The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-03-28
SOUTH CAROLINA.


farmers sowing spring wheat.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
A History of Wholesale Public Stealing.
From the Kew York Evening Post.l
The report of the South Carolina Leg
islative Committee on frauds has been
submitted to the Legislature of that
State, and it furnishes history of pub
lie stealing such as has not been equaled
in this country except by the operations
of the Tweed ring. AS the report is
accompanied by vouchers and the testi-
mony of the witnesses, it cannot be
considered an imaginary picture.
One of the principal witnesses exam
med was Woodruff, formerly Clerk OF
the State Senate, who made no attempt
at concealment. He said that anything
which Senator wanted was ordered I'M
der the name of "supplies and
promulgated by one Senator that " the
State had no right to be State unless
she could pay and take care of her
statesmen" In one session the bills of
this kind which the State paid amounted
to $35O,OO0, including 1925, 900 for
wines, cigars, and other "refresh-
ments." Senators of both parties
shared in this kind of plumber. A
special room was fitted up in the State
House for the dispensation of liquors
and tobacco, and large quantities were
sent to the private rooms of legislators
This took place from 1871 to 1874 On
one day in March, 1872, the liquor bill
of single dealer was 81, 631, and three
days later he had bill of 81 ,852 more.
AS is always the case in such circum-
stances, the prices paid were enormous,
800 gallon being the price charged for
brandy, $40 for sherry, $40 case for
champagne, $40 dozen bottles for port
wine, and $40 hundred for cigars.
But refreshments were not the only
requirements of these statesmen. In
four years the State paid for more than
$4,000 worth of furniture, although
liberal appraisement makes the
value of the furniture now in the State
House only $17,715. More than
one dealer testified that he furnished at
least forty private bedrooms, and all the
| committee rooms we're fitted with costly
furniture, which was stolen as soon as
the session closed. The report says, in
regard to one large bill "The evidence
proves most conclusively that majority
of the members of the House combined
against the persons who furnished these
goods and demanded to be paid for vot-
| ing for the claim. The bills were more
than doubled and certificates issued for
them" This is the Ingerson process
over again. Beside furniture the State
paid for clocks costing from $3.50 to
$500 each, and for several mirrors at
! $500 each. Nearly all these have been
removed by unknown thieves. The car
pet bills equaled the rest, amounting to
thousands of dollars year. The report
says: - r-
| "By reference to the account of
Stewart, Sutphen & Co., by A. o. Jones,
and reported from Committee on Con-
during one session alone they sold to
the State 4,658 yards of carpeting-
more than l, 900 yards being finest Brus-
sells. Gen. Dennis and Sergeant-at-
Arms Williams both testify that the
committee-room were furnished with
new carpets every session, which were
carried away i'll the spring Of the year
Gen. Dennis says he knows that some
OF it was shipped to Massachusetts. %
A few other articles which the legisla-
tors successfully coveted were station
cry, the bill for which, during one ses-
! oioh, "oo quo, ury SOOuS, HOTSeS
and carriages, Webster's Dictionaries
Zone for each member), inkstands worth
$25 apiece, gold pens at $40 each, jewel
ry, call bells at $12 each, stoves, hair
brushes and towels, and all kinds of
commodities, such as the following:
"Best Westphalia hams, Bologna
sausages, bacon strips, diamond hams,
Java and Rio coffee, pine, Edam,
Schweitzer cheese, English cheese, gilt
edge butter, sardines, smoked and
canned salmon, smoked beef and buf-
falo tongues, canned oysters and lob
sters, fresh Norfolk oysters, deviled
ham, black and green teas, French
chocolate, olive oil, catchups, Worcester
and pepper sauces, imported mush-
rooms, preserved ginger, guava-jelly,
pickles, carbohydrates, brandy peach
es, lemon-sirup, assorted extracts, sea-
foam, citron, assorted nuts, lemons,
oranges, wax and adamantine candles.
Colgate fancy and toilet soaps, starch,
table and Liverpool salt, kerosene oil,
bacon sides and shoulders, English mus
tard, vinegar, mackerel, concentrated
I've, Orleans and fancy sirue and mo-
lasses, assorted English crackers and
biscuits, condensed milk, parlor- matches,
Irish potatoes, leaf lard, assorted pep
per, sugar, -four, pearl grist, imported
kid gloves, ladies sachels, mems white
and brown hosiery. linen cambria hand
kerchiefs, ladies' hoods, cambrics, rib
bons OF all qualities, fine plaid goods,
extra-long bath towels, pieces Of Grape,
scissors, skirt-braids and pins, baize.
spooi-cotton, prints, tooth-brushes,
heavy combs, fax, buttons, whalebone,
gingham, hooks and eyes, boulevard
skirts, "bustles,'' extra-long stockings,
chignons, palpitators,' garters, chem
lses, undervests, parasols and sun UNI
brellas, fine overcoats, pants, vests,
coats, shirts, undershirts, drawers, socks,
boots, suspenders, collars, shoes, slip
pers, hats and caps"
The Popular Loan.