Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-02-21

money was used to purchase Senators the
balance was to 20 to the House through Pat
terson.
I do not know that Kimpton used any mon
ey from the proceeds of State bonds for the
passage of these bills; but do know that he
used the proceeds of bonds belonging to the
State to secure the passage of other bills
which he was interested in, to.wit.: The Ster-
ling loan bill, the bill to authorize the imam
cial agent to pledge bonds for State loans, the
Sinking Fund bill, bill for payment of inter-
est in gold, and bill to issue bonds for the re-
lief of the treasury. | know, also, that he
paid out out of the proceeds Of the sale of the
State bonds, the money for share and half,
as it was called, of Greenville and Columbia
Railroad stock share, including assess
ment of $4,000 Immediately payable, being
$4,000. This was for Neagle. Another
share was for Joe Crews, Chairman of COM
mittee on railroads in House of Representa-
tives,) also one-fourth share, being s6 900, for
Cardozo, which, however, Kimpton subse-
quently took for himself, as he did Crews. ,.
He also paid for two or two and half shares
for George w. Waterman for Governor Scott
of like value. He paid for two shares of
like value for himself, and so far as I know
and believe, he paid for one-half share for D.
H. Chamberlain, of the value of $4,000. l
paid for one Of them myself 1t was under
stood by Kimpton and the financial board,
that the amount of these expenditures and
many others should be realized from State
bonds and covered by the difference between
the actual amounts for which the bonds were
sold by Kimpton, and the amount which he
should report that he had sold them for. G..
P. Leslie had share paid for in the same
manner, which he afterwards sold to Kimp-
ton for $4,000 cash.
Kimpton also advanced money out of the
proceeds Of the State bonds to assist the
Greenville and Columbia Railroad, but
think he held second mortgage bonds of said
company as collateral security for all the ad-
vances he made for or to the road He also
advanced the Blue Ridge Railroad Company
about 100000 out of the proceeds of the
State bonds; these advances were made by
witness advice and consent of the financial
board 100000 of the bonds of said com.
pany we're placed in his (Kimpton's) hands
as collateral, but he always reported that he
could not pledge them for any money, and that
he never raised any money on them, nor did
we ever know that he had pledged them until
after the passage of the Blue Ridge scrip bill !;
then, when it became necessary that we
should have them to turn into the treasury,
Kimpton reported that they were pledged.
He also advanced out of the proceeds Of State
bonds, by and with the consent Of the 6nan-
cial board moneys used for the land COM
mission also balance claimed by him as due
on the sinking fund account; also expenses Of
the high joint commission; also what was
known as State arms account, and the order
Of Governor Scott, but without the direction
of the financial board.
THE TAXPAYERs CONVENTION
Question. In anticipation of that Conven-
tion of 1871, was there any predetermination
IN the part of the financial board and agent
to mislead and deceive the Convention in re-
lation to the State debt?
Answer. There was.
O. What was done2
A. Weagreed to conceal the facts Of the
issue of the Conversion bonds, TO make the
issue ofother bonds as small as possible. With
this latter view we represented to the COM
mittee of the Taxpayers Convention that the
100000 of bonds had been redeemed from
pledge in New York and returned here for
the purpose of retiring, and should be no
longer considered part of the public debt.
@. Was it with view to carrying out
that purpose that committee of the Taxpay-
ers' Convention was invited to a conference
with the State officers and examination of the
State Offices?
A. 1t was.
@. Where was the conference held?
A. l think in Governor SCOTS Office. Sub
sequently a committee examined my Office
and the comptroller.generals office.
@. In the conference in the Governors
Office, who represented the executive depart
ment, and what representations were made by
him or any other persons to that committee
A. Gov. Scott and he told them that no
other bonds were outstanding except those
represented by statement there and then ex-
hibited, sohich ,oas prepared BY Chamberlain,
the attorney general, for that occasion, and,
if there were any other bonds out, Gov. Scott
said he did not know anything about them
and that he signed none Others Just after
the conference broke up, Gov. Scott came in
to my office and / upbraided him for telling
such a direct lie to that committee, when
be knew that very soon the fact must be
made public that he had signed millions of
other bonds and that they we're in the market.
The statement referred to as prepared by Mr..
Chamberlain suppressed all information as to
the Conversion bonds which had been issued
and we're then out, amounting to about
SIS 900 900 or more. The statement was pre-
pared in my office by Cham berlain, and sub
mitted to Scott before exhibition to the Tax
payers committee. The paper was prepared
after consultation between the members of
the financial board and Kimpton, and agreed
upon by them.
When the committee came into my Office,
there was no evidence there to show that any
irregular Conversion bonds had been issued.
No entry was made in my books at the time,
and believe there was no entry at that time
of the second issue of interest on the Public
Debt bonds.
@. Was the Taxpayers Convention, for
which Mr.. Chamberlain prepared this false
statement of the public debt, the same con-
vention of which Mr.. Chamberlain was a
member, and which he addressed in favor of
honesty and reform in the administration of
the State government
A. you mean when he asked the ques
ton, in a speech, "Who does not know that
the presence of one honest man puts to flight
band of robbers2" Yes!
The remainder of Parker's evidence is d.
rected to the explanation of the mass of let
ters principally from Kimpton. The follow
ing is also of interest:
@. (By Mr.. Meetze) What necessity
was there for issuing bonds at all
A. None in the world, except for the pur-