The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-02-24
Text Of the Answer to the Legislative
Committees Report on the
State House.
ALL THE ISSUES ARE FULLY DISCUSSED
A Document Of Interest All the People of South
Carolina.-The Charges and Counter
Charges.

er statement in writing that the said
memorialists may have to submit will
be received and considered by the
general assembly whenever presented"
Whereupon your honorable body saw
fit to refuse the request for the said
full, free and fair investigation. but
instead adopted n resolution permit
ting the commission for the compile
ton of the building to represent to
your honorable body such statement
US they saw fit.
WHY CONCEAL THE FACTS?
When Louis the XVI was led upon
the Suillotine and began an address in
his defense. Santeere. q butcher who
had been given cop.mand of the inu-
nicipal guard around 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 and good names-has been as
sailed, and our respectful request that
both sides Of the matter, and lay all
the facts before the people, has been
denied. You have, however, accord
e;. :s the privilege CO making a state
ment in writing. which we will now
proceed to do. and endeavor to make
this report III as parliamentary lar
guage as ol,r Justly outraged feelings
VIII permit, and the facts will justify.
But, gentlemen, what we asked and
demanded Of your. body. which we
that all the evidence in this matter be
brought to light, that the committee
be empowered to summon witnesses
and have them examined under oath
and not to confine the investigation to
such evidence as could be secured from
Many witnesses to important facts
refuse to make affldavits, but they
could be compelled to testify at such
hearing. ~ a.. Z. jts,..t 1
THIS COMMISSION HAS BEEN
REFLECTED UPON AND THE
MEMBERS ATTACKED BY. THE
REPORT. -, n y
Thia contention is made notwith-
standing the disclaimer of the members
Of the committee made, upon the floor
OF the legislature to the contrary and
without any assertion on our part that
such reflection was INTENTIONAL. That
the impression that such reflection
was made is abundantly proven by
reference to every daily paper puD-
iished in the State, wherein the ac-
tion OF the commission is character
lied as an '.infamy," a a"scandai,' etc.
II the committee was innocent Of any
intention to attack the characters of
those constituting the: corainiss.cn it
was most unfortunate in It's use OF .he
English language. The members os
this investigating committee now give
it to be understood that their vicious
attack was directed against the archi-
tect and the contractors and charitably
suggest that this commission was dup
ed and bamboozIed by these employees.
weakness, and that the charge against
ns OF being fools must not be serious
ly taken as .ref1ecting upon us.
II the committee did not mean to re-
hect upon this commission, why does
It refer to US III its report as follows;
dom from the report.)
The contractors broke one Of the
columns into two pieces, and rather
than put the contractors to the expense
OF replacing the broken column they
were generously excused (by the COM
mission) from putting them In at all,
they paving the State $500, leaving
them sSS, 400 profit on, that transaction =
(Report, p. 10 s.i n !,@5
Surely. the honorable gentlemen Of
not dare to say that any one filling q
Hduciary position could be generous
with the State's :..nney, or Intentionally
excuse any one from performing g duty
delegateU through an agent OF the
State to another party. 55S S;s,4a &
:E5 Again: "a Hne slate roof, bought by
the State az "a heavy expense and which
afforded. perfect protection for years,
was take1 of and appropriated oy the
contractors. (Report, p. 81 ,ssSsrs5s.;.,.
The Inference necessarily drawn from
ton" (Which. had the committee used
the proper word to convey its meaning,
would have been MISREPRESENTATION"
was with the knowledge arid consent
rs this cornm!ssion tshsSe duty At was