The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-18

could not put him Johnston) on the defen-
sive is in the nature of a confession and
avoidance Captain Reynolds is a gentle
man of character and standing, and even If
1t were otherwise man should never dodge
nor frame excuses when charges on his
honor are involved. but repel at all haz-
ards.
From the Lafayette Sun
If anybody should have made any big
amount out of the Montevallo land deal 1t
should have been the state No one indi-
vidnal deserved to make anything above a
reasonable commission for managing the
deal. All secret negotiations or underhand
tricks, if any were performed, were wholly
unbecoming a true gentleman, and unwor-
thy was he who tried to cheat the state
out of cent. The whole affair should be
shown up in it's true light and settled ac-
cording to right principles.
From the Gadsden Voice
Captain Reynolds former president of the
Montevallo school, in an interview with the
Montgomery Advertiser charges serious
things against Governor Johnston in
gard to the recent sale of the Montevallo
and Tuskegee school lands.
The confirmation of the sale is about to
be made, and Captain Reynolds charges the
governor with being party to the pur-
chase and of using his high office as a
means of personal speculation in an at
tempt to swindle the girls school out of its
inheritance.
He charges that the governor offered T.
S. Plowman $500 to refuse a promised APP
pointment as one of the commissioners for
the sale of the land, burt says that Plowman
hold Toh h
pointed.
Captain Reynolds says that his son, W.
B. Reynolds, was about to consummate a
deal for the sale of the property, and that
for this service he was to receive $4,000
The father appeared on the scene and
broke up the deal, because, he says, 1t was
not right for Governor Johnston and Plow-
man, commissioner, to enrich themselves
to the detrment of a noble institution.
Mr.. Reynolds is of the opinion that this
interference with the plans of Mr.. Plow-
man and the governor had something to do
with his deposition from the presidency of
the Monteyallo school, and this may have
had some bearing on the subject.
The question is important. The charges
are serious, and the governors reply will
be awaited with interest.
There is evidently something rotten in the
transaction.
From the Mobile Register.
The governor says in effect that he con-
siders the source He has read what Cap
tain Reynolds has had to say about the
Montevallo land deal and replies that Rey-
nolds is charged with serious offenses and
has withheld his books from examination,
and is therefore under a cloud The accu-
sations. of such a man are not worth his
answering, he says. The governor is mis-
taken. Captain Reynolds makes out
prlma facie case. His disclosures leave a
disagreeable impression upon the public
mind. He should be answered
The general charge is that the governor
had certain lands to sell for the benefit of a
state school, The rule would have been to
appoint land commissioner to do the SELL
ing. The governor dispensed with the SER
vices of one gentleman whom he had
promised to appoint as commissioner, and
Reynolds says that person appeared later
as a bidder for the lands. There was some
hagglng and finally the lands were bid for
at So an acre, when Reynolds says he knew
that a better offer could be obtained. This
knowledge coming to the ear of the COVER
nor, Reynolds was forthwith of a sudden
that is to say without notice, dismissed
from his office of president of the school,
new trustees were appointed to consider the
bid for the lands and without further delay
the bid was approved by the board, the
governor being the controlling member
thereof.
We respectfully submit to the governor
that the charges against Captain Reynolds
namely that he used the school for his own
profit, and that he withholds his books from
examination, are not of such serious ma
ture as to dsqualify him from making this
counter charge and having it considered by
the people. 1t is, of course a rule recog-
nized in legal circles, that plaintiff must
come into court with clean hands, but be-
cause the plaintiff s hands are a little soiled
he is not incontinently thrown out. So
with Captain Reynolds. He cannot be
ignored, and moreover, we do not think it
would be good policy to ignore him. The
Montevallo school land deal has been BAN
died over the state for several months. The
people have not the rights of it. They
know, It is said, that something was wrong
and that the governor was at the bottom
of it. Now comes Captain Reynolds, who
tells what he declares is the inner history
of the affair. He seems to have made
clean breast of it, bringing in his own son
as one of the spectators belonging to the
alleged syndicate that got the lands cheaper
than they would have sold on the open
market. 1t Is possible, nay, we think it Is
probable that the governor can clear up
the matter by statement of just what
happened, where the lands are situated,
what neighboring lands have been sold for,
who was asked to offer for the lands, who
offered, and, in brief, what efforts were
made to obtain the highest price for the
lands, and do the best possible sfor the
school, The governor was on the inside.
He must know all that took place, and If all
was strictly regular and for the best inter-
est of the state he is able to show it. We
think he ought to show it.