The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-02-24

Columbia TO teach the officials and |
citizens OF this State the aesthetic 9as
we'll as architecture. who teatines In
reference, generally. 90 this work that
architecture and cn insult to the fame
or John Il. Nie,nsee. and n disgrace to
tbs state of South Carolna.o UReport.
y. 13.)
Does this committee discredit the In
telligence of the people OF this State
to such an extent as to believe that
they VIII accept the statement that no
intention is herein expressed to reflect
upon the commission who was a party
to such an Insult" to distinguished
native State? If this model Of lin
guistic inaccuracy was honestly in
tended to be simply q statement that
mechanical employees had failed to
carry out their coEtract, why the bonn
bastic and srandiloauent language in
which the report is dressed? When a
committee ascertains and reports that
an architect has failed to be efficient,
or contractor has slighted his work,
does it reveal dark picture?"
Again: In referring to the Satisfac-
ton entered by the governor on the
bond given by the contractors the lucid
composer of the report uses the follow
ing language: This surrender and at
tempted discharge of this bond. the
States only security for the vast losses
mission, as the governor alone advised.
as 1t is said, by the attorney general,
undertook to performN this act, and 1t
may be that the State may yet be able
to realize upon this security
Your committee do not consider that
1t comes within the scope of their
duties to determine questions of law
involved IN the matters embraced
herein. but would regard 1t remark
able indeed If there were not some REM
az m fnn m hnt To h fy1t1
these malefactors to Justice, and 10
| some extent redress the wrongs of the
State" (Report. p. -
! The, members Of Ehis commission
herein referred 10 ny designation of
office deem it proper to state that their
| self-respect forces them to treat this
language as if 1t does not express the
| Ideas or opinions of the respective
| members Of the Investigating commit
| tee; yet we have reason to know hat
many intelligent people of this 5 ate
believe 1.-THE malefactors'' referred to
are the then governor and the then at
| torney general, inasmuch as the only
| inference to be drawn from such lam
guage df intelligently used by a man
OF ordinary education) is that these
officers attempted" and undertook"
to destroy the only remedy that the
State had against the employees who
had committed palpable and noto-
rlous fraud and swindie upon. the COM
monwealth.
Laying aside expressions Of indigna-
ton and using simply the language Of
criticism, ne feel that the words OF the
distinguished composer of the report,
as he addresses the dome of the capitol,
Justly describes these two paragraphs
, in connection with the report:
"This is the crowning piece of this
work in more senses than one. Taken
alt in all 1t Is simply infamouS. To
| start with: an dgiier and a more un-
fsightly creation could not be devised
even had it been properly constructed
but our observation shows that it is
nothing short of miserable fraud"
(Report, p. 81
| We feel that we are unjustly reflected
upon. We knew that we had discharged
our duty faithfully and honestly. We
knew that the State had received full
value for every penny we had ex-
pended, and we only asked an oppor-
| tunity to prove these facts. e
The members of the State house COM
mission have been honored by the .peo-
pie of South Carolina, and they feel that
their good names have been assailed
and that they. owe. 1t, not only to them
selves and their families but to their
people as well, that the greatest, and
upon the whole transaction.
HOW THE SO-CALLED INVESTI.
CATION WAS CONDUCTED.
That against which we most stren-
ncussiisS- protest is the manner IL which
the jqint committee conducted the in
vestigation. 1t was denied upon the
floor Of the house that a member Of our
commission had asked for hearing.
The attention OF your honorable body
Is, therefore, especially asked to what
we consider to be undeniable facts I'm
connection with the report OF the jo..t.:.
committee hereinbefore referred to.
It will be noted that said committee
was empowered to consider the several
reports of the commission for the COM
p1etion OF the State house, to appoint
secretary. to; employ ain. architect.
and to summon witnesses. We contend
that the report OF the majority Of the
commission, as well as the report Of
the minority. should have received the
should have been irnpartially sum-
nioned TO sustain or attack both. '.
The majority. report Is practically
dismissed with quotation OF less than
four lines. whereas the dissenting and
accusing report Of Mr.. Marshall, the
IL specifications, and all Of the testt-,
mony taken Is directed against the
majority and I'm favor Of the minority
report; and the committee thereupon,
to use their own language. "feel con-
strained to report generally that the
minority report of Senator j. @. Mar
shall waa fully sustained by the evil
dence taken and by the visible facts
for all to- see for. themselves who choose
to go over the building and make even
q casual examination OF it,
ut will be remembered that both Of
these reports went officially to the leg.
islatnre and both of them were re-
ferred to the Joint Investigating COM
mittee. We contend that each shslld
have received the same consideration
as the, other.iWe submit evidence to
show that Mr. Marshall attended the
.atttings of the committee during the
taking Of the testimony herein. where
as no member Eof this commission was
present at any time. (See testimony
.2f %, II. Means; .sxhibit e. and OF u, 3.
SGarfunkeI, exhibit Ed t3ar.
3 It is an adniitfed fact that no ;Hin-
gle member OF the commission, with the