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

house and :he senate? The true mis-
sion of an investigating committee. as
its name implies, is tosinvestignte and
bring to light every side and bearioG
OF question, and$ not to prosecute
This Is the first time in the annals
of South Carolina where an investi-
eating committee only heard and re-
ported one side OF an important mat
ter, or which held secret meetings be-
hind closed DOORS from which mem-
bers of the press were excluded
EVEN THE VIIHST CRIMINAL is
GIVEN "a EI BARRING.
In his message TO s2your body our
chief executive asked you to devise
some law TO put an end to the lynchinF
in our State. Now, what Gov. Hey
ward demanded for the vilest class of
criminals has been denied some OF our
nized and honored by their people.
the right of making a defense, and a
fair. impartial hearing. Before this
report is ended We propose to prove to
the satisfaction OF every fair-minded
person in South Carolina that our COM
mission was tried behind closed doors,
only one witness at; the time being ad-
mitted, and what is q most unheard
Of proceedilg, the reporters OF our
state papers excluded. (See affidavit
Of A. II. Seats, Exhibit G, and Lewis
G. Wood, Jr.. Exhibit d.. Not only
th1oS out appui W stAScp l!!t tIitftl-
bers Of our commission In ignorance of
what was going on in that meeting
some OF the Witness We're bound not
to divuige the questions that mad been
asked them. (See affidavit Of d. H
Means, Exhibit E.). TO show further
son OF one Of this committee was made
clerk. and the only outsider admitted
to that room was Senator Marshall
the minority member and the prosecu-
tor. (See affidavits of j. B. Garfunkel
Exhibit F.)
Is the life, liberty. property or good
name OF any citizen Of South Carolina
safe when he can be tried by any such
secret. one-sided tribunal of socalled
Justice?
The palladium of liberty in every
country Is free press. but we find in
throttled press when an investiga-
ton was in progress in which every
taxpayer OF the State is personally In
tereSted.
HUNTING. FOR HUNT.
We are convinced. gentlemen, from
such evidence as we are able to secure
that the sole witressy against us was
falsely represented to the people OF
South Carolina, as an expert archi.
tect" in charge of tthe work Of the
United States government, when his
name does not appear III the. list OF
coNStIHlSHl SIlplOSGES anu he ID TO-
tally unknown to the experts of the
United States government who are
charged with the construction Of its
buildings; that his name does not ap-
pea; Ii The bite ;bouk which contains
the names of al government employees
Wherever located; while the directory
of congress which contains the names
of the attaches Of the national capitol
does not show any such officer as "su-
perintehdent Of, fS,consIrueting."
All we now have fo ask of you Is that
this protest be spread upon your jour.
nails and be given the fullest publicity
as you have promised, and we further
beg the press of South Carolina, and
:of every other State that has given
publicity to that report, to reproduce
our defense.
AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE.
Let us say THAT we have nothing
more to ask of your body. We now
appeal to thes highest tribunal known
| to q sovereign State-nn honorable
just and "fair-minded people.
A PERFECT BUILDING HAS NOT
|; BEEN ERECTED SINCE THE
DAYS OF SOLOMON.
We assert that we have: given tc
the, completion of the capitol the same
watchful care that we would have done
had this building been our personal
property. The members OF this com.
mission are not architects. and the
when they appointed us to this duty
W. do assert, showeaser, that we gave
. iiTtfui thought. and study to the de.
tails ttnd science of the work, and left
no effort unturned to fully acquaint
ourselves with the. .-nihutiae OF the
that anyone ever. constructed build.
ing. however humble. It might be, but
after completion he discovered that he
might have made desirable changes
and improvements. 1t Is easy to criti-
else the builder after his work fs+done
never perfect, and this, Of course, Is true
Of. the work on the State house, but we
do assert that the general result7Was tc
the satisfaction OF the commission, and
we further believe that 1t would sat
isfy the. taxpayers OF the State who
familiar with all the facts surround
Ing the task. assigned lis and appreci-
ated the difficulties which We sncoun-
tered and the problems presented in
| the construction Of this building. Since
the completion of'.aour State house
inspected this work, and expressions as
to the beauty and magnificence of this
side. 2.3 az.
The State House commission alleges
that IL there are some defects in the
South Carolina capitol. that the respon-
sibility rests not upon the commission,
but Is due to the fact that $4,000 was
totally inadequate to complete the
building in conformity with the origi-
nal work on this structure. The State
House commission endeavored to COM
piete the building SO that IL would
presan: an imposing appearance. It
did not o tempt to do the work accord
ing to the methods Of so years ago,
but took advantage Of improvements
In methods OF construction. and for
this 1t has no apology to offer.
This duty. gentlemen, was not So
licited, and there is not a. member of
this commission but sacrificed his per-
sonal interests and affairs in the dis
charge Of the duty imposed upon him.
It was not ours to fix the sum. neces-
sary to do the work. That was the
province of the legislature. We did
what we were directed to do, complet-
ed the Sxorlk vota1. ocassc...a naa4os,..