The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-09-03
SOME COUNTY OFFICERS
SHARPLY CRITICISED BY CoMPTRoL-
IER GENERAL ELLERBEE,


sioncr of Union. County, in Trouble
Governor Tillman and Comptroller
General EIlerbee Have Some Interest
Ing Correspondence AboutIt.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Aug 2l.-The
Register. OF this morning, says the COun-
tY officers al over the State have had
their settlements with Comptroller (;,n-
eral Ellcrbcc, andthc result is that many
OF them wish they held other Offices or
none at all. The reasons for this wish
are many, but the principal one is that
several Of these County officers have
been keeping their books and handling
State lunds IN such careless manner
that they do not know exactly how they
stand with the State.
In one case this amounted to abso-
Lutte THEFT and in several others the care
lessncss was SO great as to become al
most criminal.
Governor I'illman has heard Of The
irregularities that exist and he and
Comptroller General Ellcrbce have had
some interesting correspondence in re
gard to them.
MCGOWAN GUILTY..
William MCGOwan WAS School Com
missioner FOR Union County previous to
AID during 1890, and during his term
obtained several hundred dollars from
the County Treasurer for school pur.
poses which he applied to his own use =.
MCGOWAN has paid the money back and
the State will suffer no loss on account
OF his peCulatiOns, but the fact that he
stole the money remains, and he has
been reported to the Court OF General
Sessions Of Union County by the Comp
trOl!er General.
The cores rondencc is interesting
reading and will doubtless be an eve
opener to many. 1t is as follows:
GOVERNOR TlLLMAN'S LETTER.
COLUMBIA, :. c., August 10, 1891.
Hon. w. II. Ellcrbec, Comptroller Gen
cral, Columbia, :. &.
SIK Information has reached me
that i'll making the annual settlements
with the County officers you lave dis
covered Il shortage in Cne or more Coun-
ties and various irregularities. AS this
is matter Of Importance, ask Of YOU
to report "a nc in writing what progress
you bavo made in making thcso settle
! ments, and what, If any, wrong doing
or Illegal acts you have found.
Very respectfully
(Signcd) B. II. TILLMAN.
The Comptroller Generals reply is
clear and covers the ground fully. 1t
shows that Il state of affairs exists in
South Carolina which certainly needs
attention and correction
TIE LETTER IN FULL.
COLUMBIA, :. G., August 20, 1891.
His EHccllcncy b. Il. Tillman, Cover
nor South Carolina.
DEAR SIR: Your communication OF
the 10Th Instant, reQucst sting q statement
III reference to reported irregularities
and shortage of accounts in one or more
Counties as developed by annual settle
mcnts with County officials being con-
Quoted by the Comptroller General, was
handed me last evening.
In reply 10 this official request on
your part | beg to state that while so
far nave found several instances OF
gross carclcssness in the handling Of
public funds and indifferent methods OF
discharging public duties imposed by law
upon officials, only one case has been
detected where there was an absolute
and undeEiabic appropriation of public
funds to pri"ctc use.
William AictiOWan, School Commits
sioner OF Union County for 1890, and
previous, obtained from the County
Treasurer several hundred dollars OF the
school fund Of that County for the fiscal
year lSS9-9O and applied the same to
his private use. This money, | am
pleased to state, has all been paid back
into the County treasury.
While unpleasant, my duty to the puu-
oath n 10,
me, not only to report such transactions
to you, Chief executive officer Of the
State, but also to the Court Of General
Sessions for Union County. The mat
ter has accordingly already been report
Ell To the court as required by Section 9
OF an Act of the General Assembly, ap-
proved December 23d, 1889, regulating
these annual settlements with County
officials. Orders made on school fund
arc usually on forms dcnominated
''original" and "duplicatc" and signed
by tho trustees Of school district, coun-
tersigned by the School Commissioner.
MIR. McGowan's method was in some
instances to approve these CLAIMS. origi-
nal and duplicate both made on the
form "original," ho himself collecting
the money for the one properly on file
IN his Office, and applying such money
to his own use, while the same amount
was paid to proper party. In other in
stances duplicates were changed into
originals in ink, and presented to Coun-
ty Treasurer, who paid them.
1T Is not possible for me to examine
critically all the vouchers upon which
money is paid, but cannot refrain
from calling attention to one particular
class which L must regard as wQcful
waste Of public funds.
AS much as 1867 being paid by one
school district for maps, charts, globes,
etc. School Commissioners in some in
stances have failed to certify apportion.
ment OF school funds for the school dis
trlcts to County Treasurcrs, and some
irregularities followed in the payment of
each school district its legal quota.
find a careless method of issuing
checks upon County Trcasurers by some
Board Of County Commissioners in that
they sign check in blank, names and
amounts being omitted, and leave with
tn cir clerks and in ollOyipO you,bor,