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


the Office, as / had known him fol
many years and knew personally
that he was well qualified 30 fill tn,
Office The governor answered
back that he had never raised sucl
| an objection, that he did not even
know that the levee board had reg
ular attorneys and that he thought
that the Leyee board employed at
| turneys just as they needed
them and did not have them regu
larly employed. | thought this was
an unusual amount of ignorance on
the part Of the governor, but ] said
to him that | was very glad TO hem
him say that, because as things then
stood in Greenville it placed him in
a bad light with Col Yerger, who
had been a helpful and efficient sup.
/ porter of his in his canvass for gov
ernor; that / would be glad TO write
TO Mr.. GOldstein exactly what he
said, and that with his peImission,
/ / would ask Mr. GOldstein to 60 and
show Col YeIger this letter in order
10 place him, Gov McLaurin, right
with Col. Yerger The governor
requested me so to do and went
Immediately into the senate chamber
and wrote the following letter to
Mr. GOldstein
Friend Nathan:
received your letter and called
on the governor and did my best
in your behalf, but could get nothing
satisfactory out of him. Ny belief
/ Is that he is not going to appoint
YOU He told me that so far from
having said that he would not APP
point any one who favored a rail
road attorney for the levee board,
| that he did not even know that the
board had regular attorneys, but
that they employ attorneys as
needed; he asked me to write this to
you and to ask you to so inform
Yerger 81 Percy
The original of this letter was
kept by Mr. Goldstein and l now
have it in my possession, he having
returned it to me at my request |
learned shortly after writing this
letter that before Mr.. Goldstein had
written to me and before l had call
ed on Gov. McLaurin in his behalf.
that a delegation from Greenville,
headed by Mn Yerger, Mr. Jos.
Jayne, and Mr.. Gus Thomas had
called on the governor in Jackson
and had urged the appointment of
Mr.. Goldstein After they had dis
charged this duty the governor had
subsequently said to Mr. Jayne and
Mr.. Thomas that they ought not to
urge the appointment of Mr. Gold
stein, because if Mr. GOldstein was
elected, he would certainly vote for
Yerger & Percy as attorneys for the
levee board and they were railroad
attorneys. Mr.. Thomas and Mr..
Jayne, as | learned, went immedi-
ately back to Greenville and stated
what the governor had said and it
was in consequence of their state
ments Of the governors objections
to Mr.. Goldstein that Mr.. Goldstein
bad written his letter to me.
When l learned that so far from
the governor being ignorant Of the
fact of the Levee board having regu-
lar attorneys, as he had told me III
this interview that he himself had
raised the objection to Mr., Goldsteln
l leave you ladies and gentlemen
to infer what I thought Of his con
duct.
Begging pardon for having OBJ
truded my own personality into
this discussion to such an extent, but
deeming it an act of justice that I
should do so, will now proceed
to discuss fairly, calmnly and dis
passionately the administration Of
Gov McLaurin, and l assure you
that l shall make no statement that
| have not full and exact informa-
ton as to the truth of or have in
formation which l believe to be
true and which l am willing to
give, if challenged
THE GOVERNORS DISREGARD
OF THE CONSTITUTION.
An act of the legislature was pass
ed during the session of 1896 to
create a new judicial district in the
state of Mississippi and providing for
the appointment Of a judge and a
district attorney The constitution
of the state of Mississippi distinctly
provides by section As that mo sen
ator or representative during the
term for which he was elected shall
be eligible to any Office Of profit,
which shall have been created or the
emoluments of which have been in
creased during the time such sena-
tor OF representative was in office,
except to such Office as may be filed
by the election of the people
This section of our constitution
has been construed by the Supreme
court of our state in the case of /
Brady VS.. West, so Miss, 50, and a
section in the Constitution /
of 1882 was construed by the Su-
preme court of our state in the case
of Alcorn VS. Shelby, Miss 273.
The case of Brady vs.. West held .
that member of the legislature at .
the time that a new county was Gre
ated and which also created the
office of Chancery clerk Of that
county was ineligible to appoint
ment to the Office of Chancery clerk. /
I know personally that the COVER
nor was familiar with section As,
a friend of his asked me if
Hon. Adam Byrd was in my opinion
eligible to appointment either to the
office of Circuit judge or District at
torney of the new district. l stated