Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-08-30
MR.. HARMON AND MIR. GARTER.

To the Editor OF the Intelligencer: Ill the la't
OF your paper is a communication from
a. Carter. attempting to assail my legislative
limits Of o nswspnper article will permit. MIR.
Carter makes q number OF ana IN
sS1s1u.,E.; s'fs; do oe d.ny s some OF ,nem ren Because ..ase
Of lie injustice they do; others. not because of
their importance but because. when . man pro
to what he knows to be true. Under
these two heads l deny nearly all his statements,
and am at u great lose to know, to what records
he 80 frequently refers. One thing 40 know.
he refers 10 no official record for confirmation oil
his statements The first statement he makes.
stripped Of verb'aye. Is that the comma..ss on
the uud commissioners Of the state to invest the
SO ,OOO, wv IN U 8. bonds and Missouri state
bonds, except the II 4 st. Joe K. Il. bonds:
Having assisted in the preparation OF that bill
a. u member of the ways and means committee:
l deny this statement. The committee proposed
q bill authorizing the fund commissioners 10 IN
vest this 81 900 wv in state bonds-Ii. 81. Joe
bonds exc.pled-and the house passed It. so
much for statement No. l..
The senate changed the language of the houae
bill and sent 1t back. In the mean time myself
and Others discovered the holders OF state bonds
were they required to Invest thissS. 900. OOOln state
bonds only, and could compel them 10 pay . nc
litious price for stnte bonds or Let the money lie
idle in The treasury. To avoid this amendments
were offered To extend the authority of the COM
missioners to purchase u 8. bonds, or county
bonds. the validity OF when We're nmaMSs'. y = she
fund commissioners uOr they were cohsuiteu
and Vt least q portion of them. l remember.
were nt first in Iavor Of this county amendmentl
desired thai any portion OF this money should be
invested IN either u. 3. or county bonds. hut
believing that tho fund commissioners having the
option to invest in U. g., county or state bonus
would thereby be enabled to procure State
bonds at the market price. and thereby af Us, use
ai. .ni s.h money nS,,b In nh ,as ali d hssiIed 5ea"0''on Oh 'e
Mr.. Garter tries to make something out oil the
manner OF offering this county bond amendment
was .'brought hurriedly into the house;'' in An
other, It W as deliberately planned anu ontr-
/ don't think he knows himself what he means.
He suys the amendment authorized the coml-
nissloners to invest the 1900. 900 In county
bonds" This statement l deny: The Dill II
self required that, first. all the option IN
dcbte.incss Of the state should be taken up and
the remainder might be invested. Accoraths
100, 900 option Indebtedness that this money
could and, under the bill, must be used to can
county bond amendment could apply. So much
for statement No. z.
Although this county bond amendment was
money would DO invested in county bonds,
suppose 1t had been. Let. us look without Ireju-
dice ut what the result Would nave Deen. NOW
with this 81 $40, OO0 Tree to bo invested In U.s d.
state Or county bonds almost "a free as IL IN tne
hands Of All Individual In this state 70 De invest
ed In bonds-to say that II would Affect the price
OF bonds l think Is TO ignore the fundamental
| laws OF trade. Again, 1t WAS not contemplated,
and nobody would fear the commissioner
| would he such tools as to invest i'll bonds thht
| were IN iitigatlOn-nOt paying interest OF In any
| way doubtful. Then II tue prices Of county
bonds were affected 1t would only ne connp ,h,s
could injuriOusly Affect counties trying 10 conn-
promise. l can't STE. TN the contrary. II COM
promise bonds improved In price 1t would make
Inc holders Of nOn-lncOme paying bonds the
more anxious to compromise and thus facilitate
Jus. what MI. Carter claims would be hlndered.
/ This amendment failed, and as was 1enreu ny
aame. stnte bonds could not be had reasonably,
anu 81, 400 wv Ii Invested In United States bonds
drawing nearly 3 percent, while the people are
paving q percent an an equal amount Ot II. st.
joe bonds outstanding against this $l.4oo. 600.
This money will probably remain Invested fOnf
II TINS amendment had prevailed and the 81 400.
OO had been invested in = per cent county com
Dromise bonds which could have been done oui
Of the sl3. 500. 600 county i1dsbtedness then OK,
would be s4ls. 600. m.king a di1arenoe IN favor
OF the people Of the state OF 1888 900. So mucl
NsxI Hr. Carter tries to masticate and stig-
mAtzs the internal Improvement eom'nittet'
80 sou Louis sslI Hcr I n @hitsilaw. 1aoii.r. Wade
McGinnts. Wray and Hughlet, composed thlt
e,nmittee, These gentlemen need no detens'
At my hands. They are known throughout !h'
state a. men OF ability, integrity, Legislative
experience. and LOYALTY 70 the interests Ii 91 sns,'
improvements, Instead OF ''sseming 10 De steep
Ing" and deserving to be stigmntized, US til.
i cummlttH0 on s'lnI6fNAl improvements thC1
REFORMED more labor, did The beat work-th'
! or one hundred Ia new name tor IT.
not excepted, and brought in Tor the consluera
ton Of the thirty first general assembly the oni!
Dr.ctlcabIe measure rcstralning the rail- Oads D.
, ihsir charges for transportation OF freight VIII
proper and pr.ctlc"ble provisi3ns Oh enforce sm,
p adoption OF our constitution. l regret tha
space will not permit mo to snaiyze this bill AN
I xiye the REASONS II lid not pass the hOuse.
q ..FInally MIR. Lay, or benton. was authorize
to prepare u bill looking to the regulations q
. railroads." This statement ! deny' Tor IN
It s.a.ement No. 8. ..When the bill OF Mai
s Lay ZANE up tor the third reading Mr.. Harmon
moved that It be ind. iinltsIy Iostp p%so, MI ah, ,
q but declare il slanderous. To indefinitely Most
none "A bill ia the most harsh, bitter, blood
t thirsty. cruel manner in which It can he kii;r
3 under the rules OF u Legislative hady., The Wor
never came out of my mouth to in the sInalle,
n opsati Of this measure. 1n tie contrary
had more to do with the Origination. and maiei
n mi preparation of this hill than any other ma
living, and when 1t came up. Ion the hoor {
the house, stated that the on lntern'
improvements, had performed It's duty TO u
house In pres entIng this bill, and while l sne
The house would not pass 1t. that If y practices
bile law on this subject was ever placed on Ill
e statute bnoks of Missouri, It would einhou
the principles Of this bill and while knew IN,
the house did not appreciate the labOrs or u
committee on Internal improvements. l believe
!, It's work was not Loaf ana would ,h DC I ,sfI ii
could not PASS. deslring that the condemnatlo
Of the house should not bs imprinted on !
l. brow, having that feeling for II which a pure
mas ior its offspring. and believing It's lutu
usefulness would be the better .pre..rved Their
% by, l moved that 1t lie over informally. A strol
it protest went up. largely from leaders oil cor
miltee of one hundred who all along had be-
le lIs enemies and stood with their feet on Its nee
a demanding that 1t he brought to the sl"ashte
70 and it WAS. ~, -.
re ITO the record again. Another. bill W
A drafted by the committee of one hundred, ca
commissioners OF railroads said was Just a.
le fair to both the railroads and the people; 81
7. Harmon voted against that bill uiu n
ter statement. and call 1t statement NO. ..
also call for the record where 1.-The railro
IL commissioners SAID the rites hxed IN the D
prepared by the committee of one hundred we
~, just and fair To both the railroads and the pc
'h ple.'' and call it stat, IN MT No. Is and belle
ct Inc commissioners will thank me tor Il W hen {
=. rates nxedt IN this bill propOsei by the comm
oil tie of one hundred. who assumed Tor thel
selve. the championship OF the interests OF
- agricultural people of the state) ale expose
E. The ,ato on a Gar load of hogs from Odessa
in St Louis under this bill il Sls 90; the railro
company charges Sso 10; On u snr oil sh.ep
$50 10; therefore this famous champion cul
mlltee of one hundred which was ''organiz
To wake the chairman OF the coinh!ttee on ih.'
,ot nal improvements up says to the railroad
-, 1--WE are the friends Of the AGRICULTURAL poop
ill., aud as such say to you that you iask from
es to Gle Of charging ns much per car for the trai
=, portatiOn OF hogs and sheep as ID reas0nab
'id ami the railroad commissioners elected by
lot people agree with u.s.
Again this bill allows 2Oh cents per hundr
no tor hauling corr and Oals from Odessa to
le- Louis; the railroad company chai yes IN cen
M therefore this great cOmmittee-great IN nu
" bers and great In tho estimation OF ~ o~n lead
IN. Virtually says to the railroad. ''dcnOrous G.
~ p~OratiOn, you are charging cents per humid
lr- is reSsonaSie.h Thess are only an iniroduct
10 to TIC many contradic'lons In this o' ,ba 20 W
lis friends claim for II and regret taaa Sp
;,0 voted against this bill. who but MIR Carter
'P' o railroad company would objsct9 Not the
len rlcultural people or shipper l am sure:
n In answer to Mr.. Carter's grain bill chafg
u. say, there was no such a bill voted on sine
nd have boon u member of the lesia!atr
a. So ! deny this statement, and Call II STATEN
Il. Ell by him and referred to the
oy commerce.. This refused to rel
w. Mr.. Carter's bill back to the house. but rec'
1T; mended q substitute for 1t and another bill
ton fore til Ii committee. When l began 10 look
to these measures l found them long and In
cate. and not being familiar with the detail
ion the grain business. l. sent copies OF them to .
late When the substitute mentioned above came
mi Mr.. Carter tried to amsnd Il. On MS
" amendment l voted as advised by the grain
OF my county. IL. Carriers second nnirnanl,
:, IN Mr.. Anthony. who was said to be q IN
> =" muck-a-muck." In the Of one l.
1 to dred. moved to lay on the table. wi
Z question with 1t. for which motion did
'Fer vote. 1 leave 10 to the people to determine
,ise Carter's fairnoss TO them and me. when
known that Mr.. Carter In the beginning Oh
zen canvass WrOte u very insinating teller abO,i
said record on Corporation Legislation. l immedi
:, ly replied, defining my position on tilese u
LEY lions, and stated l had u better record Than
rnor Carter. which according to his seeming
" mate OF mine would put his away down;
the the editor OF the OdessaD democrat demanded
this the charges be formally made Since then wit