Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-06
THE GOVERNOR TELLS WHY He Refused to Defray RobinSon's
 Expenses. HAD NO AUTHORITY IN LAW And Besides the Funds of the State Are Run
 ming Low THE REWARD FOR RAILROAD BILL" Cannot Be Raised for That Reason-The Desperate Is Still at Large-The Gov crnor Goes to Washington.
 General Capital News.
 
THE REWARD FOR "RAlLRoAD BILL
Age-I1erald Bureau,
 I9xchange Hotel,
MontgomerY. July

Montgomery, July Q.
 When the fact that the governor had refused to defray out of the contingent fund appropriation the expenses of the defense in the Robinson impeachment proceedings before Special Examiner Sayre was published it created consider able comment especially among the friends and supporters of Robinson in Lee county.
 When seen the governor expressed himself as follows in regard to the mat ter:
 No one representing the prosecution had any right to call for commissioner to take the testimony Each side had right to have the witnesses subpoenaed to appear in person before the supreme court, and that is what a number of those interested in the investigation de- sired should be done. But Judge Robin son, through his lawyers, asked the court to appoint a commissioner, and the court appointed Senator Sayre, who said then and there that he would not act unless he was given $8 per day and his expenses while engaged in taking the testimony of the witnesses. The attorney-general appealed to me, and requested me to agree to pay it out of the contingent fund.- There was no law which required me to pay dollar of it, but under the circumstances I replied to the attorney general that I would pay out of that fund $100 of the expense in taking the testimo- ny for the state. That 1 have done, and also paid about S60 for the expenses of the attorney-general and his assistant
 q have declined every time I have been approached upon the subject to pay the expense of taking the testimony of Robinson's witnesses. He has a right to have his witnesses subpoenaed before the court. By declining I am not depriving him of any of his rights. I simply de- cline to use the peoples money to pay the expense of getting the testimony of his witnesses, which is his business, and not a matter which the state should pay for The payment of the expense of obtaining the testimony for the state is matter in which it was and is in- terested. It is my duty. and that of every state official, to see that the law is enforced against those who violate it's provisions. The state by law gives it's process to all defendants in criminal cases and impeachment proceedings to compel the attendance of their witnesses before the tribunal whose duty it is to hear the complaint and try the cause. Judge Robinson chose to have the com missioner appointed, and the court ap pointed a gentleman to whom there is no objection, but Robinson has ne>rlght to have the peoples money used to pay the expense OI BettlnS ms testimony. He might extend the examination over many months of time and to hundreds of witnesses, and thus cost the state a large sum of money. He has no right to any such thing It is my duty to see to 1t that the peoples money is not expended for improper purposes, and I am going to do it while I remain in office-let it offend or please whom 1t may. l have no more right to make the state pay for obtaining Judge Robinsons testimony for his defense than I have to make 1t pay his lawyers fees. I am certain not to do it."
 Governor Oates is exceedingly partic- ular and careful of every cent of the states money intrusted to his keeping, and as the funds are running low it is small wonder that he deems himself un- authorized to defray out of the contin- gent fund the expenses of the defense in this case.