The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-04-07
A Communication from Mr..
Coates.

EDITOR BULLETIN-There indeed
seems to be no occasion to reply to
the communication from J. A. Fos-
ter in last weeks BULLETIN headed
"Answer to A. J. Coates" for |
cannot find any answer in it to any
thing, nor even denial of any state
ment of mine.
But he makes one or two state
ments, which if permitted to 20 I'M
challenged, might deceive some one.
He states that Gov. McMillin had
''either to reappoint myself and Mr..
Durrett or appoint two other gen.
tlemen," and this while | had the
commission of the Governor in my
pocket, with four years yet to run.
| wish he had stated why it was
necessary to appoint some one In
my stead before my term expired.
Evidently he had some special rea-
son in his mind for my removal that
did not apply to other members OF
the Board of Trustees who also had
been appointed by "Turney and
Taylor" Mr.. Foster says, "Mr.
Coates came to Nashville aud made
his political pull" | went to Nash
vile and asked the Governor to do
Justice to the Chairman of the
Board. | made no appeal to him
in my own behalf, and neither l nor
the gentleman who acted with me
tried to work any political pulp
or even imagined that we possessed
any. We asked him to reappoint |
Mr.. Durrett and urged nothing in |
his favor but that he had perform
ell his duty faithfully and honestly |
as a member of the Board of Trus-
tees, and neither | nor my friend |
thought an effort would be made to |
remove me before my term expired. |
/ have never on any occasion, by |
word or act, impugned the honesty |
or integrity of Messrs. Bills and |
Manson, as Mr.. Foster seems to i'm
ply, and no one knows better than |
do that there are many worthy and
honest men in IIardeman County,
and / would not hesitate to record
my protest if any of them should be
summarily dismissed from the pub
lie service, when they had in the
performance of duty, protected the
interests of the people.
/ do not deem it worth while to
make any reply to the remarkable
conduct of Mr.. Foster in rising to a
question of privilege in the House
of Representatives and stating that
ga. J. Coates had undertook to
SANDER Gov. McMillen"-bec
any intelligent person can read all
have said and see that it is not true.
/ laid before Gov. McMillin all the
facts in the case and the proofs of
it, and he took the steps he did with
a full knowledge of the facts in the
case; and Governor as he is of a
great State, he is accountable to the
people of Tennessee for his official
acts, and before this tribunal he
must be judged at last.
| cannot believe that your readers
can generally approve of the often
sive and persistent way Foster al
Iudes to Mr.. ID. z. Durrett by in
vidiOus comparisons and calling
him political enemy" etc. If
the sixty years of irreproaehable
life among the people here, a wound
ed Confederate soldier and demo
crat does not secure Mr.. Durrett
from such attacks as this
Of Mr.. Fosters, then we have fallen
upon strange times. Mr.. Durrett
is not a party 20 any controversy,
be has accepted the decision of the ;
Governor in appointing another
man in his stead without a murmur, !
he was appointed to the position of
Trustee by Gov. Turney without 9
MS solicitation and accepted the I
place with reluctance, he performed
his duty faithfully while he held it {
10 man can deny. Under these cir e
to cast a slur or re- :
'roach upon him appears to me, to
ay the least of it, wanton and gra- q
uitOus, and Foster cannot imagine
e represents" the people of Har- ;
eman County in such filings, but
n the contrary he will find more \
IAN $1,000 honest men" who will
Sc up to condemn him. j
Mr.. Foster knew all the facts v
in nay article of March
7th, long before he went to the Il
legislature, and yet he saw fit to
t as he did. A. J. COATES. Ji
Bolivar, Tenn, Apr. 5, 1899.