Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-10
sonEFACrsAxD A FEwTHoUsHTs
on THE HOBBs.BURCH INFE8TI-
nanrnu
Chattanooga C0mtiercisI1 Jan. 9.

eALAUNs
Chattanooga Comnercisl, Jan. 9.
EDIToRs COMMERCIAL: I zee that
the Legislature has initiated an investi-
CATION into the alleged sale Of the Comp
troller's Office, By Hobbs to the present
incumbent. Is this movement to ex-
pose, on to cover up, this most disgrace
full transaction? / sincerely hope the
resolution was adopted IN good faith,
and that the investigation VIII be Just
to all parties implicated, but at the
same time thorough and complete, and
a little more comprehensive than the
resolution ordering the committee.
There are many facts connected with
this matter that need explanation. For
instance, Hobbs was VIGOROUSLY unfit
for so responsible an Office, and his N
capacity must have been known TO the
Legislature that elected him. Never
theless he was elected BY a majority Of
the peoples representatives. How
was this election secured2 The writer
of this has heard. and he thinks
on good authority, that a gentle
man from Williamson county was
candidate before the last Legislature for
Comptroller, IN opposition to Hobbs;
that an arrangement was effected be
tween them by which Hobbs paid this
opponent $1,000 to retire. and transfer
his strength to him (Hobbs); that he
did retire, and his supporters, or most
Of them, voted for Hobbs, and by the
united strength of both, Hobbs cleo
ton was secured. DR.. Morrow, the
State Treasurer, it Is said, loaned
Hobbs part Of the money used in
buying of his opponent. If these ru-
mOrs are true, the facts ought TO be de-
veloped and presented TO an indignant
and outraged public, IN an authentic
form. They could, if true, be readily
drawn from the parties. Hobbs and
Morrow, if required to give evidence on
oath before the committee, viii, 1t Is
believed, disclose the facts, and furnish
the names Of other parties having
knowledge Of this transaction. If leg
islatOrs want to do public service, let
them summon and require these par
ties to testify in relation to the matter,
and they viii in this way get a good
start towards the explanation Of the
contract that followed; the contract by
which Mr.. Hobbs retired and Mr..
Bureh obtained possession Of the Comp
trOller's Office.
When this preliminary investigation
shall be disposed of, and the facts III
relation thereto fully elected, the COM
mittee viii have a favorable base from
which to successfully extend its inqui-
ries. Hobbs viii not deny that he sold
his Office for a large sum of money.
When this fact is admitted, he must,
ez necessitGte rel, tell from whom he got
it. He must, in ike manner, tell how
and through whom the negotiations
were begun and carried on, and disclose
the real or pretended motives for both
the sale and the purchase. The pre-
tences Of ell health" and Humidity
of the capitol" f" are too thin. He had
paid out, in addition to his personal
expenditures incident TO his efforts to
secure the Office, $1,000 to obtain it.
He was poor and needed its perqui-
sites, and everybody knew that at
that particular Juncture the Office, IN
consequenceOf the assessment and fund
ing laws, would be very yremunerative. In
view of these facts it is idle to suggest
that Hobbs would have surrendered the
Office without an equivalent; and hence
it is morally certain that he received a
mOneyed consideration from some one
to offer his resignation. Now who
paid this large sum A single ques-
ton viii draw the purchaser from his
hiding place. Then let the committee
follow this vantage ground. Some
body paid the money, and tits certain
he would not have done 80 unless he
had been moved thereto by some ads-
quate inducement. What then was
the motive for his thus paying a large
sum of money t.. get one man out OF
and another man into the Comptroller
Office Did he expect any returng If
50, from whom vas he to get it: If IN
money, who was to pay it II not IN
money, how and by what means
was he to be compensated for
his investment: If he was to
get it in official favOrs, from Hobbs
successor, who was this successor to be:
Would any man especially one specu-
lating in the most responsible Office in
the State) have paid $4,000 or $1,000
to get Hobbs out and another man IN,
unless he had some reasonable assur-
ance that the particular party whom
he wanted to succeed him, would be
appointed: Did he have any such as
surances? If so, what were theyg
Through whom were they obtained,
and who gave thems And If he and
those associated with him expected re-
muneration for this heavy outlay, by
official favors from the new appOintee,
what sort of favOrs did they expect,
and who was 10 lose what they were to
gain? Explicit and full answers to the
foregoing, and other similar interToga-
tories, would be very interesting read
ing Just at this time.
OF course the plan having been laid
and executed by intelligent men, IS
more or less obscured by every device
that could be thrown around 1t; but
these cannot withstand a skillful and
energetic investigation by competent
committee, sincerely interested IN ex-
posing the corruption underlying this
most reprehensible transaction. The
purchasers, whoever they may be, will
be found IN close personal and political
afiliation with Mr.. Burch. 1t IS next
to impossible that the party or parties
who furnished $4,000 or $4,000 to
buy Mr.. Bunch into a coveted othee
lone which he had been seeking for
years, and one which he had not been
able by legitimate means to obtalnl ,
should not IN some way have made
known this very great kindness
to Mr.. Burch. and claimed their re
ward. And this knowledge on Mr..
Burch 'splrt has evoked no indignation,
/ induced no disclosures, nor called forth
any rebukp. On the contrary, the par
ties have been drawn into closer and
| closer personal and political alliance,
and the men that thus purchased the
Office for him, are now heart and soul
engaged N the most diligent Efforts TO
/ insure his reelection. As a citizen
deeply interested IN the fair name and
fame of Tennessee, 1 yield a hearty
"amen" to the proposition to mvesti-
gate, and sincerely hope that the same
y