The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-29

" sh'A nm III ECblliiS INT OlllGGJ ulh hO'
Ne know that Burch would get the office;
Z heard that Pennebaker had an intention
"a IF resigning once and that Col. BurcE
y vas then spoken of as his probable sue
81 lessor; witness never heard Gov. Brown
Z express himself about a single man eX-
a ;ept his friend Childress, and that was
mere opinion of him; was never intimate
y With Hobbs; Hobbs had poured his conf
q tence into him and had approached him
! IS a man that wanted sympathy, and had no
# friends: had firm faith that a friend of
j the States credit would be appointed
& Hobbs successor; was satisfied that Gov
Brown would appoint man favorable tel
The States credit; did not know of any
Z combination to secure the passage Of the
Funding bill.
In answer to question as to why hel
N refused to appear before the committee
witness stated that the information he had|
received from Hobbs was strictly conf
Dental.
HOBBS attorney told witness that he
Eould advise Hobbs to leave the State;
witness desired, as far as was in his pow
n, to keep his word with these parties; bel
bought Mr.. House was in New York unit
ae saw him few days ago, in Alabama,
lfter he had given in his testimony before
The committee; witness told House that
The testimony Of Hobbs would necessarily
compel witness to go home and protect
himself.
STATEMENT OF JOHN L. HOUSE.
By Mr.. Cummins-I believe you were
| candidate for comptroller of TENNESSEE
before the thirty-eighth general assem-
bly,?
Answer was
Question-Please state to the commit
tee anything you may know of any COM
i)iuatiOn entered into between Hobbs and
yourself, and other candidates, or by
yourself and other persons, relative toll
Hobbs's election; how much money was
paid; what clerkships were to be given,
land other benefits?
Answer-Before the election # Mr..
Hobbs, and after had been a candidatel
for several days, | became convinced thats
could not be elected, caused by someI
sutterances made by my main friend. II
became convinced on Saturday night be
More the election that | could not be elect
S"d, and determined to withdraw from theI
3canvass; never said anything to Hobbs
4 lboutlt; told some of my outside friends
I lbout it, but do not remember of telling
! tny member of the legislature; there was
snothing said between me and Hobbs
about money; | said nothing to him until
i withdrew from the race; he asked me
what | did it for; | told him that / would
be ruined if | took the office, that | did
BnOt like the surroundings; | asked him if
she wanted to be elected and he said be
3did; then told him would help him al
4 could; after he was elected he promised
me a clerkship he did not say word to
h me about money then; said that | would
~ like to be special clerk and divide the
Sprofts of the office, but this was after the
SelectiOn. | think it was the night after
Sthe election that the arrangement was en-
Ntered into, and | advised him to go home.
81 He did not give me that clerkShip. He
Spaid me some money. After the election
III went to Mr.. Morrow and got fifteen hun
9dred dollars and gave him my due bill for
Git, and told him that | would pay him the
ksmOney back within a certain time, Dr.
j Morrow waited until the specified time
8eXpired. About this time my financial
aToubles came upon me and I made some
sNtransfers, Mr.. Gaut came out to Frank
! lin with the'note, and talked about filing
"a bill. told him that was unnecessary
Ethat the matter could be fixed up thai
n would be in Nashville in few days and
u see Mr.. Morrow | came down here and
StaIked with Mr. Hobbs and told him what
8 would do. He said: Go on and take
hthe clerkship" but | declined to do it
gand he asked me why, and | told him
Sthat he was too weak for nae to work I'M
81 Ter. | said to him that if he would give
.5me some money, | would quit. He gave
,3me fifteen hundred dollars and the due
Soill. 1t was handed to me in the lower
Shall of the building the money and the
4due-bill together. ! went down into the
t9city and invested it in insurance stock,
with some other money that had.
u STATEMENT OF W. NJ. DUNCAN.
q In the year 1872, and for some time
: previous thereto, | had been engaged in
sthe city of Nashville in the business OF
2banking, During the canvass in that
sSyear, the Republican and Democratic
candidates for governor both took ground
%publicly upon the stump III favor of the
2passage of bill by the incoming legisla-
& ture funding the past-due interest upon
sathe Tennessee bonds, and in favor OF the
s3policy of meeting in future the interest
aupOn the bonds as it matured. AS the
ex-governor and large majority of the leg
q islaturc were elected upon this platform
G-faVoTable to State credit was of the
EopiniOn that their legislation would result
Gin enhancing the value Of Tennessee
Joonds; | therefore invested largely il
u Tennessee bonds, buying upon a marGlr
3of five to ten per cent. | also advised a
asnumber of my friends to buy upon the
stSame terms, The legislature met. Mr..
u Hobbs, Mr. Pennebaker, General DUNLAP
FTamd number of others were placed IL
5nominat alton, and others, among them, ]
abeleYe, was Mr. BuTch, were advertise.
candidates for comptroller. AS Mr.. Pen
Snebaker bad filled the office with energy
9and fidelity, and was acquainted with the
Adetails of the position, ! favored his cleo
sztiOn, and did what | could for him legiti-
Smately among my acquaintance in the
Legislature. He was defeated, however.
Sand Mr.. w. w. Hobbs was elected his
: Successor, The Legislature shortly after
ward passed the funding BILL and after
&ward an assessment bill, which was sutfi
Sciently effective in its provisions, if sus-
4tained by a revenue bill fixing a rate oil
3 taxation high enough to meet the interes
supon the bonds and the current expenses
Not the State. The holders of TENNESSEE
8bonds desired a tax Of fifty cents on the
s me hundred dollars, believing that moth
ne less would meet the interest upon the
bonds promptly, but the legislature, to
: ward the close OF the session, refused til
spaee the tax higher than forty cents, anC
became apparent to me at once that
I with such low rate of taxation and al
& assessment law so complicated and diff /
{ cult of execution in it's provisions, a suf-
sciency OF revenue would not be realized
o meet the interest upon the bonds :
promptly, unless the comptroller, who haCE
! he execution Of those laws, was man Of
sirst-class capacity, whose personal feel Il
ngs were in favor of their prompt and 4
Faithful execution, and whose private at
fairs were in a condition to enable him t. !
/ give his entire attention to the office
Some time after the legislature adjourned ID
became satisfied that Mr.. Hobbs was re
dIy incompetent to discharge the duties
IF the office, particularly as increased
md rendered difficult by the peculiar leg &
IislatiOn of that session. | was also in
ormed that he contemplated leaving the
lctive discharge of his duties to clerks ]
and assistants, in the abil ty of some o.
whom | had no confidence, he himself re
naming at home most Of the time and
coming to Nashville, say once week
with the comptroller office so managed
md by such a man, ! saw that enough s
evenue would not be collected to NEE 4
interest upon the State bonds, and as
consequence thereof their value wouldH
IL l., h. Lot 4