The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-04-03
The Indebted ness of the ~. d. 30 az
q. Northern Railroad Company
tn the state.

Il Co., have delivered to him in State
Warrants and Certificate of Indebtedness
the balance due the State by the New
Orleans and Jackson Railroad Company
whose Indebtedness they have underta-
ken to pay off 50 as to become the credi-
tors of the road themselves under the
terms Of the law Of April 4th, 1872.
1t will be borne in mind that report
was submitted to the Legislature by
Committee appointed to investigate the
subject, more than month ago, 10 the
fleet that the acting Governor had been
guilty of violating the law at heavy |
cost TO the State This transgression Is |
confessed in his annual message to the |
LEGISLATURE, wherein he states that the |
law authorizing the settlement of the
Indebtedness Of the Roads had expired
bv limitation and that he had failed to
collect the balance due to the State in
currency as he possessed the power 70 DO.
This was purely an act Of tavorite'7m to
the purchasers in the claim held by the
State against the \. o. & j. Railroad
Company. 1t was entirely at the ex-
pense of the State Treasury and was no
less severely than justly reprobated by
the Committee whose report was submit
ted by leading Republican.
In his message to the Legislature, the
Cacting) Governor said: "Messrs.
Murdoch, Smith and Company came
forward and paid the debt from the n.
60 and J. Railroad Company by plac-
''ing in my hands an accepted draft on
New York for the full amount OF the
''debt This draft / proposed TO hold
until the 1st Of January, 1873, after
(which time if the debt was not paid in
State warrants It should be at mig option
'to demand cash on The acceptance"
Prior to that date part of the debt was
paid in warrants Consisting in part OF
the dishonored Subsidy Warrants)-but
when the 1st of January came, the (act-
ing) Governor instead of collecting the
balance in warrants as he had stipulated
to do, held up the draft. The 21st Of
January came-and the time had expired
within which the parties were permitted
to avail themselves of the benefit of the
act-and still the balance was not paid
nor was the money realized on the
draft The (acting) Governor commu-
nicated his action Of the Legislature
showing that he had violated the law
and had not enforced his own bargain
with Murdoch, Smith Il Co. He was
then assured" that they too would
"place the balance of the warrants" in
his hands within thirty days" '|Thir-
ty days" rolled by; and at the expiration
of still another "thirty days" and more,
he approaches the Legislature with the
communication above recited that the
balance in warrants has at last been paid
and asking that his conduct be ratified
by legislative actions authorizing him TO
turn the said warrants over to the State
Treasury.
The proceeding cannot he viewed ex-
cept as a shameful violation Of law by
the (acting) Chief Executive officer of
the State, to promote IL private specula-
ton There could have been no other
motive at the bottom of his neglect to
collect in currency the amount unpaid
prior to the expiration of the law. The
amount which the State has lost has
been variously estimated at from sec, 600
to 1925, 900. The Committee in their
Report have stated that if the (acting)
Governor had performed his duty in the
premises State warrants which are at a
discount of twenty-five cents on the dol
lar would be at par. None will question
that the amount thus criminally thrown
away, or placed in the pockets Of specu-
lators in the securities Of the State, is
very considerable His own statements
convict him of connivance in this scanda-
lous proceeding; the facts have led some
minds to the disagreeable inference that
he himselfis concerned in the speculation
which has cost the people so dearly.
We beg leave to warn the Legislature
against the appeal of the (acting) Gov
ernor to give its sanction to this scandal
lous proceeding and to assume therespon-
sibility and the shame which it involves.