The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-08

y IeCUuSlu6idtlUII VI tuO foGo WuOiCuv
!. it was defeated. They did so.
e also asked Mr.. Sheppard to move ;
= reconsideration, which he kindly
J. consented to do. He did so, but the
3 measure was then postponed unit
, the next session. This did moi
satisfy Inc. I called upon Mr.. N
B. Myers, Republican, who had
joined the Wallace House Of Rep
resentatives, and who had proved
himself staunch friend of reform
upon many occasions, to take charge
Of the measure and, if possible, push
it through. He Immediately made
a motion House Journal, page 1851
that the Bill be placed upon the
Calendar and printed, which motion
prevailed. The Bill was, at my
request, reconsidered by the Com
mittee of Ways and Means, and I
was invited to be present. The
result was that majority of the
Committee favored the Bill, with
some amendments. It IVES acted
upon favorably by the House, be-
came an Act, and was approved by
Governor Hampton, June 7, 1877.
This.Act fixed the salaries of State
officers, their clerks, Judges, Solicit
tors, County Treasurers, Auditors,
School Commissioners, and the
amount allowed each County for
assessments. The following COM
parsons will demonstrate the effect
and saving to the State by the
Acts referred to.
Salaries of State officers. &c.. before
the, passage of first Act 1915 for
Salaries, &c.. after the passage of
first Act each year.........."........ 264 42I5 W
Annual reduction s53,26 90
Salaries, &C., after the passage of 49,, 49, >,
saaries hasi &c. after the passage Of "
second Act 1871. 153s5O 90
Additional annual reduction. ...S11O,425 90
UNJUST AND FRAUDULENT CLAIMS.
1t might be sufficient to say that
during my term Of service in the
House of Representatives and SEN
ate the Journals will show a steady
and persistent opposition on my part
to all claims presented that ap.
peared to be unjust or fraudulent.
But to give you better conception
and idea of the nature Of some of
these claims, I shall have to go
, somewhat into detail:
"Clains Of the South Carolina
Bank and Trust Company." One
among the most noted and perhaps
most unblushing claims presented for
payment to the Legislature had
the above caption, but was more
familiarly known as Hardy Solo
mons claim" 1t purported to be
made up of large amounts of pay
certificates and other evidences of
Indebtedness, the greater part of
which was Of a doubtful and suspi-
cious character. The claim came
before the Committee of Ways and
Means of the House of Representa-
tives. Being then a member Of that
Committee, I opposed the claim, and,
with Hon. K. NJ. Smith, submitted q
minority report. [see House Jour-
nal, extra session of 1873, page 93.
Amongst other reasons set forth
against the passage Of the Bill pro-
viding for the payment of this
claim, the following will appear:
- - That although the. Bill itself
certificates, bills payable or Treasury notes Of
the late Treasurer, Niles G.. Parker. not n
single one of them has been produced for our
examination as to. its validity or Legality, al
ediy and formally demanded them. That, the
wording of the Bill itself is SO obscure and in-
definite that it is impossible for your minority
| Committee to separate the principal and inter-
est therein mentioned, and thus ascertain
which is the greater amount. =
THAT the provisions of the second Section OF
said Bill are SO mandatory, upon, the State
Treasurer that they deprive him Of ali discre-
ton and preclude him from making nny in
vestgution whatever rs to the legality Of the
claims presented for payment;
| I'VE would further call the attention OF
your honorable body to the unsettled condi-
ton of the country, and especially the embar1 :
| rassed and critical condition of the finances OF
the State, rs an insurmountable objection to
the passage Of such on extravagant ana donot-
| full measure"
This protest on our part and other
efforts to defeat this measure, al
though we were aided by other
members, were Of no avail; the Bill
passed. Subsequent Investigations
have demonstrated that the sum Of
eighty thousand dollars was entered
upon the books of the bank, of which
Hardy Solomon was then President,
as Legislative expenses" ard the
evidence adduced proved a large
portion of it was expended in brib.
ing members of the General Assem-
bly, to vote for the passage Of the
Bill. What comment on such
legisIation.-that $780, 0,000should have
been expended to secure an appro-
priation Of s125,OOO-and how ut.
terly futile any honest effort to de-
feat it! That we were correct in
our suspicious, founded on the vague
and indefinite wording Of the Bill,
was soon apparent, as Treasurer
Cardozo discovered a due bill for
$4,000, in the handwriting of ex-
Treasurer Parker, held by the bank,
for which payment was demanded,
the same being issued without any