The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-02-26
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 All the PeopIe Of South
Carolina-The Charges and Counter
Charges

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
| lit 10 refuse the request for the said
fun. free and fair investiga ton, but
! instead adopted Il resolution permit
J ting the commission for the compile
/ ton OF the 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 Guillctine and began an address in
/ his defense. Santeerc. Il butcher who
! had been given command of the Inu-
nicipa! guard around the scaffold or
/ dered the drums to be beaten. The
words Of the French king were thus
! Silcnced.
! 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-
tatlon ana good nameS-haS been as
sailed. and our respectful request that
your body appoint n committee to hear
both sides OF the matter, and lay all
/ the facts before the people, has been
/ denied. You have. however accord
ed US the privilege OF making state
nent IN writing. which we will now
I proceed to do, ana cndeavor TO make
TINS report in as parliamentary Ian
| gunge as our justly outraged feelings
! Will permit and the facts will Justify
But. gentlemen. what we asked and
demanded OF your body which we
feel we had n right to demand, was
that all the evidence il. his matter be
| brought TO light. that the committee
! and have them examined under oath
| and not to contnc the investigation to
| such evidence as could be secured from
voluntary testimony.
Many witnesses TO important facts
refuse to make atiidavits. but they
! could be compelled to testify ut 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
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 n reflection
was made is abundantly proven by
reference to every daily paper pub
lshcd in the State. Wherein the oc
tlon OF the commission is character
RED as an 'infamy," scandal" etc
II the committee was innocent of any
intention 10 attack the characters of
those constituting the commission il
800 i'''ot unfortunate IN lis use of the
l.NSilsh language. Tho members of
ms investigating committee now give
II TO he understood that their vicious
attack was directed against the archi-
tect and the contractors and charitably
suggest that this commission was dun
ed and bambcozlcd by these employees
ana mat we were to be forgiven for our
weakness. and that the charge against
us OF being fools must not be serious
- taken as rejecting upon MS.
f1,A ,.,,z
meet upon this commission. why does
II refer To us i'll it's report as follows:
trhcSe references being taken at ran
dom from the rcpOrt.)
Fhc contractors broke one of the
columns into two pieces. anu rather
man put the contractors to the expense
oi replacing the broker column they
were generously excused (by the COM
niSSlon) from putting them in at all
they paving the State $500. leaving
mem *3,io0 profit ON chat transaction"
Utcport. u. ID
surely. the honorable gentlemen OF
the investigating committee would
not dare to say that amy one filling :,
hdnciary position could b. generous
with the States money. or Intentionally
excuse any one from performing Il duty
delegated through an agent of the
state 10 another party.
Again: ~ fine slate roof. bought by
me state nj heavy expense and which
'i''' Wv l''liNtl protection tor Years,
was taken off and appropria ted by the
contractors" Ucport. y. S.
me inference necessarily drawn from
ms 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 tho knowledge ana consent
OF thiS commission. whose duty il was
To protect the interests and the prop
erty of the state. The invcstigating
committee called before them the sec
rotary of tho CO. omission and had be-
fore them for inspection the minute
book ana all the records of this com
mission. That committee knew or
ought to have known, and we believe
ala Know that before the contract was
awarded it was agreed that the sue
ceSSful bidder should become the owner
of 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, ard the testimony taken re-
veals a dark picture, it is true. but
nothing short of an actual inspection
or the work can convey an adcduatc
idea OF that monstrous Swindle OF
winch the State is the victim appro-
priately portrayed in the closing words
OF Capt. Hunts testimony" (rhis
horthy, imported from the District OF