Year: 1874

Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN's DEFENSE-NONE OF THE ACTS


FOR THE INCREASE OF THE STATE DEBT DRAWN


BY HIM-THEIR WORDING NOT CUNNING" AND


NOT ADAPTED TO FRAUDULENT PURPOSES


KIMPToN NOT Mr.. CHAMBERLAINs PROTEGE.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.


SIR: The present political campaign in South
Carolina is attracting the attention of the country
TO degree which / am will induce you to pub
lish brief statement from me in reply to the letter
of your correspondent g." writing from Philadel-
phia in The TRIBUNE Of September 81. Having
been absent from home in the upper portions OF this
State for fortnight past, did not read the letter
referred to until to-day. find that it consists of
" conclusion " that am not innocent of certain
alleged frauds in connection with South Carolina
bonds, based upon certain alleged facts" which
are briefly outlined" " by your correspondent. The
conclusion " of course rests upon the facts" l
shall give my attention entirely to the facts and
let the conclusion" take care of itself


pass by the numerous minor inaccuracies to use
the mildest term into which your correspondent has
fallen in his outline of facts" and notice only
those leading statements which are relied upon to
connect me with the alleged frauds.


First: Your correspondent asserts as a matter of
fact that "a the acts for the increase of the State
debt were drawn by Chamberlain. They were very
cunningly worded. Instead of authorizing the
d
lied sufficient amount to be issued to
raise a given sum of money. wide
door was purposely left open for fraud here" In
reply to this statement. l say that did not draw
any of the acts in question: and make this offer to
vour correspondent-that if he will support the
assertion that drew all any of the acts referred
TO by ANYTHING besides his own assertion, will
prove the fact which now state by incOntestable
evidence. Truth permits me to go further, and to
say that not only did not draw those acts but that
was not consulted in regard to their form or
phraseology nor did know their phraseology until
I saw them when duly published as acts of the
Legislature.


But the remainder Of your correspondents state
ment as above quoted is not less unfounded and
indicative of culpable haste or ignorance. He says
the acts in question were very cunningly wOrded,"
and that "a wide door was purposely left open for
fraud.n Let us see how this is. The acts are to
be found on pages II, 1s. and 1872 of the 14th
volume of the statutes at large of this State.
By the first section of each act authority is given
q designated officer or officers to borrow on the
credit of South Carolina q sum not exceeding --
dollarsD This is the exact language of each act,
the amount to be borrowed being precisely fixed in
each act This is the alleged cunning" and
wide door for fraud" which is charged upon me.
Now if YOU OF your correspondent will refer to page
90 of the statutes at large of the United States of
1861 and to page 700 of the statutes at large of the
United States Of 1926 it will be found that the
alleged cunning" wording and wide door TO
fraud" are simply literal copies from the acts Of Con-
oress under ,chc the present bonded debt Of the United
States ,oas authorized and contracted The late Chief
Tustice Chase, as YOU are aware is the reputed
author Of each of those acts.


Ileave this statement of your correspondent with
ont further answer. and respectfully submit to a
candid public whether such a statement does not
entite me and all affected by it to the benefit of the
maxim. " Ab uno disco omnes." think such reckless
and injurious assertion ought to recOl its author
with fatal effect.


Second: Your correspondent asserts as matter of
| fact:


Finally when the credit OF the State exhausted
the Railroad Ring under the lead OF John Patter-
SON. had stolen all the valuable interest OF the State In
the Blue Ridge, Greenvile and Columbia and Spartan.
burg and Union Railroads when the Real Estate Ring
had with all the landed property of the State
which they could put their hands when the Legs-
atye Ring under Moses had emptied the Treasury and
put out certificates OF indebtedness by the rea when
the Land Commission Ring had sucked that orange dry,
Bond Ring the four officials above named, their
| New-YOrk agent and their Columbia bankers were
popularity de sgpaed hit upon shrewd expedieDt TO
raise money. The bonded debt OF the state had been
run up to about s90OOOO and II was plain that Wast
would not touch IA issue adding 10 The total Of the
debt bill prepared by Chamberlain, aud put


through the Legislature IN February 1872. II remember
night, known as the Conversion Bosd act.


Here are two principal substantive allegations:
first, that the Conversion Bond act" passed in
ls7 or in other words, after the events described
in the words above quoted took place The alleged
design of the act is an inference from the time of its
passage What then, shall be said of your CORE
spondents accuracy or truthfulness when inform
vou that the Conversion Bond act" referred to is