The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-06-18
nounco with horror the idea of attor-
neys or members of trusts, corpora
tions, and syndicates sitting in =
gress.-Ncw York Times.
AN EXPLANATION FROM DR.. BATES.
HE ADMITS TAKING A FEE FOR
SERVICES.

lin ADMITS TAKING a FEE FOR
SERVICES.
The Baltimore Syndicate Employed
Him After tho Contract Was Made
lie Claims that His Duties At
State Treasurer Did Not Conflict
Last week it was promised by Gov
ernOr Evans that a statement in regard
to the bond deal would be made by
himself and State Treasurer Bates on
the 10th inst. The Governor was away
| on official business, and when DR..
Bates was asked about the statement
by the newspaper reporters, he gave
the following statement for publica
tion, which refers alone to his owr
connection with the matter, and &C
counts for the sum of 81, ,03l.2 paid tt
him for special work by the syndicate
His defense is as follows:
eyes, it is true that received from
the syndicate the sum OF $2,O3l. 25.
This was for acting as their represent
alive in making settlements;with their
subscribers. collecting and remitting
their premiums and attending to their
expense account for instalmeuts.
There were subscribers in Charleston
for two million OF the now issue which
the syndicate had contracted to deliv-
er in Charleston. These were to be
paid for mostly in Brown consols, but
the holders of the consols naturally
would require the syndicate to deliver
to them the new issue of bonds before
they would part with the possession of
their consols. Two courses were
therefore open to the syndicate One
was to pay the State Treasurer 1000
IN cash, receive the now bonds and
then exchange them with the Charles
ton subscribers the other way was to
| secure sOme representative here in
Columbia whom the Charleston sub
scribing bondholders were willing to
entrust with their bonds and exchange
them for bonds of the new issues.
suggested to the syndicate the employ
| ment OF a Columbia banker as their
representative, but they preferred
that should do the work, and at tho
| urgent request of the Baltimore Trust
and Guarantee Company, through the
| agent Of the syndicate on or about the
2lst of March, 1893, consented to act
for them as the bondholde rs in Charles
ton and elsewhere were willing to
place their bonds in my hands for
exchange.
THE public will understand that
| there is u vast difference between {:
First, my accepting money as q consid-
Grafton for making q contract for the
sale of State bonds, and second, by my
accepting compensation tendered by
the syndicate for extra services as
| their eX-representative long after the
contract had been made. The first
would have been offered, OF course,
and accepted prior to the contract and
| would have deserved severe criticism
the second was rendered long after
| the contract had been made and was
for extra services that 1 could not
have been expected or required to
render as State Treasurer.
The work necessitated the keepinp
OF special, difficult and extensive nc.
count and involved much responsibility
and trouble. A good portion of the
amount received went to paw for extra
and special clerical work. am sure q
reasonable public will agree that the
work did was unofficial, and did not
conflict with my duties as State Treas
urer nor will | be expected to render
responsible and valuable services for a
syndicate Of wealthy capitalists with
out some reasonable compensation
| especially as the compensation was not
paid by the State. Outside of the
2,O3l.25 | did not receive one cent
from the syndicate or any one else on
account OF my connection with the re-
funding of the bonds.
"(Signcd) w. II. c.. BATES,
State Treasurer"
After DR.. Bates had given to the
press the above statement no received
the following letter from the president
Of the Baltimore Trust and Guarantee
Company, the former mayor Of Balti-
more, which he also gave for publica-
tion
BALTIMORE, Md, June 8. 1896.
urer, Columbia, S. c.:
Dear Sir--I understand that some
question has arisen as to the propriety
of your having accepted compensation
from the syndicate which purchased
South Carolina bonds in 1893, and We
think it no more thac fair to state that
under the rigorous terms imposed by
your then Governor, the Hon. b. r.
Tillman, it would have been exceed
ingly difficult for q syndicate to have
carried out the terms Of purchase with
out the constant presence in Columbia
OF some competent and trustworthy
person charged with the duty Of per-
forming the various acts Of necessary
clerical labor which were necessarily
required. 1t was not convenit Mt for
| ouio Viz dSCuG vi Uuc
dictate, to have such q representative
continually on the spot and you were
asked to SO act and the compensation
paid you was only fair and said pay
mont camo from the syndicate alone
and in no wise even remotely affected
the interests OF your State nor tho in
forests of the most insignificant of
your taxpayers. The payment for
your service was made upon the Volt
tion and by the sanction of the com-
mittee of the syndicate. 1t was en-
tirely proper and the engagement OF
you in such capacity really proved to
be q safeguard to your people, because
in tho execution Of the clerical duties
which the syndicate required you in
valuably manifested an unalterablc
zeal for the protection OF the interests
of your State, and in the exercise OF
this quality we think you often i'm
posed upon the syndicate conditions
which would have been quite unncc
essary in the conduct Of any matter.
pertaining to- private business. Tho
conditions, however, were accepted il
cordial spirit, because we though