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

message recommending the repear or
the statutes | have mentioned, and for
tne reason L have mentioned.
with these exposures OF Mr.. Smith
IL cannot be necessary to refute any
other statement of his and when | do
50 you may take it as being on the
idea OF the man who beat the dead
make, to show him that there is such
a thing as punishment after death.
The Illinois Central Railroad com
pany ii they could hereby succeed in
electing legislature and governor,
that would be sdbservient to their
plans for screening them from the pay
ment OF the taxes they SO justly owe
the state and counties, could we'll af-
ford to spend a quarter of million
dollars for the campaign of abuse and
vilificaton opened by their attorney.
am not inimical to railroads. | am
friendly to them. When in my power
| have shielded railroad companies
from unjust legislation, just as | have
shielded the common people as much
rs l have been able to do. When the
railroads serve the people for reason
able compensation they are good
things and will have the friendship
railroad companies entertaining the
idea that they are entitled to superior
rights and higher consideration from
eop'rlors, legislatures ard courts,
than the common people, because they
are rich and powerful, undertake to
become the masters of the people they
are a menace to personal liberty, and
a menace to that equality of right up
on which our government is estab-
lished, and they will be restrained.
ABOUT THE LEVEES.
When l was inauguarted governor of
Mississippi, while had been friendly
to the levees knew very little about
the levee board and its workings. Mr..
Smith criticized me for not knowing
before / was inauguiated that the
levee board elected an attorney at
regular salary. venture that there
were very few people in the hill coun-
ties who knew it at that time-scarce-
ly any hill people knew it, except state
officials whose duty required them to
learn it.
1t became my duty upon Inaugural
ton, to investigate the affairs of the
levee board because it developed upon
me to appoint successors to these levee
commissioners whose terms were ex-
piring. l did investigate this az
thoroughly as l could during the leg
islative session of 1896, before l made
an appointment of levee commissioner.
l found default in the treasury of
nearly fifty thousand dollars, and that
the defaulting evee treasurer had alb
seconded. There we're in the hands of
the treasurer three notes of Mr.. Charles
Scott for $500 each, aggregating
$500. believe they say that they
were not notes-that they we're time
checks-but section 1902 of our code
makes them notes, il my judgment is
correct. At any rate they we're not
money or equivalent to money, but
merely the unsecured paper obligation
Of Mr. Scott. 1t is not, as presented,
the case that frequently occurs where
a man takes list of neighbors whose
taxes he agrees to pay and does pay
Just before the time fer payment ex-
pires. In such cases the money 10 PAID
IN time. But in this case the time for
the payment expired the last day OF
January and these notes ran to the
Goth day of February. March and
April. There cannot be case round
in your county where the tax collector
turned over to the treasurer the notes
Of a man for taxes yet that was what
was done in this case-the notes OF
Mr.. Scott turned over to the treasurer
of the levee board by tho tax collector
you don't pay your taxes to the col
lector With your notes. Take the de-
fault of the preceding treasurer, and
this note transaction and it looked too
loose, and required new levee board.
That is not all, hold in my hand
certified COPY of a deed of trust-too
long to insert in speech-executed
on the Both day OF November, 1892, by
Charles Scott to his brother Hon. Geo
Y. Scott, trustee, to secure to q. L..
Jones, treasurer of Bolivar county,
sll. 925. 60, nearly twelve thousand dol
lars. due and payable then but ex-
tended to January LIST, 1893. After
wards Mr.. Scott entered on the margin
of the deed record that it was extended
to the 9th day of June, 1896, three
wears and half. How came he owing
the county treasurer this large sum of
money. I INQUIRED. The reply was
that while Mr.. Jones was treasurer
Mr.. Scott gave attention to the dis
that when, he failed in business he
owed the county this large sum OF
money. ,.,.
But may be that was little debt
of taxes on which he was getting
' little extension of three and half
wears? The treasurer and the board OF
Supervisors must have been extremely
clever to him. No wonder people
thought he had undue influence over
SCOTT OPENS WAR.
1 did not appoint levee board sub
servient to Mr.. Scott, and he at once
commenced the war on me. AND Mr..
Scott is an attorney for the Y. d NJ. V;
r. r. company, and that intensified
his opposition.
There has been no scandal connected
with the new levee board. The OLD
board paid discounts and commissions
on the sale of per cent bonds. Inc
new board has made arrangements TO
refund at per cent interest at pre-,
MUM, the bonds issued by the Ola
board at per cent interest, and at a
diecOupt.