The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-25
with the report OF the commission. and
with the limitations above expressed
have signed myself as a responsible

i.1-Tbst in the election of architect to
fynalse u9ans and specifications for the
Icou,nletio,a of the work on the State
/ bo,lse@I did not tote, for Mr.. Milburrl
Sor rreasorls satisfa actory to myself. In
+ba acceDHance for the completion Nc
Ilya;n-TTnkefer 11, CO. was the only one
+bat came within the limits Of the ap-
31,Ts,rriafiion, rrcs and it resolved itself into
iaTbe acceptance Of the same or post
nonement OF the work until the pro-
/ xisions should be made by the State
] legislature. When l went out OF offlce
as State treasurer my connectlon WIN
the commission ceased, ana am IN no
! | nov responsible for the completion or
! ! as1 sccantance os the work Of the con-
frsetar f did not pretend to have any
,-,,oIrle6ee of architecture, and couid
| 10 +,,arafore have easily been imposed
s,,-,,n ..- as f., the beauty and the finish OF
the architecture. -
| Very respectfully submitted,
! s -. -: W. II. Zimmerman.
| | EXHIBIT A.
| parsonally appeared G. Duncan Bel
l;neer who being duly sworn, says:
Tbs4 in the late fall Of the year 1909,
,,nnn casually meeting the Hon. y. y.
D. . t+arson q member Of the joint in
,;es+;gating committee, and ascertain
ne accidentally from him that he had
| ;i,,s+ -,,S returned from Columbia where
5s Sa had been in attendance upon said
oo-,T,oittee asked him if the COM
-; o;esioy, would be accorded nearing
;hafore ;,sre,, his committee. In reply to this
| Mr. patterson stated that Mr. Aldrlch
5yDas ti1e chairman OF the comnnttee
and advised me that if such request
was made Of the chairman II Wouio
be grauted. Deponent referred 20 rea-
sons mutually known to MN ana 70
Mr.. Patterson why sueh requesI Wooiu
IIsha ,,nnleasant to deponent, upon whlch
EMr. Patterson assured me tt!ae
i5i,a .,ro,,Id himself notify the chair
;Ioa,sn. ,,s,s of the desire&of the members Of
the eomrnission to be heard. This con-
yarsstion occurred in the town OF
lBarnWeu on Saturday. night, within
ga feet of the paling Of Mr.. Patterson's S
front yard.
| S,,hseuuentiy and before the occas-
( ION ,,exf, to he referred to in the same
tnp,n. to11 !. and near the same locality, l
Erecai,ed to Mr.. Patterson our previous
conversation and asked him II the
right which we had demanded world
I he accorded to us. and he assured me
thst If would, and that he had spoken
fo the chairman on the subject and the
nnoha ia abflitys was that the illness from
which Mr.. Aldrich was then suffering
was the reason why /, and other mem
hers OF the commission had not peen
notified. Z again Impressed upon him
that this request was made onSbehalf
Of all of. the members Of the comnlls-
sion.
| these are the occasions to which I
referred in the communications which
8 recently published concerning this
request made upon Mr.. Patterson, and
at that time had no reference to any
other: but his published statement,
said to- have beenein defense of his
conduct, while explaining upon the
floor Of the house of representatives,
I. 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
CT the 17th of December, just passed,
one Of my partners, the Hon. l.. w
Haskell. who is member OF 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-
iii about IL 6 clock After this confer
ence and when about to leave the hotel
we met Mr.. J.. O. Patterson, who re-
ouested sus 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
rrlittee arose and learned accidentally
that a. meeting of this committee had
tbeen very recently held. Becoming
thus convinced that the promised hear
ing was IN a fair way never to be ac-
corded to us, 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 /
received empty promises and vain as
srrances. A very recent conversation
with Mr. Haskell warrants me in the
assertion that he was present and re-
calls that the request was most earn
estly made
! G. Duncan Bellinger.
:, Sworn to before me this, 18th day Of
February, 1904. J. T.. Can't,
-=ss- Notary Public, S. c..
EXHIBIT B.
State of South Carolina-County of
RichIand
Personally appeared w. j. Johnson,
| who being duly sworn, says that dur
ing the present session Of the legisla-
ture the deponent had an intimation
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 men,
Der of the investigating committee, ana
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,i that there was
nothing in the runlor 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
could be heard: further stated that it
was his impression that sll the mem
berS Of the commission had ~een in
vited to attend their meetings; de-
ponent informed him that none Of the
members Of the commission had been
| invited to any OF the meetings so far as
deponent knew, certainly deponent
had not been.