The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-11-18
DEMOCRATIC
EFFICIENCY +?
How the Public's Business Was
Conducted Under Former
Administrations.
DIR. THOMPSON DISCOVERS

ca,ian rubti,h-. the D., id-nr.-
Every now and then some Demo
cratic editor lesrIs of alleged incom-
Potency or careless mes. of 3 Republican
or ropulist ofii cisl. This discovery
is written up 10 suit the Democratic
press, and IL goes The round OF the |
state papers. Much ado Is made of
il as il seems t. D. particularly pAla-
table to this class Of newspapers. But
on the other hand II Democratic Of
fetal, either in high or low station,
should be guilty of either charge II !.
unnoticed, or II IL happens 10 be too
glaring 10 pass IL over IN silence, few
lines recording the incident Is pub
lishel and put IN some obscure posi-
tion in the paper where II - most
Likely to escape the readers eye and
that ends the matter.
TIE CAUCASIAN has recently come
into possession of some gross careless
ness and negligence that has bee n
going on in the Secretary OF States
office under the administration of
Saunders, Coke and Cook. DIR. Thomp-
son, the present Secretary OF State.
has given some OF these facts TO re-
porters of Democratic papers, but
they failed TO make note Of d., or
either their papers would not publish L.
The CAUCASIAN proposes to publish
the facts that the public may learn
that there were officials in the u. q. l..
who were not always as attentive To the
discharge OF their duties as the Demo
| cratic papers would have the people
| believe. In this article We will
touch only upon the pubic correspond
ence pertaining TO the office oi Sscre-
| tary of State.
DR.. Thompson, in oyerhauling the
| papers and records Of the Office,
came across number OF letters
containing money and papers OF much
| importance, il not TO the State, at least
| to the individual interested and who
| had q right that the matter receive due
consideration at the hands OF the Of
| fee. We will give a few as examples.
| /. In May, 1895, Mr.. Turner Turpip,
of Whittier, n. c., mailed letter
| to the Secretary Of State contain
ling some papers for land grant, and
also q money order for iG3, the nee
essary fee to cover the cost. This let
ter was pigeon hOied and forgotten.
About year later the postofiice su-
thOrities called the Secretary's atten-
tion to the fact that al unpaid money
order was in the pOstOfiice, whereupon
the Secretary had duplicate money
order issued and received the money
lin April, 1896. The original letter
with order was recently found by DR..
Thomson, who then wrote to the
sender, and after full investigation
learning that no service had been per-
formed by his predecessor he retur IA.
the money to Mr.. Turpin.
2. On January the 22nd, 20, Mr.. w.
| 3. Copeland, of Big Oak, Moore coun-
ty, sent papers for land grant Incios-
: ing $500 in cash To cover expenses OF
having the grant properly recorded
) This letter was also recently unsatrh-
ed, and the Secretary wrote TO Mr.
Copeland for some information in re-
gard to the matter. The following il
Mr.. COpeland's reply:
BIG OAK. n. G., Oct. 6. 1897
Mr.. Cyrus Thompson, Secretary of State,
/ DEAR SIR:-In reply to yours of the 5tt
: inst, will say that sent those plots al {
three dollars and got Coke's registered re
ceipt for same: that is the last ever hearc
of it until to-day. / wrote enclosing STAMP
for answer but never heard anything from
. money or papers. ! would say to you. this
t l want my grant Is soon as possible !
there is anything wrong or anything lack
, ing let me hear at once. Please let II e hea
g from you as soon as this comes to hand, a
1 am anxious to know.
i Respectfully yours.
2 W. ID. COPELAND.
3. Mr.. George Holmes, Of Bowman
Bluff, on December the 2Sth, 1892, sen
= a letter with papers for lahd gran; an,
; check for 1923; the grant was issue
y in January, 1898, but the check ha
been pigeOn-hOld and there rename
until found by DIR. Thompson IN To
. original envelope. lie wrote To MI
IL Holmes, and by his direction deposite
g the money in the bank for cOl!ectlo
= Oct. 23, 1897.
eI Ain June, 1891. Mrs. Il. &. Green, G
a JudsOn, Swain county, wrote TO IN
Secretary of State, inclosi0 gran
in which she desired a correction to
= made, and sent the money 40 pay th
l. fee. The letter and money were lai
l. aside and entirely forgotten until ID
: Thompson found them where they "a
r been placed six years age.
II ). MIR. T.. S. Mcclure, Of ShoO,in
70 Creek, Clay county, sent papers for
- grant inclOsing fifty cents in sii=r
The papers were out of date and gra'
could not be issued. Mr.. McCini
should have been notified of this fsr
VI but instead. mis- letters were throw
G. aside with money. DR.. Thompson r
xe turned Mr.. McCiure's money Octob
D. ths 27th, 1897.
10 6 Mr.. Nathan ID. Hart, Of B-ys'
al City. sent papers for land grant Ia ::
together with 5000 in money; the Z
pers were out of date and grant cot
ee not be issued. The proper thing f"r q
ne Secretary of State at that time 10 Ia
v done, was to notify Mr.. Hart that I
ve grant could not be issued and retu
he the money, but instead, it was pigeo
hOled, and six years after found by
present Secretary Of State. DIR. Thorn
son corresponded with Mr.. Hart, a.
- after proper investigation return
'o him the money by registered letter.
re 7. Nc. VIM. ii Oliver, an insuran
en- agent at Newb.rue, in 8 letter dat
.es Arri, 18th, 1894, sent tn the Secreia
All of State check fer S25 90 in payne
n; for an insurance company license
~ three mo- tbs, As n I'ceuse could not
issued for tnr-e months. the cite
q should have been r-turned 20
Oh Oliver with Information 10 that eile
ST, Rut neither was done until
to- THOMPSON last month found
all check and letter and correspond
be- with Mr.. Oliver in regard to fas m
ter and he then returned the check
NO. him.
8. A letter dated Oct. 2ith, 1894. Is
an insurance man in Virginia, inc!
10 log a check for $45 90 in payment
aly insurance taxes, WAS received at
wn Secretary's office. They. too. were ]
I'M aside until Dr. Thompson discove
to them neatly tucked away in . pig
ar hole of the Secre'ary's de.k. the ch'
81, is now con.ideFed uncOiIectable. i
- of course is q loss to the State.
81 while the amount in itself is seemi
uou ly small, ir however, plainly rev'
put the carlessness and eG'igence carl
troll on in that Office. In another piac
Let check WAS found drawn in favor OF
be H. N. Ramseur, BY Mr.. A. 3. Fort
,lic. on the Western Carolina Savings B'
ma. dated March. 19, 1883. and endor-et
- the back BY Mr.. II. M. Ramseur;
check had evidently been given