The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-07-01
authorizing the extension of the 6 per

authorizing the extension Of the E per
cent. Brown consols for four years at
s per cent. which was evidently done
by someone unfriendly to the Admin
istration of South Carolina, and that
had the effect of throwing those peo-
pie off entirely, many of them They
said they could not negotiate for a !
per cent. bond when the State was
considering the extension of its bonds
at E per cent, and when say they
say" understand me, | do not
mean any particular person; l am Civ.
ing you the general view OF what |
gathered at the time. Mr.. French was
il and not active IN getting up the
syndicate as we'll man might have
been.
In another place Mr.. Rhind speaks
of the commission which he was TO get,
saying ne started out to work for q
commission Of ! per cent.
Mr.. Rhind, on the redirect eXaml-
nation by Mr. Nenable, tells Of the
81, 900 fee be promised TO pay Major
Gary, Of Augusta, Ga.
=. Now you have said also that you
agreed to pay Mr. John Gary Evans a
fee. What was the amount Of that
fee?
a. Il has never been settled; it IS
Ike yours and Mr. Baetger's; ii is sub.
ject to an agreement
| 9. What was the fee for service as
an Attorney
A. Services as an attorney; he has
been working with me from the start
on this thing, and he has given me
point after point in regard to the law,
and nave consulted him as a resident
of South Carolina, and as d practiclng
attorney there, have consulted both
of these gentlemen, and he has come
on TO Baltimore here in this case, |
don't know how many times, half
dozen times, several times at least, in
this matter, and until he wasnominat-
ed and elected Governor he was my
active adviser in the case.
Q. Aud you owe him fee for his
services. but The amounts not settled
a. The amount is in abeyance.
.. Have you agreed Or undertaken
to pay any other persons for their
services in connection with this mat
ter2
A. No person whatsoever except the
$1,000 that I have stated payable to
the Bank of Charleston.
AS to my connection with the cas-,
es in our Supreme Court l have this to
say: I was sent for by Governor
Tillman to come to Columbia after the
contracts had been signed for the sale
of the bonds. He related that hair
splitting lawyers had raised point
against that constitutionality OF this
Act ard the syndicate would not take
| the bonds unless they were decided
constitutional by the Supreme Court.
I then brought an action in my own
name against Tillman and Bates, en-
Joining them from entering into the
contract with the syndicate. The case
was heard by the Supreme Court, the
Attorney General representing the
State. The Supreme Court decided
the Act to be constitutional. Govern
or Tillman refused to pay me fee
upon the ground that he had no money
for that purpose, but insisted that he
at least pay my expenses. This he
did by giving me a check for $50 out
of his contingent fund. After the
syndicate had purchased the bonds
lawyers in New York raised anoth-
er point against their validity,
which is reported in the case of Rob
ertson VS. Tillman and Bates. l was
telegraphed to by Mr.. Davidson, pres.
ident of the syndicate, to meet their
attorney, Mr.. Steele, in Columbia. l
did so. He desired me to assist him IN
bringing the matter before the Su-
preme Court. I prepared the papers
and assisted him and for this service
the syndicate paid me 500.
This is my connection with the en-
tire matter. No fair minded person
in South Carolina will assert that !
have been guilty Of wrongdoingin ac-
cepting a fee for my services.
Now let US see what Governor Till
man and Treasurer Bates have saved
the State by his so-called bond deal
In 1892, while this matter was pend
ing. Mr.. John G. Haskell had intro
duced into the House of Representa-
tives a joint resolution extending the
time for the payment OF the bonds for
a period of four years at the rate OF t
per cent. per annum. He stated IN
advocacy of the resolution that by
reason of the stringency of money and
the lack of confidence in TilIman's
Administration, it would be impossible
to refund the debt at any rate. If his
suggestion, had been adopted the sum
of SIS, $50 per annum would have
been levied upon the taxpayers OF
this State or total in the four years
of $315. .320. This would have been
$197, 1875 more than Tillman and Bates
paid for the redemption Of the entire
Indebtedness. The old debt was draw,
ing interest at the rate of per cent.
per annum or in round numbers S315,-
900 per annum. AS refunded by
Tillman it draws i per cent per an
mum or S236, $50 in round numbers, a
saving to the taxpayers of SIS, $50 per
aunum, more than enough to psy the
salaries of the Governor and Treasur.
er for over fifteen years. At the end
Of twenty years the State has the op'
ton of refunding the entire debt at q
lower rate of interest or of continuing
it at the same rate for twenty years
longer. At the expiration of twenty
years the Tillman bond deal will have
saved the taxpayers 81, SIS, 900 or near
ly one-third Of the entire debt. AT
the expiration of forty years the tax
payers will have saved So, $50, 900 IN
| interest alone more than enough to
buy the entire county of Clarendon at
| its assessed valuation for taxation.
| Under this Act a sinking fund has
been provided for, which sets apart
s75, 600 per annum out Of the phosphate
royalty. The State now has over
| $4,000 drawing interest at A per
cent, which is being compounded. At
tho enS oftUenty wears this fund Will