Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-08-04
MR.. BAILEY'S RESIGNATION.
An Open Letter to Governor Rus
sell, that Carries its own
Comment.

1
agriculture of North Carolina.
1t is due you, u people and
myself that [ make know my rea-
sons for this action.
When you rendered me the
position [ accepted it against my
personal desire and interest with
the single motive of serving our
commonwealth. Experience has
relentlessly impressed it upon
me that this is impossible on the
present board under the present
administration.
By your will Mr.. John r.
Smith was made Commissioner of
Agriculture in my absence from
this city. On my return I went
to see you and inquired why you
had this done, and you informed
me that you had to do it in order
to get Mr.. Smith out Of the Of
fee of superintendent Of the
states prison, as under his admin
1stration Of that Office our State
was suffering the disgrace of per-
sonal scandal and financial loss
by corruption, and that you. hav-
ing failed to get him out of that
Office by direct measures, having
exerted yourself to the utmost,
had resorted to the plan of exs
changing the Office Of Commiss
sioner for that of superintendent,
because in the department. OF
agriculture there was little OPP
portunity to do anything. good
or evil.
I then inquired if you were
under obligation to keep Mr..
Smith in the Office of commis>
sioner for the full term and if
you would help me to have HIM
removed at the next meeting of
the board. You declared that you
were under no obligation what
ever TO Mr.. Smith and you gave
ne to believe that you would be
glad to lend me your influence in
opposition to him. With this
understanding [ kept silent, en-
during the reproach Of being a
member of a board which had be-
come party to a bargain whereby
the department Of agriculture
was put into the hands of a man
publicly charged with being una
fit for the public trust of super
intendent of the states prison,
until the board met in the month
of June 1896. Then I moved
against Commissioner Smith.
But 1 failed to realize the weight
OF your influence, with which I
think I would have been easily
successful in my effort to remove
the reproach from the Depart
ment of Agriculture.
This is my first reason for
resigning and my conclusive
reason for making this resigna-
ton public.
I have been informed, and I
give you the Information for
what it nay be worth since | will
no longer be in position to watch;
that while the salary Of MIR.
Smith as superintendent of the
States prison was 81, 500, where
as it is now as commissioner
only 81, 800, there exists an
understanding that he shall
illegally and immorally get
So. 500 per annum from the Board
of Agriculture; that Mr.. Smith
would not agree upon the exs
change until this understanding
was reached. The padding of
some items of the Budget at the
June meeting of the Board, to
which I called the attention of
the Board at the time, may throw
some light upon the matter.
water and telephones" cost
800 the last six months; for the
next six months 5000 is appros
priated. Printing and paper costs
So, els; $4,000 is appropriated.
There is a special appros
CREATION of $40, 600; of this
amont IS. 900 is for the Experi-
ment Station work and $500 for
museum. the balance Of 81 700 is
for labor, fuel. repairs and such
special appropriations as may be
ordered. You see it will be very
easy to cary out this understand
ing if it exists.
Again, would not fail to men
ton that the disposition Of some
of the members of the board to
hold sessions of three Or four
days duration-being paid by
the day-several times a year to
perform duties which would
require scarcely four hours has
Disguised me time and again.
Finally, it is my opinion that
the department of agriculture is
the sheerest example that we
have of paternalism run to seed;
that is to say that, pa~ternalistic
in conception it has grown into
an institution for the rewarding
of political workers, with little
purpose of public good.
I accepted the Office with good
will toward you, reasoning that
| without regard to preiudices it