Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-02-24

with the limitations above expressed 1
nave signed myself as a responsible
member OF the commission.
Under the resolution passed by the
general assembly OF South Carolina,
allowing the members OF the State
house commission to file such state
| rncnts as they respectively desired to
| make, submit the following:
That In the election of architect to
make plans and specifications for the
completion of the work on the State
house j did not vote for Mr.. Milburn
for reasons satisfactory to myself. In
the acceptance for the completion Nc
Ilvain- Unkefer Co. was the only one
that came within the limits of the ap-
preparation, and IL resolved itself into
the acceptance of the same or q post
ponement OF the work until the pro-
visions should be made by the State
Legislature. When went out OF office
as State treasurer my connection With
the commission ceased, and am In no
way responsible for the completion or
acceptance of the work OF the con-
tractor did not pretend to have any
knowledge OF architecture, and could
therefore have easily been imposed
upon as to the beauty and the finish of
the architecture.
Very respectfully submitted,
w. II. Zimmerman.
EXHIBIT A.
Personally appeared G.. Duncan Bel
linger. who being duly sworn, says
That in the late fall of the year 1908,
upon casually meeting the Hon. j, ..
Patterson, q member of the joint IN
vestigating committee, and aScertain-
ing accidentally from him that he had
just returned from Columbia where
he had been in attendance upon said
committee, 1 asked him If the COM
mission would be accorded hearing
before his committee. In reply to this
MIR. Patterson stated that Mr., Aldrich
was the chairman OF the committee.
and advised me that If such reques-
was made of the chairman it would
be granted. Deponent referred to rea-
sons mutually known to him and to
Mr.. Patterson why such request would
be unpleasant to deponent, upon which
Mr.. Patterson assured me that
he would himself notify the chair
man of the desire OF the members of
the commission to be heard. This con-
Versation occurred in the town OF
Barnwell on a Saturday night, within
80 feet of the paling of MIR. Patterson's
front yard.
Subsequently and before the occas-
ion next to be referred to in the same
town. and near the same locality. 1
recalled to Mr.. Patterson our previous
conversation and asked him If the
right which we had demanded would
be accorded to us, and he assured me
that 1t would. and that he had spoken
to the chairman on the subject and the
probability was that the illness from
which Mr.. Aldrich was then suffering
was the reason why j, and other MEM
bers of the commission had not been
notified. l again impressed upon him
that this request was made on behalf
of all of the members of the commits
sion.
These are the occasions to which
referred in the communications which
l recently published concerning this
request made upon Mr.. Patterson, and
at that time 1 had no reference to any
other: but his published statement,
said TO have been in defense of his
conduct, while explaining upon the
floor OF the house of representatives.
the injustice done by his committee
to members of our commission recalled
to me another and third occasion when
this demand for justice was repeated.
In the city of Columbia, on tho night
of the 18th of December, just passed,
one of my partners, the Hon. l.. w.
Haskell, who is a member of the house
of representatives. and myself went by
appointment to the Columbia hotel to
meet some clients from the city of
Augusta, with whom we conferred un-
I'll about ~ o'clock. After this confer
encc and when about to leave the hotel
we met Mr.. j. o. Patterson, who re-
quested us to so to his room, as he
would have to sit up 10 catch a late
train While in this gentlemans room
the subject of the investigating COM
that a meeting of this committee had
been very recently held. Becoming
thus convinced that the promised hear
ing was in n fair way never to be ac-
corded to us, most earnestly attemp-
ted to impress him with the determin-
alton on the part of some of us to
appeal to the legislature were we SO
unfairly treated as not to be accorded
an opportunity to be heard. Again 1
received empty promises and vain as
O. lrl N N.nSs ,...,.
with Mr.. Haskell warrants me in the
assertion that he was present and re-
calls that the request was most earn
esuy made
G.. Duncan Bellingcr.
sworn TO before me this, 18th day of
February, 1904. j. II. CAN'T,
Notary Public, S. c.
EXHIBIT B.
State of South Caroina-County OF
Richland. .a
Personally appeared w. ]. johnson,
who being duly sworn, says that dur
ing the present session of the legisla- |
ture the dcponent had an intimn ton |
that the commission for the compile |
ton of the State house were going to
be severely criticised by the committee |
appointed to investigate the several
reports OF the commission. That the
deponent Immediately looked up Repre-
sentative. Rawlinson, who was a mem |
Der of the Investigating committee. and
informed him of what dcponent had |
heard, and further informed him that
II the reports of severe arraignment |
or criticism were true that the COM
mission had right to be heard, and |
that an opportunity should be given |
them. That Representative Rawlin- |
son assured dcponent that there was |
nothing In the rumor and that the com |
mission would not be harshly criticis- |
ed and that his committee had not
fully made up It's report that they |
would have another meeting and all |
the meinhnrS of the old con,inission |
could be heard further stated that 1t |
was his impression that all the mem |
berS of the commission had been in |
Vited to attend their meetings. de- |
ponent informed him that none OF the |
members Of tho commission had been |
invited to any Of the meetings so far as |
acpohent knew, certainly deponent |