Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-08-20
ABOUT THE SALE OF THE CONTROL
LER'S OFFICE.
The Reply OF the Nashville Bulletin to
Burch's Card.

resignation Of ex-Comptroller Hobbs. We
have also given the substance of the cards
of Burch and Hobbs. The Bulletin, of
the 14th, notices them as follows;
We were astonshed at the article in the
Union and american, of which Colonel
Burch is the acknowledged editor, head 81.
ing the article signed 10y him, in which
Judge j. q. Shackelford is assailed. The
subject must have been to divert public
attention from the true issue by assailing
a private citizen who was in no way con-
nected with the paper. Judge Shackelford
has been too long and favorably known
throughout Tennessee to be effected by
such an attack.
In our last issue we stated that Mr.
Hobbs had said he had received $4,000 to,
resign his Office rs Comptroller and that
Mr. Burch now fills the office and that it
| was by and through the influence of the
money so advanced that he now holds it.
| We did not charge that Col. Burch paid
| the money, but that it was paid by his
! friends We knew that he was too good q
lawyer to have made the contract himself,
| or even to have authorized his friends to
contract for it. He says in his card: 81
never bought Mr.. Hobbs office. L never
spoke or wrote to Mr.. Hobbs about his re-
! signing, nor authorized, any one to speak
or write him upon the subject | never
| paid him cent directly or indirectly, nor
contracted nor agreed to do SO. 1 never
! authorized any one else to bargain with
him for me- or in my behalf. l owe him
nothing, and never did, L have paid moth
! ing to get the Office which now hold, nor
have | promised to pay anything to Mr..
Hobbs or to any one else.n
We submit this denial of Col. Burch to
any fair, candid man and ask if it is not
special pleading, and if he is not seeking
to avoid the main question at issue, The
charges that we made were that his friends
had procured, by money, the resignation
of Hobbs. Col. Burch does not deny that
he did not know this was done. He never
authorized it, but was willing and did ac-
cept the fruits of their labor. Who paid
: the money we do not know. There is no
question the money was paid. Mr.. Hobbs
) cannot, nor do we believe that he will, at
! tempt to deny it, as he has stated it too Of
> ten in the presence of others.
! Hobbs, as we before stated, is not poll
Q tician, and having good sum offered, he
: determined to accept it, and thought there
was nothing wrong in the transaction.
. Col. Burch, in his article, does not deny
/ the money was paid, but disclaims having
!. been party to the negotiation. This is
special pleading on the part of the Colonel
to avoid the effect that the Office was pur-
chased by his friends for him. We are
satisfied the officials at the Capitol did not
{ pay the money, as they were unable to do
SO nor did the public printers. Now, the
question arises, who paid it? We know
no one in the city of Nashville that is
able, or willing to advance SO large a sum.
# There is but one firm of large slave hold
q ers in the State, the lessees of the Peniten-
= tiary, who hire their slaves from the State
y at about ten cents per head, per day, and
o receive from eighty cents to one dollar and
Il twenty-five cents per day, when hired to
n other corporations. Their income from
+ the hire of their slaves to railroads and
n coal mines is from 100000 to $3.50 per
r annum
g We cannot say, nor would we insinuate,
q that they paid the money, but that they
t had the ability to do so. The question is,
r "Who struck Billy Patterson ?" Hobbs
e received the money beyond a peradyent-
:, ure, and it must have been paid by those
g who were deeply interested, in having a
o friend in the office, and they must have
Il been assured by Governor Brown that
e Col, Burch would receive the appointment.
The Office was glittering prize, the fees
: allowed under the funding will amount to
: between $4,000 and $4,000 or perhaps
I, more, Can it De believed that man would
o voluntarily resign such an Office without
e a consideration? The law had fixed the
), amount of his fees in the funding bill at
Q one dollar and fifty cents for each bond that
: | he registered; and the number of bonds to
$ be registered was from % 600 to 80 900,
e hence there was no question as to the
q amount of income that would result to the
+ Comptroller. Col. Burch, in his card, en-
deavors to create the impression that he
: had no agency whatever in procuring this
appointment Can it be believed for mo-
L ment judging from the actions and mo-
= tives of men, in the ordinary affairs of life,
s that so large a sum was raised without Col.
i Burch being cognizent of the fact? Such
: friendship and liberality does not belong
: to thepresent age. There are some facts
= that may throw light on the transaction !;
S Hobbs had e'indebted to one of his
s competitors for the Office, in the sum of
: about 81 10000, for Withdrawing from the
: contest. Shortly after the election the COM
petitor above mentioned borrowed of DIR.
: Morrow, out of that gentleman's own pri-
!. vate funds ST 10000, and executed his note
for the same, stating that in a few days the
money would be paid. The party failing
to pay the note according to promise, DR..
Morrow sent his attorney to collect the
= same. He was informed by the maker of
n the note that though he had executed it, it
i was to be paid by another and to say to the
r parties that unless that note was promptly
z, paid he would expose and publish the
G whole transaction. We do not know who
: paid it, but this note grew out of the Comp
n trollership. Cau it be possible that Hobbs
% would expend 81 10000 in procuring his
It election, and then voluntarily resign it,
Vt knowing that the income was from $780,