The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-02-19
to appear before said committee or in
any manner given q hearing. q. g

WV 'SOAAslooiilB VI ufo lllcluDeEk
.Eofs the house and two members of:the
sennte be appointed by the speaker
and lieutenant governor, respectively,
with authority to appoint ste.
snographer, take testimony, com.
mand the producGion:of records and
papers and report the same to this
general assembly before its adjourn.
/ ment. =. z. = ysssasIi -
Mr.. Williams offered the following:
Whereas, certain members OF the for.
mer commission to complete the State
house have memoralized the general
assembly to make provision for giving
them a hearing in reply to the report
OF the joint committee to consider the
several reports Of the commission OF
the completion of the State house and
facts relating thereto.
Be it Resolved, by the general as
sembly of the State of South Carolina
! thaatt aHy evidence explanation or
other statements in writing that the
said memoralists may have to submit
Will be received and considered by the
general assembly whenever presented.
MIR. PATTERsoN's STATEMENT.
| When the memorial had been read, ,
Mr.. j. o. Patterson of Barnwell, q
member Of the investigating commit.
tee, declared that 1t Is duty to him
self and to South Carolina for him to
make a statement. The general as.
sembly Is conversant with the mat
ters which led up to the appointment
of the Investigating commission-the
members OF which realized the gravity
OF the trust placed upon them. They
had done their duty honestly, fear
lesslY and conscientiously. The mem
bers Of the State house building COM
mission had all been friends OF his
and it had been an unpleasant duty.
The Investigating commission had not
been charged With the duty of extol!,
Ing or blaming the members Of the
building commission. He referred to
the cards in The State OF Wednesday
in which Mr.. Bellinger and Mr.. CAN'T
complained that they had not been
treated with proper consideration.
| The complaint is that the State house
commission had not been invited be-
fore the building commission. Why
should the members of the latter
commission be summoned when they
! themselves could not agree?
In reference to the statement of
Mr.. Bellinger that he had been denied
the privilege Of coming before the
commission. Mr.. Patterson declared
that 1t was a case Of misunderstaud-
Ing, which he regretted, as he and Mr..
Bellingcr had been political personal
friends for many years. On the night
of January 7th Mr.. Bellinger, while
Mr.. Patterson's guest at the Colum-
bia hotel, had threatened that In case
the joint commission should attack
the building commission he would
take the matter to the legislature.
Dir. Patterson declared that he regrets
very much that; q casual con gersation
isbould have been smisund derst ood. !. HE
had told Mr.. Bellinger that Should
the report be in the nature of an at
tack he (Mr. Patterson) would insist
upon the members OF the building com
mission being given a hearing. There
was no formal demand and the state.
men5 he made to MIR. Bellinger was
conditional. The joint committee had
Thought 1t waste of time and money
to bring here the members Of the build
Ing commission. The investigating
commission had employed a govern.
men5 architect and In person had in.
spected the building carefully. He
regretted that the building commits.
sion had felt aggrleve6. They are
honorable men and II their confidence
In those whom they employed Is mis-.
placed 1t Is misfortune to the State
OF South Carolina.
MR.. WILLIAMS DISCLAIMER.
Mr.. Williams made straight for
ward statement that the terms OF the
memorial do not contain a true state.
ment Of facts. The joint committee
had never refused to give audience ia
any member Of the building commits.
sion. The architect brought here to
inspect the work had been given nc
suggestions. The investigating com
mission had not reflected upon the
building commission. 1t had simply
stated the facts as they had been
found.
No member Of that committee has
ever intimated to me in any way
whatever that they dersired to be
heard before that committee" said
MIR. Williams, "and 1 challenge each
and every one Of them to show that
they have ever at any time mentioned
the matter to me. Yet it is stated In
this memorial that we refused to hear
them. l go further, gentlemen, and
say that no member of the state
house commission has ever asked the
joint commission, as committee, to
allow them, or any one of them, to be
heard, and yet they come here and
state In this memorial that we have
refused to hear them. make this
statement because that is reflection
upon the committee and I could not
sit here and allow the state house com
mission, or any other set OF men, to
reflect upon me or the gentlemen
With whom / have been associated
upon this committed"
Mr. Robinson declared that it had
not been the purpose of the commits.
sion to reflect upon the building com.
mission. The members of the latter
had not asked to come before the Joint
committee. The architect and con.
tractor had been asked to appear and
had not done SO.
Mr.. Aull declared that the builoino
committee had been very severely
criticised and as an act OF Justice they
should be heard. He introduced q
concurrent resolution to that effect.