Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-29
RADICAL MALEFACTORS AND CON
SENTATIVE BURDENs.

v
The Memphis Avalanche has made
very damaging exposure Of the corruption
OF the Chairman of the County Commits.
sioners for Shelby county. This man
Barbour Lewis is leading Radical, and
the law creating the County Commission
ers for Shelby county was passed for the
purpose Of giving him and few others
fat positions The legislation Of the
State and the Executive departments are
so conducted as to enable men Of the
character of Barbour Lewis to monopo-
lise the best Offices, and they do not
scruple TO use the power thus entrusted
to them TO advance their own private
ends 1t seems there was some attempt
to shield Lewis from merited infamy if
not punishment, by the suppression of
portion Of the presentment Of the grand
jury, which bore down very heavily upon
this official, who Is, we believe, an APP
pointee of Gov Brownlow. But these
suppressed clauses have been brought to
light and they not only substantiate the
ApalaRche's charges against Lewis, but
show that other county officers have
been using the public money in private
speeulations. The following are the
clauses
'1n the early part OF orr session We re-
ceived partial information of informalities
in the Office Of the County Tax Collector.
Some little difficulty in getting witnesses
and books before u.s. and other business
which at the time seemed to be Of more
importance, prevented an immediate and
full Investigation Of the matter.
at now appears TO us, however, from tes-
timony, and from books obtained from the
Tax Collectors Office, that the County Tax
Collector has been in the habit of withhold
ing certain moneys Of the county from the
Trustee and paying the same TO certain other
county officers for county warrants at par.
As these transactions have been made while
the county treasury was without money
TO meet Just demands in their legitimate
course, while evidences Of county indebted
ness were deprecated in the markets l24
to 25c on the dollar, while the County
Commissioners were adding the deprecia-
ton TO scrip in payment Of cash bills, and
these facts must necessarily have been
known to the Tax Collector, we cannot look
upon the transaction in other light than
as a misdemeanor on the part Of the Tax
Collector
at appears, also, from testimony given
to US, that the Chairman of the ESzrA of
County Commissioners, while occupying
such responsible position, had bought
county warrants at less than their nominal
value in several cases. The evidence of
such purchases was so very clear and direct
that we felt it our duty TO present the case
to the Prosecuting Attorney.
Both Of the foregoing cases have been
J duly presented to the Prosecuting Attorney,
and he has been requested to frame indict-
ments, which he declines doing, for the
reason that no prosecutor has appeared be-
fore u.s."
These developments admonish the PeO-
pie of Tennessee, those who pay the
taxes, that the men who have control of
the State now are not entirely above sus-
picion They admonish the people that
the Radicals are running the State
more in their own individual interests
than for the public good And for these
violations of law there seems to be no
punishment Here is an Off notori-
ously guilty Of a violation Of the law, and
it is shown that the Radical Prosecuting
Attorney refuses to prosecute him, and
thus the malelactor goes unwhipt of jus
tee Is there a man in the State who
believes that such rascality would be
covered up, or even attempted, if the
criminal were 6 Conservative The laws
in Tennessee are made and administered
for the benefit and to shield Radicals,
while those who are opposed to the Radi-
Cal dynasty are made to bear the burdens
Of the government, without having a
voice in shaping or administering the
laws Such is Radicalism in Tennessee.