The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-04-10
(CoMMUNIcATED.)
NESBITT TO HENDERSON,
The Continuation Of a Controversy
Which has Become Quite Spirited.

| Questions were such Ks the humbiest farmer in
Georgia has right to ask, and demanded clear
lished an intricate and lengthy network of eva
s;ons, how vitality Vulnerable only those, who have
| studied this question, understand. 1t Is to the
farmer, and that class of our citizens who have
not given this subject the consideration which fits
importance demands that / appeal for a careful
comparison of these questions AID answers and it
is for their benefit that make the following ex-
planatory notes on your answers:
Nos. /, 2, g. 4, 5, are simply evasions couched in
tne 70
tack from me the efficiency of your son. the
rugged honesty" of one, who is connected with
you by marriage and the competency" and
aithfuness of the other inspectors. If my figures
did not approximate the amounts if your family
and connections have not absoIbed about S10O,0O0
why not give the correct amount, greater or less
6. One in your position ought to know that the
political Specification OF nepotism is broader than
the dictionary definition.
7. My Interpretation Of this enigmatical answer,
reduced to plain language, is: 81 will continue
appointments on the present plan"
s. II the work in the ofcehas steadily increas-
ed, and yet you have greatly reduced the cleri-
cal force" quote your words, it follows that be-
| fore such reduction you must have had clerks
employed not demanded by the exigencies of the
public service" and the force of my question is
sustained by your own testimony. Just here
would state that this reduction of the clerical
force occurred after warning investigation by
the legislature of S3.
9. Here again you seek to divert attention from
your administration of the Office to the inspectors
made no attack on them. They doubtless: are
''as good and true men as can be found in this
commonwealth" As your memory seems at fault
in regard to your position the recent bill reduce
ing the inspection fees fertilizers to ten cents
will remind you that in your efforts to keep up
the fees in order to the salaries of these in
spectors, you seem to have entirely lost sight of
the unfortunate farmers, groaning under bur-
den OF over 100000 for these inspection fees. 1t is
your zeal in protecting these the pockets of Office
holders, that gives the key to the whole situation
Here on the one hand are the farmers of rug
q not mt fotf nfarl fkA.a
inspectors, laboring from the FIRST day of January
to the last day of December, and yet from adverse
seasons and other misfortunes, having to borrow
the money to meet their obligations. On the 9TH
er hand are the inspectors, their work scarcely
covering half the year, and their salaries fixed by
law at 81, 500 per annum. dollar buys more
now than it did fifteen even ten years ago. and
there are hundreds of men throughout the state
equally good and true" filling positions of hon
or and trust doing double the work for half the
| salary. Can yon name single act of yours !;
| have you written a line made suggestion, y
which would prove, that in this matter OF inspec-
ton fees you, as commissioner of agriculture con-
| sidered, frst the farmers interest?
| TO- Ii you knew, as you admit, th& in some cases
the fertilizer and oil inspectors receiving too
much money for their work, was it not your pre-
rogaive, as commissioner to call attention to this
and thus pave the way to necessary reforms ?
/ Why did you wait for the house to suggest a
change in this matter and then after the IegisIa-
ture had adjourned, suddenly rouse to such de-
| clsive action! L quote your words, the italics
mine, ~ suppose ihc legislature had adJourned.O
u0 so because was deteTm ned, IL could prevent
1t, that the fertilizer men should not supplement
their salaries with the oil money, etc. Had they
not been doing this for years, and with your con
| sent? And was not your brOther-in-law | mean
your connection by marriage, one Of them? You
| alone are responsible for your official acts. You
cannot shirk that responsibility by saying "if it
may be insignificant" as you state, but when it
goes to swell the salaries of men already overpaid
| it is an unnecessary expenditure and the over
| burdened taxpayers will so regard it.
/ nuhl
in this section OF the state, that you demanded a
portion of this additional salary from the inspec
and If so for what purpose was this money used
The people are perfectly familiar with the cir
| cumstances attending the contemplated removal
| OF the gallant and manned confederate veteran,
While on this subject / wish to ask, have you
| ever allowed any manufacturers or fertilizers to
put their goods on the market, uninspected by
you or your agents. you furnishing tags for same,
which we're put on the sacks by the manufacturer
| or his agents?
| Do the inspectors inspect every sack or every
| ton?
| H. You may not have gone on the floor of the
general assembly literally, but your influence was
there and most sensibly felt against the bill max
ing the position of commissioners elective In
proof of this assertion quote from published
| speech made in support of the bill by distin-
guished representative. His language is so peril
nent that give it verbatim. He says: az know
II to be true that they have been working against
this bill since before it was introduced, and say
and seeks to defeat bill, which makes him re-
sponsibe to the people; it is confession that he
fears to face the people. said the very day this
bill passed the house by over two to one that the
hotels would get revenue from the officers of the
department before Saturday night, and before
Saturday night they were here, and have been
ever since. l say, gentlemen, If for nothing else
this bill ought to be passed slap in the face to
those men who desert their posts to come to the
legislature and use their influence for their own
which originated with and look TO lettering the
condition of the people. The people, and not the
office holders should rule.
You are mistaken in supposing that the bill was
aimed as stab at the department. 1t is conceded
| now that the object aimed at the present ad-
| niinistration of the department.
wish to preface my reply to your questions with
this statement.
You are aware, although it may not be generally
known, that my health, impaired by suffering and
| exposure in the army, so far undermined by
| my subsequent residence in a maarial climate as
| to prevent me, even had l wished it, from taking
any part in public affairs, and it is only since my
residence in this Purer atmosphere and after
years OF suffering, that have entirely recovered
Answer No. /. In my capacity private citi-
zen L have never assumed tie prerOgative of
| teacher, save by example to my fellow-farmers.
We look to our commissioner of agriculture, with
his corps OF trained assistants selected for that
| work. But l have demonstrated the fact that
| man can live on his farm, and under many ad-
| verse circumstances can from that farm support
his family in comfort, educate his children and
owe no man anything, a lesson which all practical
| farmers will appreciate.
| 3 joined the farmers alliance in the fall of
| 'S9. / can furnish you with the exact date as
| soon as can obtain access to the secretarys re-
cord If | find that it is highly important in dis
| cussing the issues of the present campaign. am
glad that you open the way for me to say that
| joined because | was convinced that the princi-
pies of the alliance were founded in justice and
right, and that if carried out under the instruc-
tons OF the true friends of the order, will lift
portion, at least, of the heavy burdens so long
borne by our struggling farmers. When joined
| had no intention of making the race for COM
missioner of agriculture, had never thought of it,
| II was first suggested to me by my neighbors and
friends the farmers concurred in by all classes of
citizens and warmly Endorsed by my county ai-
ance. But were your insinuation true, there is
no principle of the alliance nor feature of the bill
creating the department, which would debar a
successful farmer and an allianceman from as
piring to this position
| B. This question and No. will appear to the
mind of the average reader as but himsy exped-
ents TO divert attention from present and vital
issues to those of twenty years ago. Happily there
is nothing in my legislative record of which am
| ashamed, or which shrinks from Investigation.
During those trying days of ,sI stood with the
manhood and intelligence of my section and state
| laboring unremittingy to protect our people from
| the iron heel of reconstruction. "Our grand old
| county of Early" was never dominated by negro
| rule, and had you acquainted yourself more fully
with the character Of its people, and the history of
| that time you would never have been betrayed in
| to making such an assertion. When these same
| people placed the banner of democracy in my