Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-01-11

Oh the part OF the State against the Cen
eral Government should be paid. This
communication was brought forth OH ac-
count of the claims put III by this State
tor reimbursement of expenses incurred
i'll organizing volunteer troops for service
III the war with Spain. l submitted the
letter to the State Treasurer and asked
him for statement. | submit herewith
his statement and ask for this matter such
consideration and action rs in your WIS
dom you may deem proper to take: "In
pursuance of this provision of law the
Secretary Of the Treasury of the United
States has notified lis that the General Gov
ernncnt holds certain State bonds to the
amount of SI25, 900, principal; and interest
tonaturlty OF SI23,75o, aggregating $24S,-
$50, and requests payment of the same.
These bonds bear interest at six per cent
and were issued under Act Of December
I9, 1855, for construction of new State
House, issued january Ist. 1856, redeem
able January lSt, 1881. by reference TO
the records Of the State TrcaSurcr's Office
1t Is noted that there was some >orrc-
spOndencc had between this Office and the
Treasury Department at Washington in
November, 1881, and during the admllis-
tration OF Governor Johnson Iagood, but
without settlement Of the claim SO far
as we know.
Under the Act Of the General Assem-
bly, at that time Of force these boE Is,
principal and interest unpaid to Ist Jam
uary, 1880, were furdablc in six per cent
consolidation bonds at fifty per cent. of
said amount. The consols being redeem.
able OIL lst Of July, 1898. The Act of the
Legislature Of 22nd Of December, 1898,
provides that all bonds and stocks hith-
crto fundable in these cousolS upon their
surrender be exchanged for the new 20
40 years AZ per cent. bonds and stocks
authorized by Act of December, 1892, for
the redemption of Brown ConSolS. These
coupon bonds now held by the United
States Government arc fundablc as above
stated upon their surrender, i. c., at 50
per cent. of principal and interest mp to
maturity. The State, however, has Rcvolu-
uonary War claims to the amount in
| round numbers of $4,000. In the in
vestigation of this claim against the
United States Government thcGcncral AS
Scmbly III DcCe1uDcr, 1856, passed q reSo-
luton authorizing the appointment Of
some suitable person to investigate and
prosecute the Statc'o claims as aforesaid,
| and under that authority Governor X. +.
w. Allston appointed Hon. Jas. \. Black
agent for that work. The said agent i'll
Corporatcd the result of his labors in a re-
port to the General Assembly, which WAS
ordered to be filed with Comptroller Grn-
! cral, which cannot now be found among
| the records Of his Office. There is a large
mass OF old papers now III one of the
rooms Of the State House, among which
this valuable report might be found if the
means were i'll hand to employ all eff
cleIlt and painstaking person or persons
to examine this confused mass Of papers
There are. i'll all probability, other claims
held by the State against the General
Government, to say nothing of private
claims OF large amounts amounting to
| millions of dollars"
This IS matter of very great impor-
tanCc to our State. At your last session
you passed joint resolution requesting
and directing the Governor and State
Treasurer to furnish all information avail
| able to our Senator and Representatives
touching the claim Of the State against
the United States for money advanced
during the War OF 1872, and that our
Representatives. in Congress be requested
| to urge forward all legislation on the sub
jcct. You also rescindcd all outstanding
contracts if any should exist for the col
lection of this claim 1t seems that the
Black Report made in 1883 and mentioned
by the State Treasurer embraces all the
testimony and facts relative to the States
claim. In view Of the Importance Of this
report recommend that you provide for
an e. animation Of all the old rcCords and
cspe. lily the old rubbish that is stored
away III one of the unoCcupicd rooms Of
the State Capitol to see if this report can
bc found. It's recovery may bc the means
OF our getting a considerable sum of
money from the United States Govern
mcnt and It Is important to put our Scna-
tors and Representatives. in possession of
all the facts that can be obtained. AS
understand it, the claim Of the United
States Government for the settlement Of
the fG25.on Of South Carolina bonds be-
longing to the Indian Trust Fund and the
accumulated interest is 4 Just and honest
claim which wc ought to pay and
which wc could pay with our claim
against the United States Govern.
ncnt and have n balance to the credit Of
the State if wc can find the testimony to
substantiatc the claim Of the State. The
matter was i'll process OF settlement when
the Civil War broke out in 1850, and the
State had joined with other States in pro-
test against the unfair methods of the
United States Ill adjusting the claims and
1t was to sustain its contentious that
Black was employed to work llp the
States case. 1t may not bc possible to
obtain the full amount claimed by the
State, nut | am informed that there is alb.
SOlutc proof III official documents that the
United States acknowledged that i, owed
the State of South Carolina in 1891
5000 and this with accumulated inter
est for flfty-ninc years would amount to
about $35o,o"o. If this could be adjusted
without going into the disputed claims the
state could pay the claim the United
States Government holds against it and
have about 100000 left. Under the CON
SOlidatiO Act OF 1874 the State Tr.nsurrr
can only refund old bonds at fifty cents
on the dollar but if a settlement as sup-
Ecstcd could be made with the United
States Government you might pass an
Act authorizing the State Treasurer to
settle at 100 cents on the dollar on
condition that the United States pay the
just claims to the State OF South Carolina
as acknowledged i'll the report Of the Sec
rctary Of the Treasury IL 1885,