The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-27
our PATRIOTIC
GOVERNOR.

character that ever varied The HpDnntOny, created a ripple IN pubic HaIrs m
disappointed and Inundated a constituency. Some weeks ag" against the
protest and advice Of many Of The mo~ conservative men Of the state, Gov.
McIauriur called the legislature together ncItraorhinary session. The cause
assigned mf this extraordinary act was the depicted condition Of the state
treasury and the building Of rapitoi, III Tie legi>laturcshonld SCI I'll. 'ctc.
When the legislature came together the governor sent in a message which
H., ~ u,., I,,,L,, rmt and ,,o,atr hs du,r to no in vILc, bc nm.
Iplwyrd mi, language:
AZ Won viii see from Il report that will be submitted to you by the com
mittr appointed by YOU composed Of the governor secretary of state and
attorney general to select and submit to yu n plan and specifications for
thu building Of n NJ" capitol " plan and specifications have" he'ns selected
and the committee unanimously agree in recommending ito your honora
|Mc body 4. tn" report shows the committee had a considerable number
OF pI7n' l"t'H 'N"ol ana tM"y were al excellent drw an presented ny
I.klmI architect. and accomplished gentlemen and while it required Def
In my Judgment the capitol is dangerous You have had it examined by
|cusr- mud yu have their reports a to It's condition and safety Having occn
pied an office in the building for NOR" than a year inst passed know from
observation that it doe. not afford shelter from the rain for tie records and ar
cmu. Of the state even on the first floor That n new capitol must he built or
the Old one entirely and thoroughly oyerhanhed an investigation and inspection
by your honorable body will demonstrate To properly overhaul the old build
ling will cost two thirds ms much az the newo On with more than twice the space
Of the old aud furnish sufficient committee room fF nth houses "If'"
which You cannot transact the public business with that efficiency dispatch and
conyeuienc" that you car with them You know and apprecta" the difficulty
under which yon transact the pn1hc business without committee rooms In the
hight Of the development Of architectural science, a capitol erected at a cost Of
three quarters Of n million dollars win last and accommodate the business of the
state for centuries recommend for your consideration the building " such a
capitol
The necessity for building a capitol could not be mre strongly urged
han hm. been done by COY. McI.aurin. In Pursuance of this suggestion by
the governor the legislature went to work, and after days and weeks Of labor
and discussion formulated and passed a bill providing for building a house to
cost not more than thrcc-luartcrso Of a million dollars. But the plan selected
by the governor and his lcutcnants, known rs the capitol commission ere.
atcdby the legislature at a former session was not adopted by the lcgsla-
urc put the pl,n aloptcd is lust a, good 10, ii, xt in very respect as
'W .Nt 'binh'ih" ny '' 'hl'" 'hN'fNi'h ~ wa '"h Nv H"'
money, and is among til" number dcnominated by the governoras excellent
plans" But for some mysterious and uuaccountabIc reason it does not suit
the governor. and W e find him now occupying an entirely different attitude
on the question from that maintained by him, as indicated by his message
when The legislature met On the 2sth OF April last.
lie does not sccm to think the cold house SO eaky and dangerous after
alta month has worked Il wonderful change in his judgment Of things. On
the 2kt Of May, 1897, we find him giving expression to these views in a
message to HE legislature;
The bill known as the capitol bill car to me yesterday the first time had
seen it, aud ms it Hn matter Of great Importance to fe entire state, desire to
have tim" to thoroughly consider and examine it, A bill that has required three
weeks consideration by your able body could not be considered by me in time to
of he house of representatives to which they invited me this morning it was
our unanimous opinion that no harm al result by the delay until mex winter;
today as the business of the session AS understand t. is practically done
suggest that yn do not continue the session for my action o. this bill, and
that your adjournment VIII ALLOW MI i'm Tor M cam uninterrupted consider
ton I'll, Respectfully, Al McLAuRN.
Extraordinary, Marvellous, Unique, Wonderful, Not enough time to
consider and examine it," We should like to know what Coy. McIAunn
has been doing since the 2S'h of April. last Was not the bill published
which provides for the building OF the capitol upon this plan? Have not the
proceedings Of the legislature while considering this question been public
aud published N the city papers ut the Governor home? In truth. did he
not state that he, rs a member of the capitol commission, had examined all
of he plans submitted to he commission? And was not the "Gordon Plan, y"
the one adopted by the legislature, one of tlnt number? If it be true that
Gordon submitted his plan to the capitol commission and there is nodoubtot
IT, and that the governor was not mistaken when he said that he, as a MEM
Der Of that commission had examined all OF the excellent plans submitted, "
then he needs no great length Of time to consider it in order to understand
the same. That plea will not dc" 1t is not of the proper substitute, and
we dare sy. there are not six men outside of the clan in the state who arc so
crcdulous as to be caught 10y such frothy and disingcnuous STUFF. The idea Of
calling the legislature together for the purpose of building n capitol, spend
ing $4,000 or 10000 Of the peoples money. and because the legislative
branch Of the government saw fit to perform its reasonable functions unin-
nucnccd by the executive. for the governor now to ottcmpt to DESTROY II of
lS NNk - NhHn IN'o NNtH Tue hHtW met ana II seemed tp-I
tain that the Wcathcrs 4 Wcathcrs plan for building the capitol would be
adopted, the old building was dangerous, leaking, threatening the destruc.
ton of the "rccords' aud the 'archivcs' Of the state: but now since the
legislature rejected the "Wcathcrs plan and adopted the Gordon plan "
the old house will do pretty well for some time yet, and "no harm can result
from waiting until next January :" etc. The governor S attitudc in the mat.
ter is simply incxplrahlc- the mystery surrounding it. the unrcasonabcncss
and ahSurdnt of it generates suspicion which is hLmiliating to every patri.
otto and intelligent Missis,ippian.
1t is the most unfortunate position he could possibly have gotten him.
into. We can account for it only on the ground of profound stupidity,
arrogant ignorance and unhcnding stubbornncss. At this writing, Nav 2S
we can not say what the governor will do with the bil-hc may yeto il or
permit it to become a law without his approval. but whatever he NAV do
The people OF Mississippi will not cease to ccmSurc him for holding the lcris-
aturc together five " six days at u cost OF $1,000 or ~, DOC, while no ronsid. !
II matter which Il maj Of very ordinary intelligence under similar cir.
'umstanccS should have done in one day, The truth about the matter is \
ioy. Mclaurin has had as much time to consider this question rs the 1eHs.I !
ature. and he should have been ready to approve or veto it within six hours
utter 1t reached him. II Is incMnSable -cvinccS u spirit Of .dont give a
iamn for the cost so long AS somebody else pays the bills. and as stated :
involves questions OF official proprity which are nUt by any means l
rcdtahlc TO the governor.
Verify, the gods have made him mac.