The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-01
THE BOND MATTER.
Senator TIllman Makes q Statement About

COLUMBIA. 8. c., June 24.-The fol,
lowing letter was published q few days
ago:
To the Public: I have been absent
from the State during most of the last
two weeks, making silver speeches in
the west, and have been ignorant OF
the Juror created by the signed arti.
cles IN the New York Times, charging
crookedness in the bond matter. /
, read it, as copied in the State papers
just before leaving South Carolina,
and Immediately decided that the au-
thor was my political and personal
enemy and South Carolinian. I did
not feel that the anonymous attack
was worthy OF notice and so stated to
a reporter. On my return I find that
A. B. Williams is known to he the
writer. and this statement OF itself,
will be sufficient to most men as to the
motive of the attack and truth of the
charges. I learned further that DR..
Bates had written a card explaining
the receipt by him of a commission
amounting to about $4,000 for extra
and unofficial work, but apparently
stunning or ignoring the grayer
charges directly or indirectly made Of
a collusion with Rhind and the COM
mission. On arriving at Columbia, /:
found DR.. Bates had prepared fpiL
statement of the whole bond transac-
ton, but undsr bad advice had cons
fined his statement as published to an
explanation of the commission paid
him, which was not at. ailtig csosEs
even to his friends, and tHSie6
invited rather than disartned cf1tIci
He submitted this statement to me amd
now gives it to the press at my sdgyc6-s
ton. have read it carefully and can
corroborate as true everything in con-.
tains as to the facts of the case.
But for the fact that there are others
involved in the so called 'bond scam
dal," I would adhere to my original
purpose of treating it with silent COM
tempt, because Gen. Butler made
practically the same charges at Wall
terboro in 1894, and I made full and
complete answer to them then,
I recognized, however, that the
shafts of SANDER and malace which
have fallen harmless from nae may
wound others who are not less worthy
of public confidence. take occasion,
therefore, to repeat what I said at
Walterooro two years ago. Ihaye.
never received one dollar of Rhinds
commission and never made any
agreement, directly or indirectly with
Rhind or any one else that would give
me compensation for making the CON;
tract upon the terms agreed upon, j
worked in the States interest and for
her benefit wholly, and it is simply:
damnable that the papers of the State
should give currency and quasi en-
dorsement to these repeated slanders
and lies. - >,>--..s -
take occasion to say that the work
done by DR.. Bates was entirely outsid 8
of and apart from his official dutieA
and that every criticism of him for it
in my judgment, unreasonable and
unjust. He consulted me as to the
propriety of doing it, and I did not
then and do not now see why he
should have refused to do the work
that in no wise conficted with his Of
fetal duties, and which did not cost
the State one cent. On two occasions
DR.. Bates, in the plentitude OF caution
for what he supposed to be for the
best interests of the State, refused To-
sign the modification of the contract
which the exigencies of the situation,
demanded, and I overruled him be-:
cause I saw it our last and only
chance.
The agreement to do the work for
the syndicate was made two weeks af.
ter the last compact was signed, and.
he signed that under my persuatlon.
I was associated with him four years
on the terms of the closest intimacy.
If he is not an honest, honorable, COM
scientious and high-toned gentleman,
then we have none in South Carolina.
| B. R. TnLMAH.
ANOTHER STATEMENT BY TREASURER
BATES. e~ne.s'E.Hsssss'ssall =
The statement of DR.. Bates referred
to by Senator F1lman would make
'tabout four, columns in this paper, %
that its publication in this issue is ont
of the question. It contains nothing
new howe7cr-is but an elaborate re-:
cital of facts and incidents connected
with the bond negotiations and COM
tracts. beginning with the original re-
funding Act of 'S9, with which the
public are already familiar. The difh-s
culties encountered in placing the
new bonds are fully set forth. = b
As to the commission paid the brok.
or, Rhind, DR.. Bates says:
1.-The act of 1892 under which the re-
funding took place appropriated the
money in the sinking fund for the pay
ment of commission. Not dollar
of this money was used, and strictly
speaking, no commission was paid By:
the State to anybody. The interest
from January to July, 1898, as requir-
ed by the contract. was paid (every
cent of it, to the Baltimore Trust and
Guarantee company, or to the sub
scribers of the syndicate upon their
order. How the syndicate settled
with Mr.. Rhind was his and their own.
affair and one with which the State
had nothing to do"
Again, the Doctor says upon this
subject: -. -
"As for Mr.. Rhind's commission it
was a matter that concerned him and.
the syndicate. Every banker and cap.
italist in the State knows that the
State debt was refunded to great adj
vantage and as economically as could
be expected under the circumstances
| in the face OF such strong opposition
at home and abroad. -
The charges or insinuation that J.