The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-11-13

people haze forced me, by endeavoring
to claim that it was white men and not
negroes WHO did these wrongs, to un
earth these records from our archives
and bring them here and let the world
know that these men who stand here
and clamor for the justice OF their race
perpetrated these damnable robberies
aud infamies when they were in pow
er. The next thing after passing from
this matter of printing is table pre-
pared by this committee from the re.
cord covering the Legislative expenses
for the four Legislatures. ] will not
attemp: to tire the patience Of this
body by going over the figures. 7 will
pick out items here and there
Now not satisfied that the taxes were
five million more than were necessary
you will recall that the treasurer spoke
of the disappearance OF seven million
assets belonging to the State. being
the assets of the Bank of the State and
the stocks of the State, in different
railroads.&c. which she had lent her
credit. He read:
From extracts from the report ofthe
swindle of the Columbia and Green
vile Railroad Company. Career of
J. J. Patterson:
Since the day of the coming of this
man to South Carolina there has been
perpetrated upon the people of the Sta,
ct a series of frauds great and small
many of which have already made the
subject of comment and all of which
mark out together an era challenging
comparison for its infamy with any
history within the period of modern
times. In each case the familier foot
prints of this man are to be seen and
measured, and most to be found in the
forefront of the mottled army of
plunderers, as the years of good steal,
Inb in Sonth Carolina have come and
gone, Your committee propose torefer
to severl of the latter class, mostly to
be singled out and held up to view for
their exceptional enormity and the
bold and brazen etfrontery with which
they were perpetrated.
That was one Of his bon mots which
he got when he remarked that there
five more years Of good stealing in
South Carolina. This is the only record
he has left here in the memory of these
people. In a general way if you ever
hear his name mentioned some speaks
and saws. Yes, he got that; there were
FIVE more years of good stealing in
South Carolina" He then read the
following extract:
Your committee having already
exhibited John j. Patterson as the
originator and participator is various
schemes of public plunder and perso-
nal pribery, viz: First, III his election
as United States Senator; second, in
the fraudulent pay certificates: third.
the Columbia ane Greenville Railroad
swindle, and fourth, the impeach-
ment Acts, now propose to uncover
and reveal his crowning work in fraud
and infamy under the above captious.
These several measures, namely, the
Blue Ridge bond scrip, the validating
bill and the final settlement bill, fol
lowing each other so closely in point
of time, having been originated, eng
ineered and matured by Patterson and
the ring, and passed through the Leg
islature by the same means, it is I'M
possible to sedarate them in this report
heuce the subjects are combined. and
may be aptly designated fraud in
three acts.
''On the Sd day of February, 1872,
A. L. Singleton introduced into the
House of Representatives a bill to re
lieve theState of South Carolina of all
liability for its guarantee of the bonds
of the Blue Ridge Railroad by provid-
ing for the securing and destruction of
the same On the Sth day of the
same month John 8. Dennis, by
unanimous consent introduced a bill
relating to the bonds of the State Of
South Carolina better known as the
Validating Act. He also at the same
time introduced "a bill relating to the
financial agent of the State of South
Carolina in the city of New York,
commonly called the final settlement
bill. It will now be seen how inno-
cent the titles of these bills appear,
and yet how full each is of dangerous
mischief to the State as executed by
the parties. The first on its face rep
resented plausible scheme to relieve
the State from its guarantee of
the large sum of 100000 of the
bonds of the Blue Ridge Railroad
Company by issue of scrip osten-
sibly to pay the honest. debt OF
said company, but in fact to be con-
verted into private and personal cor
ruption fund. The second appeared
to be merely an Act to validate the lr-
regular issue of certain bonds, but was
intended to validate the illegal use and
disposition of Sc, 600, ,000of State bonds
by H. H. Kimpton, and then fasten
such debt upon the State. The third
simply empowered the financial board
to make a settlement with H. Z.
Kimpton, financial agent, but really
afording the opportunity of covering
up and cancelling the large amounts
paid out by Kimpton from sales of
bonds illegally made, to be divided out
in commissions among the ring, and
in carrying the purchase of the Green
vile aid Columbia Road for the same
ring
THE most cursory examination of
the journals of the General Assembly
and the testimony annexed to this re-
port must satisfy all that these three
measures were adroitly and deliber-
ately concocted by the same persons
for their joint personal benefit, and by
combination forced through the Gen
eral Assembly by the most shameless
and barefaced bribery OF Senators and
members, for the evidence of many of
the members show, with particularly,
that Patterson, Worthington, Neagle.
Kimpton, Scott, Parker and Chamber.
lain aided the nefarious by counsel and
advice, by the solicitation ofvotes and
and the actual purchase of numerous
voters with large sums of money,
these persons having full knowledge
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