The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-02-09
ADVERSE REPORT on CLAIM.
Ways and Means Committee Against
Payment of S13,5OO Architects
Fee for Capitol Drawing.

On the grounds that the contract
entered into between ". W. Dixon
and F. NJ. Bryan and Todd & Benson
was illegal, the ways and means COM
nittee reported unfavorably on the
question of paying S13,550 to the Char
lesion architects as the first Install
nent On the plans they drew for re-
modelling the State house under an
agreement, entered into last Septem-
Der in the governors Office, by the
Arm and the subcommittee from the
committee on State house and grounds.
The report follows:
s'To the Honorable, the House Of Rep
resentatives of the State Of South
Carolina:
Gentlemen: We, your committee OF
ways and means, to whom was re-
ferred the report of the committee
on the State house and grounds pub
Rshed in the Journal of Thursday,
February /, 1912, beg leave to report
Wa have gone into the matter as thor
sughly as possible and submit the fol-
Sowing report:
eve desire to call your attention
to message No. 5, page 251, Of the
Journal Of last year, which called the
attention Of the general assembly to
the approaches of the ground floor
Of the capitol, in the following words:
"I think some arrangement should
De made by which carriages can be
driven to the side entrance, and that
the entrance be so arranged that per-
sons can alight from their carriages
and enter the State house with con-
venience, either in bad Or good wealth
er. I have heard many strangers re-
mark about having to pass through
water closets in order to enter our
State Offices, and hope that you gen
tlemen will take some steps to relieve
the situation
1--WE also desire to call your atten-
ton to the concurrent resolution in
response to said message, which res
elution is as follows: BE it resolved
by the house of representatives, with
the senate concurring, that his excel
lency, the governor, is hereby author
lied and requested to appoint a com
mittee OF authorize committee OF
State house and grounds to employ
the services of an architect to make
such estimates of costs and to make
such plans as may be desired to carry
out the recommendations of his ex-
cellency, the governor, in regard to
the State house as suggested in said
message
1'By constituting the resolution in
connection with the message, We are
Of the opinion that the committee or
State house and grounds has far ex'
ceeded it's authority in entering into
the contract with the architect, and
that the plans submitted were never
contemplated by, and are useless anC
unavailable for the purposes of the
resolution.
"The Improvement of the entrance
to the present building and redress
Of the publicity of the closets affords
no sufficient pretext for the enormous
project of enlargement of the capi'
tol and dome, the plans for which the
committee has seen fit to contract.
with the report was submitted q
claim by Todd & Benson, architects
for the sum of s13,550 for the plans
above referred to, which we're con-
tracted for by a subcommittee Of the
committee on State house and grounds
which original claim is hereto attach
ed and made { part of this report.
"Since We have concluded that the
contract was entered into without war
rant of law, we recommend that the
claim be disallowed.
eve herewith submit legal opinions
by the attorney general, G. R. Rem
bert, r. J. kirkland and W. H. Nichol
son, furnished to the committee upo1
it's request, and upon which it ha:
based its legal conclusions.
"Lowndes J. Browning,
chairman"
Governor Not Present When Contrac
Was Signed Sharp Clash in
HoHSa.
rThot ooa of tho IF tho cl,h