The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-01-14
tifying the North Carolina Department.

Mr.. c. A Armstrong, who owns a part
Of the Sam Christian gold mine and who
went down partly IN the interest of his
own mine, was paid Sl35. perhaps
more, We could not get the amount accu-
rately He represented his own interest
and the State paid him. How much ser
vice he rendered, other than having his
big nuggets shipped free to New Orleans
and advertised at the expense Of the
State, We are not prepared TO say
DR.. c. u. Smith, who carried his own
fine collection of gems and stones, was
paid 1912 90.
Mr.. s G. Worth, chief OF the Fish Divis-
ion, was there two months, drawing his re-
gular salary (S1, 700 Year. and having
the State to pay his board and other ex
| penses-
Mr.. T. p Clarke, a taXidermist, assisted
| Mr.. Worth and received 5000 a month
and board and other expenses.
Mr.. Preston Stamps, who was at the
Exposition all the time received s4s5.G
from the Secretary and something more,
the amount of which we did not learn.
Mr.. VIM. f. Hidden, the discoverer of
! the famous Hiddenite, received S499 9S.
He also represented his own company. He
received $l66s per month from the state,
! he furnishing specimens of the Hiddenite.
Some people said he went down to repre-
set his own company and that the State
| ought not to have paid him so much for
the privilege Of advertising him and his
| own business
Mr.. T. b. Dancy, who was in New Or
| leans two months, received his expenses,
including board, while there, and his
regular salary of $S3 33 per month.
Mr.. II. B. Battle received the same.
Prof. JOS. A. Holmes, of the University,
| helped for two months and was paid all his
| expenses.
Received Pay From Two Sources.
During two months and ten days of The
| Exposition DR.. Dabney and Mr.. Peter Will
son were employed, by the express permis-
sion of the Board of Agriculture, by the
| New Orleans Exposition Company to do
| work for them, not relating to the North
CaroliN, display. For this work they Were
paid by the Exposition Company and at
the same time drew $20S. .:}3 and 800 per
month respectively from the State for
mana ging the North Carolina display. They
! We're paid by the State Board ami the Board
had no right to allow them to accept other
| employment without demanding their
designations as representatives OF the North
| Carolina Agricultural Department. This
| conduct is deserving Of public criticism
| and censure. It is due to MesSrs. Dabney
| and Wilson to say that the Board agreed
| to pay them for the two months they
worked for the Louisiana Company. 1t is
also strict justice to these gentlemen to
state that while they were thus at work
| they did not require the State to pay their
board and car fare. They claim that by
doing this work, for which they were paid
a salary, they gained for the State a choice
position for our display and other advan
tages which could have been obtained in
no other way Mr. Wilson tells us that
| these advantages gained were worth more
to the State than the alno'lt the State
| paid these two gentlemen while they were
! working for other parties Of this we
| cannot Judge. We have faith in the in
! tegrity of these gentleman, and the fact
that they acted under the advice and con
| sent of the Board shows that they wanted
to do the right thing. And yet the CHRON
| ICLE can't see what right they had to ac
cept other employment or what right the
! Board had to pay them the peoples money
! when they were net working for the State.
! 1t may be said that the interests Of the
! State did not suffer. Granted. That does
not alter the situation. There were ten or
dozen men employed to arrange and su-
pervise the eXhibit-they were paid good
salaries. If one or two of the best men
| could be spared for two months, without
working injury, then two many men were
| olDpIONeu, ana tneTe WdS pdfi eAGTdN-
| agance III the management. There is no
way this sort of thing can be made to look
right, and We regret that our friends, the
members of the Board and the officers, -
We do not question their honesty or in
tegrty,- permitted themselvesto do what
the people will not endorse.
! An Unwarranted Use of Public Money.
In looking over the vouchers an often
recurring item is sleeping car porter, 80
cents, bus porter 20 cents, ''pOrter 25
cents They thus vary the phraSeOlOgy,
but the only difference between them is
the Same as between tweedledum and
tweedledee. Porters-for blacking shoes
are paid out of State money. Several
of the officers and agents of the Board put
in this item and the frequency of the
occurrence is alarming to taxpayer
The CHRONICLE doesn't believe in this un-
warranted and extravagant use of its
peoples money. If porters ought to be
given a fee the individual ought to give
it out of his personal money, and not
charge it to the public.
1t is such charges as thls-small IN
themselves-that make the Department
and its workings unpopular. In the name
of a long suffering and heavily burdened
tax paying commonwealth, we call halt
in this handsome remuneration cat the
! States eSpenSe) OF the COlOreO porter.
We are not opposed to porters, and If a
man sees fit to Zee one we don't object,
but We do oppose any such use Of money
by men who are acting IN II hduciary
capacity. 1t is wrong in theory; wholly
wrong in practice and has bad ten
dency.
Wallace Bros, of Statesyile, made a
big display of medicinal herbs at the Expo
sition, 1t Was q big advertisement for
them, and yet the State paid them for the
privilege of advertising their goods the
price of a round trip ticket to New Or
leans. We have no belief but that these
gentlemen would have sent on their herbs
without the State paying them ss7.a9'
For the use Of officers and visitors, as
we'll as to exhibit, twenty dollars worth
of wine was purchased from the Whiteville
Wine Company. With this exception, We
are assured by Mr.. Wilson, not dollar
was spent for wine or whiskey or brandy
or cigars, and some of this Wine wa:
brought back from the Exposition. Thl:
is good record and from it other State:
might learn good lessops.
The item for kilograms is large. 1t i:
difficult to conceive why so large al
amount should have been spent if the ar
/ rangements had been we'll planned. IL
r looking over the vouchers it looks as /
every order was made by telegraph, ant