Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-12-05
THE TIMES ATTACK ON COL.
psi W GATES.

me CnaIlanOOSd IlIneS Oh tne ISL
inst. makes a very unwarranted and
unjust attack upon Col, Robt. Gates,
the Assistant Commissioner of Agri-
culture for Middle and West Tennes-
see. The Times charges Col. Gates
with discriminating against East
Tennessee in the work he is doing
for the Bureau of Agriculture in con-
veying Northern eXcursionists over
the State, and further intimates that
Col. Gates is Overreaching his author
ity in the matter, and acting without
the advise or knowledge of the Chief
of the Bureau, Maj. McWhirter. The
Times, throughout the entire length
of its article, displays an ignorance of
the affairs of the Bureau of Agricul-
ture that is ineXcusable on the part
of a paper occupying the position the
Times does. If the Times will take
the pains to investigate matters a
little it will find that at the same time
Mr.. Gates was appointed Assistant
Commissioner of Agriculture, a prom
inent gentleman of East Tennessee
was appointed to similar position,
with the same pay, prerogatives and
instructions as Col. Gates. The State
was as equally divided between these
two Assistants as it was possible to
do. The line Of counties penetrated
by the main stem of the Nashville x
Chattanooga railroad to where it
leaves the State, with all the territory
west of this line were given to Col.
Gates, and all that portion of the
State lying east of this line was given
to the gentleman from East Tennes-
see. Col. Gates spent August and
September travelling through the
Northwestern States, attending coun-
ty fairs and public meetings, making
speeches, distributing "The Home
Book of Tennessee" and organizing
these excursions. His speeches and
accounts of his work were published
in all the papers of Middle and West
Tennessee at the time, and when it
came to arranging with the railroads
for rates and laying out the routes for
excursions, Col. Gates simply COW
cred his own territory, having no
wish or authority to infringe upon
the territory of the Assistant Com
missioner for East Tennessee, but
at the same time being perfectly will
ling and anxious to show the eXcur-
sionists as much of the State as posi-.
BILE, or as they desired to see. Chatta.
nooga and McMinnvilleare out of Col
Gates territory, but as soon as it was
found that these two points could be
reached with the last party of eXcur
sionists, Col. Gates used every effort
in making all necessary arrangements
and succeeding in visiting these two
places with the party.
We regret very much that Warren
county was not included in the terri
tory assigned to Col. Gates at the
time of his appointment, audit Nigh
not be out of place to remark here
that we have never seen single line
in the papers in regard to the work o
the Assistant Commissioner for Eas
Tennessee. 1t is reasonable to con
clude that if he had accomplished
anything in the States behalf thu
newspapers would have found it on
and given him full credit for it. w,
presume he has drawn his salary, bu
it wouldn't be necessary for the asso
ciated press dispatches to chronicle
that fact. We understand, however
that the Assistant Commissioner TO
East Tennessee has been recently dis
continued, from what cause we ar
not informed, but most probably from
lack of funds at the disposal of tn
Bureau.
Now that the Times has so unjustl,
criticised Col. Gates, the most graceful
"amende honorable" it could max
would be to urge the Commissions
of Agriculture to include not onl.
, Chattanooga, but the entire State, il
, Col. Gates territory. Hell eminent
ly capacitated to work the entir
State as successfully as he has alread.
worked the Middle and Western di
t visions, and we are confident tina
with his indomitable energy and per
severance he would soon push hi
work into Fast Tennessee with sucl
vigor as to leave no REASONABLE
grounds for any further complaint q