The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1904-02-24

\ with the report of the commission, and
with the limitations above expressed
4 have signed myself as a responsible
member Of the commission.
i Under the resolution passed by the
general assembly of South Carolina,
/ allowing the members of the State
house commission to file such state
r1ents as they respec ctively desired to
Emake, I.suhrnit the fol lowing q,
I That in the election of architect to
make plans and specifications for the
completion of the work on the State
lhouse I Ibid not vote for JMr. MiIburn
3Efor reasons satisfactory to myself. In
the acceptance for the completion NC
! Twain Unkefer Co. was the only one
that came within the limits OF the ap-
preparation, and it resolved itself into
the acceptance Of the same or post
ponement of the work until the pro-
j visions should be made by the state
legislature. When went out OF of1ice
as state treasurer my connection with
! the commission ceased, and am In no
way responsible for the completion or
4 acceptance of the work Of the con-
Tractor. I did not pretend to nave any
Knowledge Of architecture. ana coula
therefore have easily been imposed
! rpon. as to the beauty and the nnisn Oh
I the architecture.
Very respectfully submitted,
/ G,t - w. H. Zimmerman.
EXHIBIT A.
Personally appeared g.. Duncan BEL
lineer. who being duly sworn. says o
| That in the late. fall or the year iSvo'
upon casually meeting the hon; ). -
| Patterson, a member OF tne JON. -
| yestigating committee, and ascertain
mo accidentally from him that he had
lust returned from Columbia Where
:. he had been In attendance upon sald
committee, I asked him II the COM
mission would be accorded q hearing
| before his committee. In reply to TINS
MIR. Patterson stated that Mr.. Aldrlch
was the chairman Of the committee
and advised me that if such request
was made Of the chairman II Woulo
be granted. Deponent referred TO rea-
| sons mutually known to hfm ana 10
Mr.. Patterson why such request wouia
be unpleasant to deponent, upon whlcn
Mr.. Patterson assured me tnat
he would himself notify the chalr.
man Of the desire Of the members OF
the commission to be heard. This con-
yersation occurred in the town OF
RarnWelI on a Saturday night, WITHIN
90 feet Of the paling of Mr. Patterson S
front yard
subsequently and before the occas-
ion next to be referred to in the same
town. and near the same locality,
recalled to Mr.. Patterson our previous
| conversation and asked him II the
right which we had demanded would
! be accorded to us, and he assured me
that it 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 I, and other mem
bers OF the commission had not peen
notified. I again impressed upon nlM
that this request was made on pehalt
of all Of the members OF the commis-
sion.
These are the occasions to which l
Preferred in the communications when
I recently published concerning this
request made upon Mr.. Patterson, ana
at that time. 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 the night
of the 18th Of December, just passed,
one Of my partners, the Hon. L. W..
Haskell, who is member or the mouse
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-
til about u o'clock. After this confer
ence and when about to leave the hotel
4, we met Mr.. j. o. Patterson, who re-
ouested us to go to his room, as he
would have to sit up to catch late
train. While in this gentleman's room
/ the subject of the investigating COM
mittee arose and I learned accidentally
that a meeting of this committee had
been very recently held. Becoming
thus convinced that the promised hear
| ing was in fair way never to be ac-
corded to u.s. I 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
surances. A very recent conVersatio
with Mr.. Haskell warrants me in the
assertion that he was present and re-
calls that the request was most earn
estiy made
G. Duncan Bellinger.
Sworn to before me this, 18th day Of
February, 1904. J. T. CAN'T,
Notary Public, S. C.
EXHIBIT B.
State of South Carolina-County of
Richland.
Personally appeared w. j. Johnson,
who being duly sworn, says that dur
ing the present session of the legisla-
ture the deponent had an intinat ton
that the commission for the compile
I ton of the State house were going to
be severely criticised by the committee
appointed to investigate the several
reports cf the commission. That the
deponent Immediately looked up Repre-
| sentative Rawlinson, who was men,
! ber Of the Investigating committee, and
informed him of what deponent had
heard, and further informed him that
If the reports of severe arraignment
or criticism were true that the COM
mission had a right to be heard, and
that an opportunity should be given
them. That Representative Rawlin-
son assured deponent that there was
nothing in the runor and that the COM
mission would not be harshly critics.
ed and that his committee had not
fully made up its report: that they
would have another meeting and all
the members Of the old commission