Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-01-13
The COmPtrOllership Scandal-Letters
frOm Lawyers M'AdOO and Ed.
Baxter-Witnesses Examin.
ed Yesterday.
Reforms and Retrencbment-Gibs
ana Hesd's Financial Bills
Weaver, Burch, Hobbs and
lefiingWell.
John Savage On the Appeals NeutraIi.
fy-The Senatorial Outlook
Lightning aBdidates-SO-
eial Amenties-EtC,

Special to the Appeal
NASHVILLE, January 12.-The new
bills passing first reading in the senate
to-day were UnimportaDt, the principal
one being TO regulate the practice oi
pharmacy. Four bills passed third read.
ing; among them was the bill reducing
the number OF challenges in the trial OF
cases and continuances in criminal
cases.
Senator Long introduced a bill to have
all intoxicated persons arrested and fined
twenty dollars, and making it the duty
of all officers, under penalty, to arrest
and have tried persons when intoxi-
caied.
In the house a number of new
bills were introduced: BY Mr.. Cross
To repeal sections thirty-one, fitty-seven
and seventy of the assessment and re-
venue law. By Mr.. Barnard: To abolish
State and county school superintendents.
By Mr.. James: To provide for the better
security and prompt payment Of re-
| venue collected by clerks from mer-
chants. BY Mr.. Bullen: To provide for
| the sale IF liquor by the manufacturer.
| By MIR. ROush: To create lien for
keeping and boarding horses. The SEN
ate bill repeating third section of the
! funding bill preferring the bOnd.credit-
1 ors passed first reading in the house,
| and was referred to the finance WAYS
! and means committee. The finance COM
! mittee recommended the rejection of the
4 house bill relative to the repeal of the
| assessment law. Recommitted.
THE COMPTROLLERsHIP SCANDAL
is being Investigated every day. Hobbs
has been heard from, as will be seen by
the following letter, read to the house by
Mr.. CummiDs to-day:
WAvERLY, TENN, January u, 1870.
Hon. n. Cummins:
DEAR SIR and Captain w. W.
Hobbs will appear before your commit
tee on Wednesday night next, or Thurs
day night, at the farthest. Hobbs will
have his evidence written out at great
length when he comes. | want to ap-
pear before your committee as attorney
for Hobbs. We could not come sooner,
as it is almost impossible for us to get off
sooner, and l am too unwell 20 leave my
room for two or three days. Please rep
resent these facts to the committee, and
beg of them to indulge Hobbs and N.Y.
self until the night Of the thirteenth or
fourteenth instant. Very respectfully,
Mr.. East read the following letter
from Edward Baxter:
NASHVILLE, Tenn, January I2, 1875
Hon. e. IL. East;
! wish that you would state that
William NJ. Duncan, who was summon
ed before the Hobbs investigating COM
mittee, understood that the committee
would continue this work until next
Saturday, and having business at Louis
vile, he went there yesterday, intend
ing to return on Monday and give the
testimony before the committee Wednes-
day night. He has not absented him
self to evade appearing, nor did he in
tend any disrespect to the honorable
committee or the legislature He is
ready to state all he may know On the
matters being Investigated, and has no
motive to avoid giving any information |
in his possession. Very respectfully,
ED. BAXTER. !
Among the witnesses summoned be- |
fore the committee to-day were Albert |
Roberts, George Purvis, and Frank Cole |
man, OF the Nashville Banner; Judge |
Shakleford, John FriersOn, president, |
and James Childress, cashier of the |
First national bank of COlumbia; John |
House, of Williamson county; Judge |
Cant, of Nashville; Senator Quarles, aud |
your correspondent. The object of the
committee is to ascertain upon what
grounds the newspapers predicate the
reports published relative to the scandal.
Witnesses are required to give all the
gossip they know or have heard about
the matter, The investigation seems
rather farce than a legal proceeding.
The assistant doorkeeper, who went
to WaveTly and summoned Mr.. Hobbs
will have him here this week. Hobbs
says he will make clean breast of the
matter. 1t seems strange that none of
the State bondholders alleged to have a
knowledge of the affair have been sum-
mOned by the committee. Mr.. Frier-
son was not at home, but is in Alabama.
Governor Porter arrived to-day.
Special Correspondence Appeal
REFORM AND RETRENCHMENT.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, January IA
spirit of retrenchment and reform will
actuate the present legislature, but the
wisdom Of,such may be seriously doubted.
Not only the committee On finance,
ways and means, but also that on re-
trenchment and reform plainly and un-
mistakably indicate their intention TO
cuTtail the expenses OF the State gov
eminent, and reduce its administration
to an economical basis. The committee
on retTenchment and reform will recon-
mend the passage OF the bill doing away
with the office of ax-colIectoT, and
making the county trustee eT 0ficiO col
lectoT of the State, county and munich
pal taxes. The act will not 90 into
effect until the expiration of the present
term. The committee will also recon-
mend the suspension OF the annual
library appropriation of twenty-five
hundred dollars for the purchase Of
books. This is a so-called reform that
cannot meet the views of the press of
Tennessee. The Tennessee State libra
~, while it contains many rare and
books, has but few publications
Of recent date, and is utterly destitute of
anything like a collection Of works
most needed and servioeable. The
effect of this act, il passed, would sub
serve no public good, although its spirit
may be indicative of the motives that |
actuate the gentlemen OF the committee
and the members Of the legislature
generally. understand that the finance
committee is rabid upon the subject of
economy and retrenchment, and that
they Will lose 10 occasion to recon-
mend bills looking TO that end.
THE ANTI-FINANCE BILL,
will claim much attention. That by
Mr.. Gibson allows bonds to be purchased
at sixty cents, while Mr.. Heads makes
the limit three-fourths of the face value
,seventy-rive centsl. These bills Will
doubtless arouse much discussion, and
not littleinterest. The general disposi-
ton is TO relieve the Taxpayers as much
as possible, yet the legislature, in its de-
sire to do so, may impair the State credit
and shake the faith Of public creditors
in the willingness Of Tennessee to meet
her obligations.
THE CoMPTROLLERSHIP COMMITTEE
AND MR.. WEAVER.
The mptrollership investigating
committee have organized and are at
work. The general impression among
those bsst informed is that both Gov
ernor Brown and Comptroller Burch
will establish their entire Innocence and
fully refute any belief, If such there be,
Of tbeiT completely with the alleged sale J