The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-06-24
THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
It very often happens when
called upon to make a reply the
memory must be relied upon, and
when one must go back a quar-
ter of a century the details of a
transaction cannot always be ac-
curate, and when we replied last
week to the letter Of Hon. c. N.
Davis, every statement we made
was correct in the main, but in
order to sskeep the record
straight" we will say that when
the commission to investigate
Clarendon's affairs was appoint
ed, it was by authority of an Act
approved in June, 1877, while
Hampton was Governor and
while the late John L. Manning
was serving as Senator, filing
the unexpired term of Jared
Warlev. who was compelled to
resign. The Act authorized the
Investigation and to ascertain
the actual bona fde Indebtedness,
and the manner of paying the
same, and on a petition Of fifty
taxpayers it became the duty OF
tho Governor TO appoint three
competent and discreet persons
to make the Investigation with
full power to send for persons
and papers. Hon. Joseph F.
Rhame gave his services to the
commission without any charge.
Twas after the cea2 mission had
ascertained the just indebted
ness that the delegation, COM
posed of II. L. Benbow, Senator,
Joseph F. Rhame and James E.
Tindal, members of the House,
had enacted into law the bill pro-
vidins for the issuance of the
bonds to cover the claims ad-
mitted by the commission. While
writing last week we had forgot
ten that Governor Manning was
in the Senate a short while, and
it was during his administration
a general Act was passed looking
to relieving the people through
out the State from unjust claims.
Before Clarendon's commission
came numerous claims for ser
vices and material that had not
been furnished; for building a
fence around the court house
$500, and painting the jail $500,
not a piece of lumber ever went
towards building the fence and
not a thimbleful of paint touched
the jail, these. are samples of
many of the claims the commits
sion saved the taxpayers from
paying. Strange to say, many Of
the rejected claims were held by
men who were very loud in their
denunciations of radical corrup-
ton after the Democrats rested
this government away from the
horde of vandals, that sucked the
financial life from the county,
encouraged and screened by
these money-sharks assuming
the role of spectators, when in
fact they were nothing more nor
less than receivers of stolen
goods, knowing it to be stolen,
and morally as guilty Of theft as
the county commissioners that
issued a pay certificate for work
on a bridge, when in fact it was
for a bottle Of whiskey. We can
recall a case where a money
lender bought a $3.50 claim for
poor house supplies for s25 in
trade, mostly whiskey, and S25
in cash. The commission put it's
seal of disapproval upon all such
claims whenever they got the
evidence, and they spared no
time in trying to secure the evi.
dence. There has been some
extravaganza since those days,
but very little actual corruption,
and we attribute the extrava
gance principally to the laxity
in choosing our county officers.
In the past, a mans fitness was
not considered. if he claimed to
be poor and was a clever fellow
he was likely to be elected, and
if he was real shrewd he would
get some silly report circulated
to the effect that his opponent
referred to him as a ''gray-neck
because he was being voted for
by the poor people," and this
would SO incense the ignorant
class that no argument could ap-
peal to look at the candidates
unftness. In other words, they
voted by prejudice and not by
reason.
Things have changed, the peo-
pie are better read than they
used to be, and they realize the
Importance of having good men
to administer our county affairs;
they want a man put in Office,
not because he can shake hands
well, or furnish drink at cleo
ton time, but because he is
thoroughly qualified for the po.