The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-02-21

bers 5000 of their salary, and it was also
urged by numbers Of his friends. Isay
positively, on my oath, that it was gene.
rally understood among the members
that if Mr.. Corbin was elected we would
get some 5000 each of our salary,
and if he was not elected we would not
get any money at all; and Mr.. Cardozo
also urged, in my interview with him,
that that was the only source from which
he could get any money-there was none
in the treasury. I.would have voted for
any other candidate under the same cir
cumstances. / was pretty hard up and
I did not care who the candidate was if
I got 5000. That idea affected the whole
of US. ~.
E. R. Bardeen, acting at the time as
Deputy United States Marshal, testi-
| 6es-That he was friend of Corbin's,
and electioneerd for him, and that it was
we'll known that if Mr.. Corbin Das elected
he would aid the Treasurer to raise the
money to pay off the members of the
General Assembly 5000 on their salary.
got my information from the Treasu.
rer. / used that as an inducement for
them to vote for Mr.. Corbin; also that
he had no conversation with Corbiu
about it, but got his information from the
Treasurer.
P. w. Jefferson, member of the Mack
ey House, testifes-I have no doubt that
the fact that Mr.. Corbin was going to
loan the money was the reason of his
election don't think ne would have been
elected without it.; Think he was rather
weak as a candidate until then think Mr..
Corbin's friends became very much more
Jealous after they knew they would be
paid if he was elected; don't remember
to have seen Corbin but twice before the
election of Senator-both times in cau-
Gus meetings.
E. w. NJ. Mackey, Speaker of the
Mackey House, testiiies-That it was
generally believed that unless Mr.. Cor
bin furnished the money there was no
other way of paying the members at that
time; recollect having heard at the
time, though I cannot now recall the
source of my information, that Mr.. Cor
bin held money belonging to the State
to the amount of $4,000 derived from
some phosphate company, which money,
we're he elected United States Senator,
be would pay over to the State Treasurer,
Mr.. Cardozo, but if he were not elected,
be would retain possession of the money
until the whole thing was settled. Most
of the members were in very INDECENT
circumstances, many of them being with
out a dollar, and but for the fact that
they were informed that the only way to
obtain their pay was to elect Mr.. Corbin
as Senator, l do not believe Mr.. Corbin
would have been elected, as he mas not
the most popular candidate.
G. G. Bowen testiiies-The under.
standing with all the members of the
Legislature, Corbin and Cardozo, with
reference to the election of Corbin to the
United States Senate, was, that if he
(Corbin) should be elected, the mem
bers of the Legislature were to receive
| 5000 each; and if the election should not
result in his favor, there would be no
money to pay any one. 1t was spoken
of by all parties for a week, and perhaps
longer, prior to that. Corbin would not
have received one-tenth part of the votes
he did had it not been for that an
nouncement. I regard the matter as
bribe, and SO Characterized it before
and after the election. Cardozo was
very industrious as the friend of Cor
bin, and stated to the members that
unless they voted for Corbin, they
would not get any money. There is no
doubt that if it had not been for that
| money Corbin would not have been
elected to the position Of United States
Senator. Chamberlain also stated that
Corbin would furnish the money if
elected. Corbin 10as constantly present
tUhen the assurances ,oere being made BY
his friends, and I am certain that he
| (Corbin) knew all about it.
Mr.. Corbin having stated that he fur
nished the money to F. L. Cardozo as
Treasurer, and the latter having testified
before the committee that in paying it
out he acted as the agent of Mr.. Corbin,
the committee, in such an investigation
as this, deemed st legitimate to prove
the declarations and acts of Cardozo in
reference to the whole matter. The
committee do not see how the state
ments can be reconciled on any theory
creditable to the parties.
Many of the witnesses examined do
not seem to have known anything ex-
cept that the money was paid to them
as members over the counter of the
State Treasurer, F. L. Cardozo, pro-
fessedly and to all appearances as an ofi-
cial act, and thus they may have been
kept in the dark as to the true nature Of
the transaction.
It appears to the committee that the
following facts are established:
That at the time Of the pretended
election for United States Senator, on
10Th December, 1876, in which David 7.
Corbin claims to have been elected, ho
held in control, as q member of the firm
of Corbin & Stone, $23,93450 collected
for the State, and then, and now, claimed
as the property of the State.
That the said David T. Corbin ad.
vanced about that sum to purchase tho
paw certificates of the Republican Sena.
| tors and members of the Mackey House
which pay certificates he then had
transferred to himself and still holds as
his own property.
That subsequently he paid over small
amount of $2O6.06 to the present Treas
urer-claiming the balance of the fund
on some pretext as debt due him by the
State-leaving nothing on file in the
Treasurer's or Comptroller's Offices to
show in what manner he could properly
appropriate to his own use so large surl
of money belonging to the State.
That this promise to purchase pay
certificates at psr which we're worthless o
the market and utterly without any legs |
validity operated as great inducemert
to many members of the Mackey House
to vote for Corbin, as they were in Co,
lumbia without money and in circunl-
stances of great need.
That David T. Cosbin did know that
this money was used for this purpose,
and that this was done by his contri'.
ance, and in accordance with his wishes
The committee have come to the COL.
clusion that if the facts be as they a,'
l Al thor fhara nc