Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-07-16
THE SECOND RELIEF.

|
month after these charges appeared, and
after their business had been semi official
| ly recognized by the Governor of the
State, one of the Commissioners Of Agri..
culture-the editor of the Rurdl SUl-at-
tempted an answer. We met his defence
and overthrow it so successfully that now,
after the lapse Of another month, second
Commissioner puts in his tardy appear
ance before an indignant public, to patch
up defence the first Commissioner very
blunderingly and imperfectly made.
The new defender is Mr.. Tom Crutchfield
II is very proper that his defence should
be heard for he is one of the two Commits
sioners who are not stockholders in the
RtrdL SIN. We have no desire to do Mr..
Crutchfeld or any of the Commissioners
injustice. We propose to state facts and
leave the public to pass Judgment.
Mr.. Crutchfield makes three points in
his card. The first is that we were wrong
in stating that there were seven Commits
sioners. There are but six. The correc-
ton makes it worse-fOr it makes four out
of sic, instead of four out of screen of the
Commissioners, stockholders of the Sun.
His second point is that the Commission
ers were appointed before the RurdL Sun
was established. Let us see how this
correction betters them. The Commission
ers were first in point of existence. -Four
of the six commissioners go into stock
company to start the Rur0L San. Then they
procure an amendment to the act creating
their bureau, which gives them the power
to fix the salaries of their officers. The Sun
by its agents Hobbies in the Legislature
and gets a ten thousand dollar appropria-
ton to promote the cause of agriculture"
Then it is, that the four Commissioners of
Agriculture holding stock in theRurat Sun,
cote SiU thousand dONdrS-over One-half
the apprOpriation-tOH the editors and agents
oftheir ott7l paper. They may dodge and
protest and disclaim as much as they want
to, but this ugly fact can't be ex-
planned away. Two-thirds of the Bureau
of Agriculture vote over one half of the
money put into their hands to the editors
and agents of a newspaper IN Which they
are interested. And we now ask the edi-
tors of the SIN if it is not the fact, that
since they We're voted these fat salaries by
the Commissioners, they have not reduced
their salaries paid by the Sun Company?
We ask merely for information. If it
will suit the Commissioners better
to have the people understand that the
Rural Sun was gotten up as sponge
to absorb over half of the annual
appropriation, rather than to have them
believe that the Rural SIN got up the four
ommissioner-stockhold to toss into
its lap the sugar plum, we have no objec-
ton. 1t is six of one and half-dozen of the
other. And just here we might ask why
the commissioners do not explain what
they have done with their ten thousand
dollars
The third point made by Commissioner
Crutchfield in his card is, that to the bu-
reau sit matters not what relations they
(ts officers sustain towards the Rural Sun
or any other business" We should think
the above a very fair specimen of the
Commissioners ideas Of official propriety
and integrity. Suppose Governor Brown
! should appoint as Superintendent of Edu-
cation bookseller who should use his of
fetal position to foist upon the schools of
the State class Of school books published
| by him, Would not that be considered
very wrong and gross injustice to other
booksellers? Suppose said Superintendent
should go about the State making speeches
| in his official character as hired public
servant, and should conclude his addresses
| by advertising the claims of his books or
or by taking up subscriptions for his pub
| locations. What would be thought of the
propriety of such a course? Could Gov
ernor Brown silence the public, as the
Commissioners now propose to do, by say
ing that he could not ask the Superinten-
| dent to relinquish private business re-
| lations ?n
The fact is, and the commissioners know
! it, that these Rt,raL San gentlemen, who
draw six thousand dollars from the State,
use their position and official character
more to canvass for subscribers for their
paper than to gather facts about the agri-
culture of the State. Their salaries and
| official position are used much more to
build up their paper than to lay broad and
! deep the foundations for an efficient Blu
reau of Agriculture. If the commissions
ers think this is the object of the appro-
! priation, they have very little conception
Of their duties, 1t is legitimate for an ed.