The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-17
N. he Isvs Railroad 10 he Voter & he Ninth saa.


Ii the issue Of October S, 1855. the
Tribune. the organ Of the Peoples
Party n Kinds county, attempted To
give what i calls my record As q men,
Der Of the Legislature Of 1878, on the
legislation q that session affecting rail-
roads; and . doing has done me gross
injustice, Is the Journal Of the House,
from which + quotes viii fully show.
The Tribune charges first, that I an
nov and have been the attornev for the
railroads since 1877. To this charge
plead guilty, but respectfully submit
# that be. 4 crime. that a very large
number Of the ablest, purest and best
lawyers IN the State are equally guilty.
And as the railroads never figure on the
criminal dockets, ! am at loss 10 see
| how that affecss my fitness for the once
Of District Attorney.
The charge made BY the Tribune that
I voted against taxing railroads Is Who'll
Nv disproyed by the very page Of the
| journal from which it quotes. By look
/ ing TO the Acts of 1878, on page 81, we
find the law passed which taxed the
railroads Of the State eighty dollars per
/ mile. and BY reading that law we find
| this provision in il: FIFTY per cent of
| which said privilege tax shall be placed
to the credit of the counties through
which said railroad may pass, TO be
4 drawn BY the county treasurers Of the
counties, in proportion TO the number
Of miles OF said roads in said respective
counties
voted fer this Law. and the very page
of the journal, $50. from which the
Tribune quoted, shows that did. Ths
law As passed, was introduced in tbs
senate bv Col. Benz. King, as substi
tute for, and becarae, Senate bill No
POI. and /, at Col. Kings request, tool
charge Of il, and pressed il to final pas
sage in the House, and refer to Col
! King for the truth Of this statement. =
Fl / did vote against Col. Tyson's amend
lmenf. as charged BY the Tribune, be
cause it did not contain the proyiso thai
: the counties should get the nifty pc
cent. paid by the railroads, and repre-
senting county living on railroad,
3 voted for the main bill, as did al
!. the Representatives of Kinds county
= Messrs. Ballard, Dabney, Hicks an
y Lusk. See journal, page, $50.
"A voted to prohibit the use Of IRE
!, = passes by public officials, (See Journa
y page 1861 and Mr.. Dabney, of Hind
= although like myself, n railroad alto
- uey, introduced bill 70 prohibit FRI
=. a. passes. forwhich ! also voted, and I ref
= !. to him for the proof
I. did vote against what was known
81 the Barry bill, to regulate tariffs on CO
p ton, &c, and did il for the same reasoi
- - that Gov. Stone afterwards vetoed tn
~ bill, in which, | believe all the inform'
=! sentiment of the State approved Ii
course.
did vote, as the Tribune eharg,
u against embracing in railroad ebarte
~ the exact language of the Constitutio
~ to-wit: THAT the property of railroa
~ should be subject to taxation the saT
=. ~ as that Of individuals" as did numb
~ of the strongest anti-railroad men
~ the House, because we knew that '
: could add nothing to the force of {
= letter of the Constitution by embaci
" it in the charter, and that the railroad
=. property would be taxed, unless speci
:. ly exempted, and we did not desi
On 10 be written down as doing an il
- thing.
~ The insinuations contained in the 7
u bune's article, that | looked after corr
AZ rate interests in the Legislature to
"a unwarranted extent, and that | yot
Sn' against making the Office of Distr
"a Attorney a salaried office, is wholly l
IN founded, and is not susceptible of PR
M by the fair reading of the record.
Die Respectfully, r. n MILLER