The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-15
Mr.. Coates Replies.

he Hdu uOpeu W nave uOlHlHS W say
in this controversy about the Asy-
lum. Indeed? Who has been as
sistiDg in all these attacks that have
been made upon me for the last
month or so? Perhaps, it would
have been better for the gentleman's
reputation if he had had no -connec-
ton with the Asylum at all.
He starts out by saying that 1
have not been actuated by spirit of
common honesty and simple justice
in my statements, and he appears in
print to answer. In this connection
/ will ask the people of Hardeman
County to recall the fact that | have
been set upon first by one member
of this gang and then by another,
and persistent fight has been kept
up against me, all because | as a
member of the Board Of Trustees
tried to do my plain duty.
further appeal to the public to
bear me witness that in all this
newspaper controversy, which has
been forced upon me, l have used
no offensive language, (notwith-
standing the repeated insults offer
ed mel but have dealt only in facts
and figures, produced proof for ev-
cry statement made and challenged
denial. In place of answering these
damning facts, they prefer to de-
nounce me as lacking common hon
esty, trying to deceive the people,
etc.
There are times in all mems lives
when patience ceases to be a virtue.
If any man means topharge me with
want of common honesty and at
tempting to deceive the people, |
hereby denounce him as a common
liar.
Mr.. Manson complains because /
compared his account with the Asy-
lum with my own. | made this
comparison in answer to another ar
ticle in the Free Press, which stat
ed that Mr.. Manson audited the
books of the Treasurer and Steward
without pay except his per diem,
while l had received extra cOmpen-
sation. He prefers to compare his
account with Mr.. Durrett's and
makes the mistake in his own favor
that 10 months service at $3.50
per month is $138.5O, while every
one who can count knows it would
be SIS7.5O. l have never objected
to Mr.. Manson being paid $l2. so
per month, if he actually performs
the service required of him.
Mr.. Manson says / deceived the
people in stating that he had Off
cially taken an active interest against
me in the suit of Coates VS.. Bills.
/ deceived no one. here reiterate
my statement on this point. The
suit is between Mr.. Bills and my
self to determine who has the right
to the seat on the Board of Trustees.
In order to compel the Board to al
low me to take my seat, after the
court had decided that / was the
rightful Trustee, an alternative writ
of mandamus was served on them,
to be made imperative at the end of
the suit. The members of the
Board nor the Hospital had no
rights in the case to defend, and |
have and 1 do now deny Mr.. Man
sons right to use the states money
to employ the attorneys for the de-
PENDANT.
Mr.. Manson says if any lawyers
fee ever has to be paid by the state,
it will be in the case of A. locates
VS.. the Board of Trustees, and that
Mr.. Coates will be the cause of it.
Indeed, ''if any lawyers fee ever has
to be paid % Will this honest man
dare to deny that the attorneys fee
of $125.OO of Gen. Peters in this
case has not long since been paid?
Who wants to deceive the people,?
For shame, Manson, shame Did
not you employ the attorneys, and
was it not on this contract that the
fee was paid? care not whether
you signed your name to the bill or
not. Whose name appears first
upon the appeal bond-''J. A. Man
son, ch." Who authorized you to
have your name put on this appeal
bond as principal and as chairman,
when there are no minutes on the
books of the Hospital showing that
the Board of Trustees ever took any
action whatever in this matter; and
if you were authorized as chairman
to act for the Board in this matter
who authorized you? l defy you
to show a single word or line on the
books of the Hospital authorizing
you to employ the attorneys or to
take the appeal. Oh, no, you have
not used your official position in
thiscase! If you didn't some one
else did for you.
Mr.. Manson refers to the case of
S. G.. Heiskell, removed by Gov.
Taylor as Trustee of the Eastern
Hospital. Mr.. Heiskell has ex-
pressed himself repeatedly on this
question, as we'll as some of the best
lawyers in Tennessee, and they say
that Gov. Taylor had no legal right
to remove him. He submitted to it
because the balance of the time was
too short for law suit.
Mr.. Manson seeks to censure me
because upon my motion the per
capita appropriation in 1898 was
fixed at Sl55.0O, but he fails to
state that this was a reduction from
$1,000 per capita, which had been