The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-02-17
PROMPT ACTION WILL PREVENT UNJUST
SUSPICION.
The report Of the commit

OF the most SenSaClOnai COcu-
ments ever presented since the
days when the Hampton govern
nent took charge, and unearthed
the rottenness Of radicalism-
The document reads like one of
Prosecuting Attorney Folks in
dicUments Of boodlers in AIissou-
ri, without actually charging the
commission with boodling, yet
the language Of the report IS
such as to convey to the public
mind that the architect, contrac-
tor, and commissioners were IN
collision, and there was gener-
al lining Of pockets,-to say the
least of the report, il was a Sc
we're reflection on the integrity,
or intelligence of the members
OF the commission. There is no
doubt in our mind that the con-
tractors did some very poor
work which the leaky roof shows,
but whether the architects plans
were followed closely we doubt
if there is a member of that
commission competent to Judge.
The architect may have faithful
ly performed his duty, and the
builder may be alone responsible
for the bad workmanship, but
whoever is RESPONSIBLE for bad
work, we have no iaea that any
member Of the commission is a
party to dishonorable conduct.
These gentlemen are not expert
builders, nor have either Of them
ever had any experience with
such matters, and most of them
had other official duties to per
form. When the measure to
provide for an appropriation
and a commission to complete
the State House was pending,
the Senate journal will show we.
voted against the bill, and in our
remarks in opposition we con-
tended that public officers should
not be appointed to supervise
work Of such magnitude, it
would intefere with their other
: duties, that both could not re-
ceive the proper attention. 1t
was on this very account we vot-
ed against any appropriation, and
now that the work has been
done, accepted, and the bond Of
the contractor discharged, the
very condition We feared has
been the result.
The State House Commission
was simply buncoed, and they
might as we'll acknowledge 1t,
and aid the State in bringing
those who cheated them to restl-
tuition. We think the general
assembly is doing the right
thing in taking the matter to the
courts in the nature Of a damage
suit, aud there and then, the re-
sponsibility for the fraud might
be fixed. We do not think the
committee which made this re-
port should have kept the Com
mission in the dark, but on the
contrary they should have been
permitted to be heard in their
own behalf, however, the Com
mittae did not charge the Com
mission with dishonesty and as
we understand it, the committee
was only charged with ascer-
tanning the condition of the
building. They reported the
building in bad condition, and
not constructed in accordance
with the specifications, and that
Ex-Governor McSweeney had
upon the advice Of the Attorney
General, surrendered the con-
tractors bond. This does not
show that anybody had s:lined
their pockets, but in the light
Of past scandals, where it has
been intimated pockets have been
lined, with nothing stronger
than circunstantial evidence to
prove it, the report is calculated
to cost a stigma upon the mem
bers Of that Commission, unless
they can give very satisfactory
explanation Of their connection
with the transaction. It will
not do for them to contend for a
faithful performance of the con-
tract, as everybody knows, the
contract provided for a sound
roof, and the puddles on the
floors and the streaks upon the
walls caused from rain leaking
through the roof is positive evi-
dence, that the contract was not
faithfully carried out.
In the other ;big scandal" the
charge was that the State was
entitled to rebates upon its whis-
key purchases, but for the first
two years the books of the insti-
tuition showed no such credits to
the State, it IS calculated from
the amount of whiskey purchas-
ed in those two years the State
entitled to, from 1920. 900 to
$40, 600 in rebates. No one
ever could De found who said
they say, anybody get these re-
bates. and yet the books did not
record them, the matter would
not die down, it was constantly
bobbing up, and finally Senator
Tiilman who was entrusted with
the establishment Of the dispen-
sary came forward with an eN-
planation. AS we recollect, he
stated that at the time Of the in