The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-02-24
FORMER STATE HOUSE
COMMISSIONS REPLY.
Text Of the Answer to the Legislative.
Committees Report on the
State House.
ALL THE ISSUES ARE FULLY DISCUSSED
A Document of Interest to All the People of South
Caroina-The Charges and Counter
Charges.
ALL THE ISSUES ARE FULLY DISCUSSED

er statement in writing that the said
memorialists may have to submit will
be received n considered by he
general assembly whenever presented"
Whereupon your honorable body saw
ut TO refuse the request for the said
full, free and fair investigation, but
instead adopted a resolution permit
ting the commission for the omple-
ton of h building to represent to
your honorable body such statement
as they saw fit.
WHY CONCEAL THE FACTS?
When Louis the XVI was led upon
the guillotine and began an address in
ms defense. Santeere, q butcher who
had been given of the mu-
nicipal guard round the scaffold, or
dered the drums TO be beaten. The
words of the French king were thus
silenced.
Neither the lives nor the property of
the MEMBERS of this commission are
threatened, but that which is as dear
to us as life and property-our repu-
tation n good names-has been as
sailed, and our respectful request that
your body appoint a committee to hear
both sides of the matter, and lay all
the facts before the people, has been
denied. o have, however, accord
ed us the privilege of making a state
ment in writing, which we will now
proceed to do, and endeavor to make
thiS report in as parliamentary lam
Suagc as our justly outraged feelings
will permit, and the facts will Justify.
But. gentlemen, what we asked and
demanded of YOU body which we
feel we had a right to demand. was
mat all the evidence in this matter be
brought to light. that the committee
be empowered to summon witnesses
and have them examined under oath
ana not to confine the investigation to
such evidence as could be secured from
voluntary testimony.
Many witnesses to important facts
refuse to make ~afldavitS. but they
could be compelled to testify at such
hearing.
THIS COMMISSION HAS BEEN
REFLECTED UPON AND THE
PERSONAL. INTEGRITY OF IT'S
MEMBERS ATTACKED BY THE
REPORT.
This contention is made notwith-
standing the disclaimer OF the members
or the committee made upon the floor
or the legislature to the contrary and
without any assertion on our part that
such reflection was Intentional. That
the impression that such n reflection
was made is ab~undantly proven by
reference to every daily paper pub
iished in the State, wherein the ac-
tlon OF the commission is character
lzed as an "infamy," q Scandal" etc.
II the committee vas innocent of n
tenti to attack the characters of
thos& constituting the commission it
was most unfortunate i'm it's use of the
English language. The members of
this investigating COMMITTEES now give
1T to be understood that their yicious
attack was directed against the archi-
tcct n the contractors and charitably
suggest that this commission was dun
ed and bamboozled by these employees,
ana mat we were to be forgiven for our
and that the charge against
us of being fools must not be serious
~ taken as rejecting upon us.
III the committee did not mean to re-
lect upon this commission. why does
" REFER to us in its report as follows:
(rhese references being taken at ram
dom from the repori.)
The contractors broke one of the
columns into two pieces, and rather
than put the contractors to the EXPENSE
OIL replacing the broken column they
We're generously excused (by the COM
mission) from putting them in at all,
the paying the state $500, leaving
them $4,000 profit on that transaction"
QSeport, p. ~
surely, he honorable gentlemen of
not dare to say that any one filing n
hduciary position could he generous
with the states money, or Intentionally
excuse any one from performing a duty
delegated through an agent of The
state to nothe party.
Again: "a fine slate root, bought by
the state at a heavy expense and which
atorded perfect protection for years.
was taken off and appropriated by the
contractors" Gteport. p. So
me inference necessarily drawn from
tnis statement Is that this "%appropria-
ton (Which. had the committee used
the proper word to convey it's meaning.
would have been Observation-Disclosures
was with the knowledge and consent
OF this commission. whose duty il was
TO protect the interests and the prop
erty OF the state. The Investigating
committee called before them the Sec
retary OF the commission and had be-
fore them for inspection the minute
book II all the records of his COM
mission. That committee knew, or
ought to have known. and wc believe
did know, that before the contract was
awarded II was agreed that the sue
cessful bidder should become the owner
or all the material torn out of, or off
OF, the state house, and that the taking
possession of the material of this roof
was simply exercising the right of
ownership. both under the general law
and under the special contract.
Again: we feel with what we have
reported, and tho testimony taken, re-
yeals n dark picture. IL lis true, but
nothing short of an actual inspection
of the work can convey an ADEQUATE
idea of that monstrous swindle of
which the State is the victim. appro-
priately portrayed In the closing words
OF Capt. Hunts testimony" (Tbis
worthy, imported from the District OF