Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-22
RIFLE TEAM CONTROVERSY
Disbursing Officer Makes Statement In Reply
To Criticism.

| he approved of it because it was just
along the lines that he had always
wanted to conduct rifle practice
| then laid it before Gen. Boyd and he
approved it, inStructing me to take the
matter up with the several officers in
terested, and see if they desired the
practice of 1910 to be conducted along
these lines. | did take the matter up
and reported to Gen. Boyd, and he gave
his consent and issued orders accord
ingly that the practice of the First reg
iment should be held at YorkVille. The
Yorkville range was selected because
| it had all the firing points up to and
| including 1000 yards. AS this was the
initial shoot at a local range we did
not know exactly how many men could
be accommodated. The first weeks
shoot showed that we could take care
of so officers and men from four COM
panies. Then the other four companies
were ordered in for a second weeks
shoot and, in this way, since all the
hundred men were not kept at camp
two weeks, it made it just about as
cheap as if the whole 100 men had
practiced for one week. Two compa-
nies of the First regiment, however,
| got no opportunity to practice at all.
| | explained the plan to Col. Lipscomb
both in person and by letter, and he af-
terwards took it up with Gen. Boyd
| in person, securing the generals con-
sent that the Second regiment should
have their regimental shoot at Colum-
bia, Col. Libscomb being in charge of
that shoot. The shoot of the Third
regiment was held at Charleston, with
Col. Cogswell in charge. 1t was left
entirely to Col. Cogswell and Col.
| Lipscomb as to who attended the reg
| mental shoots of the Third and Sec
ond regiments, respectively. Repre-
sentativeS from each regiment, select
ed from the highest scores made on
these regimental shoots, were sent to
Charleston to contest for places on the
Camp Perry team. Just here I will
answer the question as to why there
were so many officers among the 15
members of the South Carolina team
at Camp Perry this year. Because
they won their places by the scores
made at the competitive shoot at
| Charleston.
I attended all the rifle practices
named above and drew pay for my ser
vices. I had right to the pay and IT
was right that l should be paid. Let
us get this point perfectly clear. The
militia vi Val uSpoA
ment expressly state that a disbursing
officer can only be paid for his services
| if he participates in an encampment
himself The items of pay, subsist-
ence incidentalS and transportation for
these rifle practice encampments could
| only be paid by me. l was ordered
there on this service and received pay
| for doing it. 1t is true that / might
| have sat in my office and sent checks
| in settlement of claims, but there were
| two objections to this: First, the men
want their pay while they are at camp
and l can not make payment unless
the vouchers are properly prepared
therefore, it is much the best plan for
all concerned that disbursing officer be
on the ground, get the vouchers in
shape, and make settlement promptly;
second, unless l attended these en-
campments in person / could not draw
any pay for my work and no reasona-
BILE man will say that am called upon
| to perform all the work involved in
disbursing South Cardinals apportion-
ment of Federal funds without receiv-
| ing pay.
In my statement below have taken
pains to put down in one place the
amount of money that have received
| for my work as disbursing officer after
encampments, and outside of the pay
I received at encampments, out OF the
| fund for the promotion Of rifle prac-
| tice for the time covered by that set
| tlement. namely, December goth, 1909,
| to November 18th, 1910, and that
amount is four hundred and thirty
seven and 5O-10O ($437.5O) dollars.
Your issue of November 10th, 1910,
says Col Lindsay will write for pub
| lication in the Record a statement of
| his views of the current controversy
| over the military establishment of the
state. My view, plainly stated, is that
| the Columbia State has made an un-
| warranted attack upon me for the pur-
| pose Of preventing my reappointment
as United States disbursing officer for
South Carolina. Further, the State has
not accorded me fair treatment. Let
us examine the facts in the case and
see If my view is we'll founded. The
first publication is letter from Mr..
Frank Hampton, a brother law of
Mr. Gonzales of the State, and not on
the South Carolina team at Camp Per-
~ for 1910, in which the question is
asked If state officials are entitled to
extra pay for going on encampment,
and in the same paragraph paymaster
is mentioned. More than once the
State has mentioned my name in con-
nectiOn with Gen. Boyd and Col. Brock
could he drawn, except that l drew
state pay and not one time has 1t said
that did not draw state pay. Is that
fair? 1t has singled me out from all
the other militia officers OF the Nation
al Guard of South Carolina and link
ed my name with those Of Gen. Boyd
and Col. Brock. The object Of this is
perfectly plain. The Boyd-Broc con-
troversy and court OF inquiry resulting
therefrom was the talk Of the state last
summer and the idea was to link me
up with these two officers in such
manner that l would have to attempt
to defend them in defending myself, or
appear before the public in the same
light they did. Is that fair? Then an
interview is published with Gen. Boyd,
in which the general said some bitter
things about me. and also said he didn't
know I was going to Camp Perry and
that orders were issued by Col Brock
for me after my return. Gen. Boyd is
on old man and his health is not good
and l do not think the State should
have published that interview with
him. for his own sake. If | did not
have orders to go to Camp Perry, then
no one else did, and I fatty deny the
assertion above. | wish 1t definitely
understood that l have no connection
whatever with the adjutant generals
office so far as state funds are con-
ccrned No state funds came into my
hands for disbursement
The State has sought to ridicule my
fitness as a member of South Caro-
lina's team at Camp Perry and to dis
credit me in various ways, and one
piece of unfairness that / hardly think
will he disputed is this A day or two
after my letter was read to the Nation
al Guard association at Columbia a re-
porter for the State called me up over
the phone and asked permission to
publish my letter. My reply was that
had no objection if the association
was willing. l supposed, of course, the
letter would he published in full. 1t
was not, excerpts only, and comments
made as to what my letter said, and
some of these comments were not cor
rect The State did not treat me fair
" in asking my permission to publish
my letter and then not doing it in full.
There can he but two ways about the
states attitude in this matter. Either
it's attack upon me was done with a
purpose or without a knowledge of the
facts. There was no particular trOu-
BILE about getting at the facts. as a