency for one years
printing. This statement includes pay,
ments made throughout the war, when
the due value of labor and materials
assembled in ratio with the depreciation
of Confederate currency; and included
also the amounts paid for printing at the
sessions of 1866, when owing to the
destruction of our railroads, the freight'
upon printing material alone, cost more
than material and freighes combined
in 1928. The public printing in thiI
State, cost $450,000 for one year, exceed
ing the cost of like work in Massachu.
sets, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and
New York by Sl22,9S5.l9, embracing as
they do, five of the largest and mos
pcpulous of the Northern, Eastern
Western and Southern States.
A comparison between the cost o
printing during the same year in Ohit
and South Carolina, with regard tt
population and wealth will prove hoV
enormous were the inroads made on the
Treasury by the printing ring of thi'
State.
Wealth of Ohio...........S1, ,167, ,791, ,697 Oh
Wealth of South Caro-
lima, under e1trava- =,
CANT assessment" 1S3,9l3,357 "
Population of Ohio. ,695, ,96l
Population of South Carolina. 705,6Ot
Amount appropriated for ..o :,
printing in Ohio......."." S63, 900 .O0
Amount appropriated for .
printing in South Carolina. 100000 o.