The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-20
GOVERNORS REPLY
TO THE COMMITTEE

: Montgomery, December 19.1Special)-
The following is the reply OF Governor
Johnston to a letter from Sterling a.
Woods of the advisory comVittee of the
University Alumni committee, propoundng
certain questions on the recent land sale:
December IS, 1899.
mr.. Sterling A. Wood, birmingham, Ala
Dear Sir: 1 have your letter advising me
of the appointment of a committee OF the
advisory, executive and legislative commit
tees of the Society of the Alumni OF the
University, and propounding several ques-
aions to me In regard to the recent sale of
certain lands of the University.
desire to be entirly respectful to you and
Ito the committee. but will ask you to pardon
my language In some very frank statements
that feel called upon to make.
In the first place, deny the right of the
committee or the Society of the Alumni TO
Investigate the governor of Alabama in re-
gard to any action taken by him In the off,
cial discharge of his trust. am not re-
sponsible 10 them, but to the people OF
Alabama, and shall respectfully decline to
be Intercepted by them.
fear that the advisory, executive and
legislative committees of the society are
unconsciously allowing themselves to be
made tools of in this transaction, and re-
specially submit the following statements
TO confirm my suspicious and, l trust, to
in the society:
So soon as 1t was understood that I
would be candidate for the United States
senate a storm of invective, abuse and
SANDER was organized by papers opposing
my candidacy, many of which had been
compelled to contribute their share of the
burden of taxation.
First-The Selma Times, Senator Nor
gan's home paper, led off by charging upon
reliable authority in substance: That re-
called an examiner from Mobile county
utter he had commenced the examina ton
of the accounts of a public official, pre-
sumably to prevent the exposure of fraud
and embezbzlement, and Tor the purpose
of securing for myself the support of that
official. l promptly denounced the report
as false and demanded the name of the
Times tnformer. To this date the name
has not been furnished; and the Mobile
Register. a paper not friendly to me, and
all the papers, ! believe, in Mobile, have
shown conclusively that the charge was
false. So that Ne died and was gathered
to its fathers.
Second-One II. c. Reynolds was rescued
from an oblivion that he should have been
grateful and his TRADE in regard to the
sale of the lands of the Montevallo school
was published. 1t was but reiteration of
charges that he had made months before
and in response to which the trustees of
the scnool, after consideration, had unani-
mously resolved that had simply execut-
ed their order and they approved
my action. The only additional meter was
that Reynolds in his last screed besmirched
the character of his own son. The grava-
men of the charge was that the lands had
been sacrificed and an intimation that had
some interest in the sale. Reynolds had be-
fore his removal as president of the school
written Booker Washington, myself, Judge
Aston and others that he would be delight
ed to get 50 or 81 per acre for the land.
Mr.. DeBardeleben paid $500 for the option
TO take these lands at S. per acre on or be-
fore December l, and upon the LIST of De-
cember he declined to take them on the
ground that he could get better land for
the money and he forfeited the $500 to the
school.
The last seen of Reynolds he was at
Athens enthusiastically supporting Sena-
tor Morgan, and the last heard of him was
a rendition of a judgment for S5,725 In the
federal court for tresGassing on his neigh
boris PROPERTY, as reported by the Ledger.
So that lie died and was gathered to its
fathers. I trust that the able fnanciers
and coal experts of the Advertiser and
Age-Herald will now get up syndicate
to take these lands at s. per acre and save
the school from loss.
Third-Some newspapers pretending to be
decent then charged in effect that I had