The New York herald., 1878-11-09
SOUTH CAROLINA LAND swTNDLEs.

TRANSACTIONS ON WHICH THE INDICTMENT OF
CHAMBERLAIN is BAsED-REMINIscENcE OF
THE cARPET-BAG REGIME-FAcTs BROUGHT TO
LIGHT AFTER LONG SUPPRESSION.
The South Carolina Constitutional Convention of
1868 theld under the military supervision of the
United States) passed the 7th of March, 1868. an
ordinance which made it the duty Of the General As
semby to provide for the establishment of board to
be known and designated as Commissioners of Pub
lie Lands This ordinance authorized these commits
soners to purchase, under regulations prescribed by
law. at public sale. otherwise, improved unm-
proved real estate within the State provided that the
purchases any year shall exceed the amount for
which the General Assembly should make appro-
priation in bonds for such year. and provided. fur
ther that the price should not exceed per
cent of the value of the land and improvements. 1t
also authorized the General Assembly to issue to the
commissioners State bonds to such amount it
might deem expcdient. wherewith. or with the pro-
ceeds thereof the commissioners should pay for such
lands provided that such bords should not be nego
tiated at less than the par value thereof 1t also
thorized the commissioners to lay of the lands into
suitable tracts and to sell the to actual settlers
upon condition that one-hal thereof should be put in
actual cultivation within three years.
THE BONDS ISSUED.
Under authority of this ordinance the General AS
semby passed on the 9th Of March, 1865 IAN act to
provide for the appointment of Land Commissioner
and to define his powers and duties" This act
created advisory board consisting of the Governor
Comptroller General, State Treasurer Secretary of
State and Attorney General who authorized and
required to appoint Land Commissioner Of the
State of South Carolina who should in the discharge
Of all the duties imposed upon him by the act be
governed by the instructions and advice of the Ad
vsory Board 1t also authorized the Treasurer of tho
State to issue to the Land Commissioner State bonds
in the sum OF $2OOO0 f in the opinion OF the Adj
visory Board so much should be necessary Under
this, authority and direction the Treasurer paid
$2O0, 900 coupon bonds.
on the lst Of March, 1870 the General Assembly
passed act by which the Treasurer was authorized
and directed to issue to the Land Commissioner
$5O0000 coupon bonds Of the State it, in the opinion
of the Advisory Board so much should be necessary,
to be negotiated in such form and manner as the
Advisory Board should by majority determine" /"
Under this act the Treasurer issued bonds to the
amount of S5O0000.
Scott was Governor DR.. j. L. Neagle Comptroller
General Niles &. Parker State Treasurer, f. L.
lain Attorney General By this advisory Board
c. p Leslie was appointed Land Commissioner.
BY an act approved August 26. 1868. the Governor
(Mr Scott Attorney General (Mr. Chamberlain) and
Treasurer Adr Parker) had been authorized to ap-
point Financial Agent of the State, to reside in
New York. and Ito be subject to their direction and
control" They appointed II. II. Kmpton. On the
LIST of March, 1S70 r. c. De Large appointed Land
Commissioner in place of Mr. Leslie and on the 1st Of
March, 1871, H. f. Hayne was appointed in place of
Mr.. De Large who had been elected to Congress 1t
was during the administrations Of Messrs. Leslie
and De Large that the frauds alleged to have been
committed.
CONDEMNED BY THEIR FRIENDS
The proceedings of these two first named Commits
sioners, together with the Advisory Board and nan-
cia agent made the subject of Legislative inves
tigation in 1871. The committee was composed Of
typical South Carolina statesmen of the carpet-bag
period-Whittemore, Swais, Dennis, Gardner and
Tim Hurley. Even they. after painstaking exami-
nation Of all the facts then within reach could but
denOuDce transactions
say
The committee believe when all the accounts as well
commission presented they will be borne in their
no.
more suitable manner of concealment perfected
"' and ends have not been
purchases to be made II Is presumption almost conclu
the ss l%s Board worthy
would meet with no Besides this some
their position for the Of their own gains and
the proceeds Of the sale Of lands TO the State at price
then m ss the BY the
q !. is oS sufficient, in
s 7" Ss
and receive the highest possible price for the without
dignation the damned he calls it, are but
from the treasury by concert OF action that made the
pose
This committee further reported to the General
Assembly that the resignation of Leslie procured
by Kimpton and Governor Scott ard others in the
commission (whose plans he not trusted to carry
out and that he received for such resignation oblivion
of certain dark transactions connected with the Blue
Ridge Railroad funds and valuable consideration of
nearly $4,000. But before he resigned he paid to
tract Of land worth less than one-tenth of that sum-
Then followed the administration Of De Large. who
kept no books of his transactions as Land
Commissioner" mo information could be OBJ
tanned" says II. 4. Hayne, his successor in
the office. from the books found in his safe. They
were as blank as the day they came from the pub
lishers, But If the books were silent the Commits
soner and his friends active and quickly utilized
what Leslie left of the 100000 land commission
things-of the purchase by the State of Hell Hole
swamp" utterly worthless tract of land, for the
enormous sum Of Sl2O752 and innumerable lesser
swindles
MORE CONDENSATION.
Suffice IL to reproduce the summary Of the Legisla
tive Committee of 1871 as follows:-
The committee has little information TO encourage the
belief that the State has valid titles to ouehalf Of the land
arse proportion q the land paid either
% n % q e ,"' ne b.
of the products Of such lands 10 for them in the
in9 that the Land Commission and its operations have
ssa 10 fra"dues light
and the {. nS o be
upon and the work began less liable
the guilty be to cheat the demands ofjustcc.
Such was the conclusion Of the joint special fnan-
ca investigating committee OF the radical Legislature
of 1871.
A TINE SUPPRESSION.
OF course nothing was done except to silence the
malcontents by methods which were well understood
by the men who ruled South Carolina In those dark
days. Nevertheless the matter was brought up ses-
sion after session by those who wanted to make
thing out of the fears OF the commission but always
with the result, till the overthrow of Chamber
lain and the Inauguration of Hampton gave the
pundcrcd people of South Carolina opportunity
to Investigate the matter to verify the report of the
legislative committee of 1871 and to prepare the way
for carrying out the recommendations Of that
mittee, as quoted above
All the efforts of Governor Hampton and the State
have however, been thwarted till by the obsti-
silence of the consprators and the consequent
impossibility of producing legal proof of the com
plicity of Chamberlain and kimpton In the frauds
| which known to have been committed in the
matter OF these Land Commission bonds. 1t is
ported what seems TO be good authority that two
members of the Advisory Board. Ncage and Parker.
have last turned States evidence and given to the