The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1899-02-09

of that corporation to shirk taxes IN.
der statutes lobbied through the legis.
lature. Yet the time was when even
Mr.. Smith didn't act as if be thought
it wrong to receive fee to lobby.
There is no law 10 this state against
a man taking fee to lobby with the
legislature, if be is a private citizen.
The question of the propriety OF
such thing, in morals, is debatable,
and every one must decide it for
himself
But reiterate, if any one of my
brothers ever received anything for
lobbying with the legislature | never
had the least knowledge or intimatioD
of it. In any event can't see how
can be held culpabable. | refrain
from an appropriate retort which
really think merited by one in am
bush. 1t is said Mr.. Weathers assist
ed me in the dissection Of Mr.. Cor
don's specifications. This is not true,
ard haze so stated in the public press.
Mr. Weatler5 never saw the sppcihca-
tions from the time Mr.. Gordon put
them in my hands until | sent them
to the house Of representatives, if he
ever saw them at all. Except while
he was before the committee explain
ing his plans. all the conversation /
had in my life with Mr.. Weathers,
put together, would not amount to
twenty minutes, except while he waa
before the com mittee.
After | vetoed the capitol bill it was
referred by the speaker of the house to
house committee on the capitol, com
posed of twenty-five members, and
am informed by Mr.. Williams, mem
Der of this committee, that, on that
evening, the committee unanimously
agreed to recommend that the veto be
sustained.
GORDON'S JOB.
The next morning, however, the COM
mittee made report, recommending
the passage of the bill over the veto.
Now if any one will read that report
and the specifications carefully he VIII
see that Mr.. Gordon was putting Job
on the house committee. Evidently
from that report he carried different
specifications before the COMMITTEES
from the ones he gave me. l sent the
ones he gave me with my veto messaga
to the house and they are in the jour
nal, and in them not word is said OF
| house of representatives., senate cham
| Der, supreme curt room, governors
room, or of the dimensions of the
| building; or of the entire superstruc-
ture of marble. Yet that report says
these are in his specifications. 1t
must have been then that Mr.. Gordon
presented to the committee on capitol,
after the veto, different specifications
from these he gave me when | asked
him for the specifications mentioned
in the bill, and upon this it may be
mi oh 70 mi
recommend next morning. If Mr..
Gordon had these different specifica-
tions who would have known, if the
bill had passed, what set was mem
toned and intended in the bill? Lit
would have left it to him to have fixed
what he pleased.
The house sustained my veto by
majority vote.
APPROPRIATIONS FOR SCHOOLS
AND COLLEGES.
| approved the appropriation for the
Industrial Institute and College and
approved the provisions for equal dor
mitory privileges to all pupils, whether
taking industrial or academic courses,
singly or together. l thought, and
think now, all pupils ought to have
equal treatment. In that message
said:
"The spirit of the law will not per-
nit any discrimination against or IN
favor of any pupil or class of pupils
attending the institute and college.
That part of the bill which offered
to take from the trustees and give to
the president the management of the
college that the law gives to the trus-
tees, necessarily changes the law, which
10 hx,t hh 9 a
and | think violative of section 69 OF
the constitution, which l am sworn to
support, and support as 1 understand
il after a faithful consideration of it.
|, therefore, under section 73 of the
constitution disapproyed that part OF
the bill One of the supreme Judges
Judge Terral, than whom not more
upright judge ever graced court,
agreed with my views on this constI~
tutional question.
After divided supreme court mad
decided that the appropriation could
not be made then available, l ap! lied
to the board of control who had fifty
thousand dollars which they did not
need and there is no law to turn 1t
into the state treasury, and it is laying
idle, and the board of control agreed
to let the college have twenty -five
thousand dollars of this money untlt
the next session of the legislature
when the appropriation will become
available under the decision of the
supreme court on condition that the
board of trustees would comply with
every condition Of the legislative bill,
to which the trustees agreed. This
money would not have cost the state
any interest but Mr.. Smith tiled a
bill of injunction against the state
treasurer, who is exoliicio treasurer
of the board of control and holds this
money for the board-paying the order
of the board to the trustees of the col
lege, and the state was thereby com
PEELED to pay about twenty five hundred
dollars interest to get the money, while
there is fifty thousand dollars OF idle
money in the treasury of the board OF
control, and out of ii the amount bor-
rowed could have been had withons
interest.
When the state treasury had no
money to cash warrants | had made
the same arrangement with the board