Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-08-16
Grave Charge.

! publican VI gun a. - go ---~J
the charge direct, that W. W.
Hobbs, who was elected Comptrol-
Ter last winter, by the legislature,
was bought out of the Office by =
regular purchase and sale, and says
the proof will be forthcoming, to
prove it, clearly, Enthusiastically.
Col. Burch, the present Comp
troller, over his own signature,
promptly, positively, and unequivo-
eally denies that be either bought
or sought TO buy-that he either
paid any money or promised any,
that either by himself or by any
friend for him or by his knowledge,
was there ever any means used, fair
or foul, to obtain Hobbs resigna-
ton. His denial is as full as Ian
guage can make it. In the course
of his denial, he attributes the
charge to Judge J. o. Shackleford,
late one of the Supreme Court
Judges of the State, and arraigns
that gentleman's political and Ju-
dieial character. Judge Shackle-
ford, over his own signature, denies
emphatically that he wrote the ar
ticle, or had any knowledge of it
till his attention was called TO It.
He says he is not the editor of the
Bulletin, and is not to be held re-
sponsible for its articles.
At the time Of Hobbs resignation
and Burch's appointment, there
were rumors of corruption in the
matter, and the rumors were not
confined to private circles. We did
not give currency to them, because
we were 10th to believe that any
public men in Tennessee could be
so lost to honor and to honesty as
to do such things; but now that the
charge is publicly made in a public
newspaper, we would like to see it
sifted to the bottom. If corrupt
means were used, let the people
know it; if the parties directly i'm
plicated are innocent, let the fact
appear. We want to know the ex-
act truth about the matter.
It is alleged in certain quarters,
that though Col. Burch did not
probably pay or contract to pay,
and never has, and probably never
will be called upon to pay any part
of the consideration-which is spe-
officially set down at s12,OOO-that,
still, the money was paid by his
friends of the funding ring
those who knew his views on the
subject, and felt sure of securing
his appointment. This naming the
specific sum paid looks very much
as if there was some transaction by
which Hobbs realized handsomely,
and gave up an Office for which he
was VIGOROUSLY incompetent. Let
US have light on the subject. The
Memphis Avalanche, of the 9th, has
this significant paragraph:
The purchase money which bought
Hobbs, the Comptroller, is said to
have been SI2, 600. The funding ring
furnished the money.
Since the above was in type, we
have received the Union and Ameri-
can of the 18th, in which there is a
letter from ex-Comptroller Hobbs, in
which he very positively sustains the
statement of Col. John @. Burch, that
the latter gentleman did'not approach
him in any manner to secure his re-
sienation; but he does not say that
he did not receive any money or pro-
perty consideration for resigning.
We are not inclined to believe that
there was any corruption in the case
we sincerely hope there was none
but the charge having been publicly
made, and denied by the alleged high
contracting parties, we await with
anxiety but with patience the proof
which it is alleged will. in due time
be forthcoming.