The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-02
SOUTH CAROLINA ROBBEliy.
How The Radicals nj south Gar0lina Lived
at tile Expense Of the state.
t(jint,iunati Tnnnirsr,

-
HOW the Radicals of south Carolina Lived
at tile Expense Of the state.
tCinelnnati Edauirsr1
NEW YORK, Feb. GA correspondent oil the
World at Columbia, 8. G., says: The joint i'm
Sena vrs and three Representa- yes, appointed
OF the special session III the General Assem-
bly,, convened In April, 1877, and who have
been In The continuous discharge Of the duty
been committed aud to what extent the
funds or credit Of the State had been misap-
Piled have about concluded their labprs, and
will submit during the present week to the
81 their Inquiries. The disclosures made by
the committee are truly Of an astounding ma
ture, and reveal d mass OF corruption that
niuss excite the Indignation OF every lover of
constitutional government, law and order.
The system III robbery praeticed Is not com
fined to any one department, nor was it linn
tied TO members OF the Legislature. Every
official, from the Governor down. entered into
the conspiracy to deffaud the people BY means
q ehe osl.9 a sey sespeevfy ne,a AZ
respondent Is assured that no idea car be
formed of the thefts which the whole Radical
administration In this Suite eUmprehends.
until all of the evidence taken IL published to
the world. 10 quote from the report.
III the simple statement were made that
Senators and members of the House were
furnished with everything they desired, from
the swaddling clothes and cradle TO the coffin
Ut the undertaken, from brogans to ehignons
the finest extracts to the best wines and
liquors, and pad for by the State, 1T would OK
eitea sInileof doubt and derision; but when we
make the statement and prove It, by the vouch-
ers found in the several offices, all will soon
admit the trathfulness Of the report. When
the accounts at first exceeded the pay of mem
bers they were included III tho report Of the
Committee ON Contingent Accounts. and pay
certificates issued for every description OF
merchandise In addition, pay certificates
were drawn, signed by the officers of the two
Houses aud turned over to the chairman OF
the Committee on Contingent Accounts for
distribution among the members OF their
committees, to induce them to more readily
pass eIaims OF other members not upon that
particular committee As these matters be-
ntttnH common the Senators claimed that all
tteir expenses should be paid by the State, or,
as Senator Leslie expressed 1t, the State had
no right to be State unless she could take
cure f her statesmen
Jones, the Clerk Of the House at that time,
testified that supplies were furnished to MEM
bers OF the House under the head Of legisla-
that they included refreshments, groceries,
dry goods. clocks, horses, furniture, carriages
and miscellaneous articles OF merchandise Of
every description for the personal use OF MEM
berS. III one session these amounts reached
the enormous sum OF $350,00O, as appears
from the vouchers now ON file In the State
YIBasuref's office One hundred and twenty
FIVE thousand dollars Of this amount was de-
voted TO refreshments, which included wines,
Sliuuorls Of al other kinds, cigars, etc. This
Practice becatue 50 general as TO embrace
nearly every Republican and five or SIX Dem
ocratfc members of the Senate, this number
being q large majority OF the Senate. The
accounts were ordered to be- paid without be-
ing audited, save by the title Of the bill or ae-
count
mot satisfied With opening a bar-roorn in
the State House, they employed d porter to
attend it. This official, drawing q regular
been his custom for six years to open the re-
freshment room at o'clock d. M, and keep 1t
ope until or 4 the next morning, and that
State officers, Speakers, clerks judges, editors,
thronged the room to imbbe and discuss poll
tics; He could not estimate the exact amount
Of liquors and eatables consumed, but swore
that the State-House bar-Toom did bigger
business than any other establishment Id the
city The rooms were kept open Sundays as
well as other days"
Hardy Solomon testified that he also sold
large quantities OF these luxhries, and that be
was paid by the State Treasurer. In the
itemized account submitted by Solomon APP
pear the names Of Scott, Moses, Ransier,
Parker, Neagle, Dennis, Hunbert, d notorious
Republican OF the present House, and dozens
OF Senators and Representatives. An ex-
animation Of the State Treasurer's books
accounts, overdrew the SUM total OF his bin,
about $4,000. In the year 1872 there was paid
to this one house S24,5s0 80, while his item
lied account showed that there was due him
overpaid also for that year $13177 or.
ut is shown that ON March 4, 1872, Solomon
furnished the Senate with 1881 worth Of
wines and liquors; and on the seventh day OF
1882 rs, aggregating s34sa Is for liquors,
cigars, etc, for the Senate OF South Carolina
for three days. Solomon says his accounts
were promptly paid and Il b worthy Of note
that at that very time criminals We're being
pardoned out Of the penitentiary and jails Of
the State to keep them from starving; and
the State Lunatie Asylum and other eharita
bic Institutions We're so crippled for want OF
bread that they were compelled to turn away
from their doors persons incapable OF taking
care Of themselves. The free schools Of the
State were closed, and the teachers told that
there were no fluids with which to pay them.
In 1871 it was shown that the expenses for
wines and liquors consumed by the General
q literal couy Of a lion file with the evidence:
"tCoIUMBIA, February %, 1879.
"sGov. A. J, Ransiear, Dr., to Joe Taylor:
"Tor liquors and cigars and other articles,
another bill IS shown for sweetmeats, deli
caeies, etc. The ruling rate for brady seems
to have been $40 per gallon; sherry wine, SO;
whisky, s.; cigars, SD per box; lager beer,
S,d 0U per QOZeu, CtldHhpasSue, S4U per case. "A
calculation disefoses the fact that If all the
liquors purchased consumed ~ the
members of the Legislature, the average
would amount to over one gallon each per
day, or a total of 1es gallons pee day for mem
bers alone. The bills Of Messrs Brookbanks
IL Co, confectionsfs, amount to $1,000 for
sweetmeats, fruit, etc, furnished the State
and charged to snDdries, TIE same being paid
by legislative pay certificates"
Harris. 10 st. Charles street.. auction sale OF
unredeemed pledges to-day at II o'clock a. IN.
SLIGHT teyht a ifafn yina toiI hrn :