The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-06-13
THE PENIrESTIARY BUSTED
AGAIN.


AGAIN.
The present managers Of the PEN
itentiary, who are choice selections
made by the Simmons redshirt ma
chine, are now putting up a pitiful
plea that the penitentiary cannot he
self-sustaining on account Of the 70
cent great floods which have dam
aged the crops and broken some OF
the bikes, etc.
IL will be remembered that In the
campaign Of 1897 and 1893 these
same Democratic politicians charged
that the penitentiary was not self
sustaining, and that this was due TO
the incompetence and corruption
(none Of which was ever proven) Of
the fusion management. So when
the Democratic politicians came into
power they proceeded to Issue one
hundred thousand dollars Of bonds,
which they stated on the face of the
bonds were issued to pay the indebt-
edness Of the penitentiary on account
Of the Encouragement Of the Flu
sion administration. No credit was
given to the Fusion management Oh
account Of several years Of bad crops
and on account Of flve-cent cotton;
all Of these things were charged up
to ''incompetence and mismanage-
ment." But since the Democratic
machine got In control 1t Is notice
able that they have had good crops
and that cotton has sold, not at five
cents, but at nine and ten cents per
pound. Yet during that time they
have spent 100000 mole than they
made, and In the face of their ex-
trsvsgsnce and mismanagement they
have had the ''cheek" to issue q
statement that they were making
the penitentiary self-sustaining.
No doubt, at an early date they
will change their tune and declare
that they cannot now make 1t self.
sustaining on account of the recent
floods and the cold spring, but If the
Fusion management could receive
no credit on account of bad croI
years and on account Of five-cent
cotton, then why should the Demo
cratic management receive any cred
Il on account of recent floods and the
cold spring after they have had two
years of good crops ard nine or ter
cent cotton?
In this connection the fOllowins
extract from the Raleigh letter t.
the Charlotte Observer, under dats
Of June 4th, Is interesting and per
tinent:
cat every meeting of the boarC
some member asks the question
"Where Is all the stuff the late man
agement claimed to have?" Their
there Is dead silence. One of the
old board Is member of the new
one, and he told your correspondent
with quite a flourish, last winter
that 1t was impossible for the peni
Tertiary to need dollar this year o.
in 1902, or indeed ever afterwards
provided the admirable system il
vogue was maintained. Now, wher
the question is asked "Where is al
that stuff?" etc. This member sit
mute. An oyster is laxative com
pared to him. Where is the $40, zoo
on the right side Of the ledger" anC
where is the great supplies on hand,
The peanut crop, as director O'Ber
ny says, has ''swunk" as Governo
,Nance's catfish did"
We join with the Observers cor
respondent in asking why that prom
Used report giving the condition o
the penitentiary has not been mad
and also where is that $4,000 prof
which they claimed to have made
After the Democratic machine ha
figured up all the loss that they cal
possibly charge to the floods, thel
let them show that they could hav
made the penitentiary self-sustain
ing If there had been no floods.
1t will be noticed from the abov
clipping that director O'Berry at
tempts to excuse the condition O
the penitentiary on the ground tina
the peanut crop has 'sswunk." Iii
rector O'Berry may be a pretty fai
lumberman, but as a director of tn
penitentiary he Is nothing more O
less than burlesque.