The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-05

allty or the Blue Kldge Scrlp, PATTERSON
proposed to me, J. think, in the presence
of General William Gurney and Judge
Mackey, that he would deposit for me in
the hands of General Gurney, as my
trusted friend, fifty thousand dollars in
scrip and twenty-five thousand dollars in
money, to be delivered to me if l would
use my influence with the Supreme Court
to secure from them decree in favor of
the scrip-this scrip and money to be
held by Gurney until said decree had
been rendered, and then to be delivered
to me. accepted the proposition to use
my influence with the Court in that di-
rection, making it as condition prece-
dent, however, that he Patterson should
return to me the paper have described
in the first part Of this statement, bind
ing me to deliver to him the pay certifi-
Gates. He promptly refused to do so,
but after one or two days he reconsidered
his refusal, and he sent me the paper by
the hands of Judge Mackey, who deliv-
cred it to me safely. l thereupon with
drew my acceptance of his proposition in
connection with the Supreme Court and
refused to have anything to do with it.
I do not remember now how arranged
with him the $1,000 transaction.
MAcKEY's Postscript.
Hon. Thomas J. Mackey, being further
examined deposes on oath as follows:
While T. J. Moses, jr., was Governor he
steadily opposed any scheme to redeem
the revenue bond scrip, either by fund
ing or otherwise. l remember that he
stated to me that Patterson was threat
ening him with a suit on notes to large
amount which he (Patterson) held against
him (Moses;) but I delivered no paper
from Patterson to Moses, nor was 1 pres
ent at the delivery of any such paper. 1
was sustaining Governor Moses in his
opposition to the scheme for funding the
scrip. I acted as solicitor for the House
of Representatives before I became
Judge, and performed the duty, being at
my place every day as such. I never
saw Mr.. Moroso John Moroso) nor 81.
G. Worthington discharging and such
duty. I was appointed by Attorney
| General Chamberlain in 1871. l never
saw NJ. Hirsh acting as solicitor. ! de-
sire to make this further statement: l
have never drawn dollar from the
treasury that I did not earn by honorable
public service actually rendered to the
State, and challenge investigation.
HOW AN ACT WAS LOST.
Personally appeared F. J. Moses, who,
on oath, deposes and says as follows
During one Of the sessions of the Gen
eral Assembly while l was Governor at
which session bill was passed repeating
the act which provided for the issue of
the Blue Ridge scrip, John J. Patterson
came to me and begged that I would
veto the bill. I told him that / would
not agree to do so, and that l would
cheerfully sign the bill if it reached me.
II. J. Maxwell was then chairman of the
Senate committee on engrossed acts, and
it was his duty to deliver the bill to my
private secretary, as it (the billy had
originated in the Senate. Patterson told
me that it was matter of so much con-
sequence to him that he would see Max
we'll and promise to give him 81 900 if
he (Maxwell) would agree that the bill
should not reach me, and asked me to see
Maxwell and persuade him to agree to it.
l saw Maxwell and told him l believed
Patterson would keep his promise, and
Maxwell agreed to do as asked, and the
bill did not reach me. Whether Patter-
son has ever paid Maxwell the 81 900 he
promised, 1 do not know. do know
that up to certain time it was not paid,
as Maxwell talked with me of it several
times and seemed to think that I ought
to pay it as l had guaranteed Patterson's
promise.
Josephus Woodruff, being duly sworn
deposes and says: That he was Clerk of
the Senate at the session of 1928,
when an act to repeal an act requiring
the Comptroller General to levy an an
nual tax for the redemption Of, the reye-
! nue. scrip commonly known as Blue
Ridge scrip was passed and ratified.
! The act was presented to Senator h. j..
Maxwell, chairman of committee on en-
| rolled bills, for presentation to the Gov
ernor requested me 10 withhold it, as a
number of our mutual friends were deep.
| " interested. I informed him that / had
already placed the act in the hands Of
Senator Maxwell, Mr.. Maxwell called
on the Governor and subsequently told
me he had agreed that the act should be
lost. On the first day of the next ses-
sion copy of the act was made, ratified,
presented to the Governor and approved.
EXTRACT ERoM wooDRUFF's DIARY.
S4-1. FRIDAY, Feb, Is, 1873.
The Governor sent for me and asked
me not to let it appear on the Journal
that the act to repeal the Blue Ridge
scrip was presented to him. Told him
that could not be avoided if it was in
cluded in the report of the chairman OF
the committee on enrolled bills. 1t was
not in the report.
| FIGHTING THE SCRIP.
Evidence of w. B. Nash continued to
the 18th October, 1877: When the Fund
ing bill was up for discussion, and it was
proposed to provide for the Blue Ridge
scrip in the bill by way of amendment.
At a caucus Of the colored senators it
was proposed, by way of compromise, to
give the Blue Ridge scrip the same foot
1 lUH vi MY SCllIo VIC
as was given to the State bonds, but
Whittemore was unwilling to accept the
compromise and wanted it to be funded
dollar for dollar. Patterson stated to me
in conversation, about this time, that he
was not personally interested in the scrip,
as he had disposed of his scrip, but that
he was authorized by the holders of the
scrip to offer me $4,000 in money and
$4,000 in scrip if would support the
funding of the scrip dollar for dollar. /
refused the Offer and fought the scrip.
Whittemore afterwards was willing to
take fifty cents on the dollar after his
amendment was defeated, but he wouldn't
agree to it then and voted down the Jer:
vey amendment, which would have passed
at first if Whittemore hadn't refused to
be satisfied with it.
The whole of the above testimony was
taken between July IA and November Is,
1877.