The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-01-14

CINE at the Philadelphia Centennial
Exposition had TO do with tho nn'
ming OF oil the machinery at tbo,
great Worlds Fair
This suit to compel the payment
OF these taxes by the Y. ANY
Railroad company was instituted IN
December, 1892, rs | ann Informed
by Mr.. Writ Adams, thu state reve.
nue. agent, in whose name this sut
has been prosecuted Glow Ne.
Inurin was not inauguatel Cover.
nor until January, 1895. This hi.
CATION had proceeded through va.
rious phases until finally it had rip,
ened into verdict and judgment in
the circuit court of Kinds county in
| think, the summer Of 1897, and
both the state and the railroad com.
,,any has appealed to the supreme
court and this appeal was pending
in the supreme court when the leg.
isIeture met at its speeia1 session Of
1s0s FKom January, 1896, up to
January. 1898, the governor said
nothins about this suit; in his va.
rions ges to the Legislature Id
recommended nN legislation; he
took what was the proper s'alla ior
n governor to take, IN, ut the matter
was in the courts of the >, 'nte OF MIS-
sissippi, who had full in, lsu suction
thereof, and who could finally decide
as to the rights of the state ant 'ae
rights of the railroad; but in lbso
IN his message to the Legislature,
while this appeal was pending IN
the supreme court of the state OF
Mississippi, he includes in his mes
sage to the Legislature recommeen-
dation that the charter exemption
of taxation TO the Y. d NJ. Y. be
repealed because, MS he said that
railroad company has earned per
cont ON the cost of its construction.
AT that very time that question
was being litigated in the courts 10
was asserted by the revenue agent
and denied by the railroad company
and the issue Of fact and OF law was
fairly joined, and was pending Tor
final decision i'll the court Oh hlgnesu
resort in the state of Mississippi
The legislature recognizing that for
il to take such step at that Junct-
IRE would have been an act oil rePu-
diation and in violation OF the
plighted faith of the state, palu no
attention whatever to TINS reconi-
mendation. SO little did 1t lmrpesS
them that not single member IN
either house introduced a bill on the
lines recommended by the governor
until near the close OF the session.
the governors brother, Senator ~ L.. o.
NIcTaurin, of Sharkey county, miro
du,ed this bill and the bill W9s Vo-
ted down by the senate.
| do not violate any coniidehce
when state that the revenue agent
himself. and his attorneys, MeSsrS,
Beckett & Critz, did not approve Oh
this suggestion ON the part OF the
governor, and unless am mistaken
and do not think that l am tn9
revenue agent and Mr. Critz urgeu
upon the governor not to MAKE II s's
the matter was in the courts anu
would be finally decided here
TRYING TO REAP WHERE HE
HAD NOT SOWN.
AS soon as it commenced to be
seer that this litigation was likely
to result in favor of the state anu
that quite a large sum of money
would have to be paid by the by the
railroad company, forthwith the
governor seized this opportunity TO
claim credit for this result. Ihese
are the facts, and | ask you, fellow
citizens, if the governors claim Is
we'll founded If he had conduced
in any degree towards, the accom-
nlisbment of this result, then No
would have been entitled TO what
ever credit there may be in TINS
transaction, but he had nothing 10
do with.it and for him now to claim
the credit and say that he dld IL
and that because he did it the rall-
roads were fighting him IS, l say, "
assume that the people OF MISSISSIPPI
are not intelligent enough to Keep
posted on current events, and thal
he therefore can claim credit fof
things which he never did OF hau
anything to do with.
In his speech at Hazlehurst ne
saws that che recommended to the
legislature more effective laws
against trusts and combines to the
end that the farmers who recelvel
tbe benefit, etc. y If the governor
had anv knowledge of the existencs|
Of chapter lao of the annotated
Code. which contain most drastic
provisions relating to trusts and
combines and saw any defects y
this chapter then / submit that lis
message should have pointed ou the
defects as he thought and suggested
the proper amendments = thisI
chapter. But | doubt very much Il
the governor knew of the axistance
of chapter 40. A member OF theI
state senate, a good, sound lawyer
and upright and capable gntlemanr
misled by this message OF he COVER
nor. introduced into the hglslatureE
at this session of 1898, Law against
trusts and combines. VIM it was
referred to the Judiciary committee
of which this senator was a nRmber,
that committee Immediately took
the code of 1892, known as theAni
notated Code, and asked him II "a
did not think the present law wa
sufficient to cover every state Of thy
case. After reading it ovre carefully
section bv section, he frankly con
fessed that he thought that it was
and that he had no idea that thi
chapter was so far reaching IN
provisions and so severe and drast'
in its penalties and agreed with tp
committee that no further legls@
ton was necessary.
AS TO NEPOTlSM.