The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1902-07-19
STATEMENT OF GOV. LONGING
In Regard to Treasury Loan Materials
Course In Case Reviewed.


A. Rush, recently appeared in the
vicksburg Herald, which charges
Governor LONGING, in effect, with
having attempted to make a COM
pact with Rush whereby the State
treasury loan scandal was to be
hushed up in the interest of all par
ties. Before leaving yesterday after
noon for Water Valley the governor
gave out an interview fatty denying
the charge. The Herald article re-
ferred to was as follows:
"Our acquaintance with Mr.. Rush
has been scant and wholly void of
pleasing impressions. His only
claim on this paper is that of a man
unjustly singled out of his gang for
prosecution. This entities him to
publication of the following, request
ed and authorized by him through a
friend:
"'When the transaction was dis
covered LONGING sent Raiford to me
at my home in Senatobia, Miss, with
a proposition from Longino that if |
would resign the position of capitol
commissioner and the presidency of
the Mississippi Fire Insurance Asso-
citation that would be a solution of
the whole matter; that A. G. Wilson
would not then compel him to report
the shortage; that Showers and Raj
ford could continue in Office. Fur
thermore, that my resignation of the
two positions had no relation what
ever to my connection, supposed OF
actual, with the treasury matter, but
was solely for the benefit of Showers
and Raiford, who were guilty techni-
cally of violating the law
"The Herald does not, of course,
vouch for the veracity Of this story.
1t would be deemed improbable but
for the absolutely unaccountable
courseof Governor Longino through
out the whole affair; his discovery
and silence as to the shortage in
July; the delay in the August count
sufficient for the replacement of the
100000 of Jackson loans, but not
for the Memphis 100000; his fail
ure in instituting prosecution
against Showers and Raiford when
the embezzlement was discovered as
directed by law; and his apparent
favor of the policy of -exempting
them from punishment; his zeal in
pursuing Armistead, the Memphis
borrower, when the Jackson borrow
ers could be had without going into
another State for them. These
things, with the trial proceedings,
have prepared the public mind for a
wide range of belief and disbelief"
After reading the foregoing Gov
ernor Longino replied that the state
ment was utterly untrue; that he
never intrusted Mr.. Raiford with
any such message to Rush., nor was
any person wei authorized by him
to communicate any such message
that he did demand, Internationally,
Rush's resignation from the capitol
commission after learning of his
connection with the treasury short
age, and that the said resignation
was handed to the governor by
Rush's attorney without conditions
The governor says that when he
counted the money in July, as re.
quired by section 1877 of the constitu-
ton, and found $4,000 less in the
treasury than the books called for
which the treasurer stated was a spe-
cial silver deposit in bank made nee
essary by reason of want Of room il
the vault to contain the silver, in
stead of being silent on the subject
he certified the fact as required BY
law, and the said certificate wa
printed in the daily newspapers il
Jackson, New Orleans, the CONNER
cial Appeal, and, he thinks, in thu
Vicksburg Herald, about July 10.
Ascertaining by observation at tn
time the money was counted in Jul.
aforesaid that the vault was not un
duly crowded, he then and Their
urged the treasurer to return to TIN
vault the said silver, which the treas
urer promised to do. To insure it
return to the vault the governor Oh
the next day after the count mad
request on the treasurer in writing
for its said return and the following
is a copy of the letter to Treasure
Showers, to-wit:
jackson, Miss, July 10, 1901.
"Hon. Robert Showers, State Treas
urer, Jackson, Miss:
"Dear Sir-In my opinion tn
reasons do not now existwhich SCENE
to make it proper some time ago t
remove from the vault of the treas
ury a portion of the silver money @
the State to special repositories fo
better safety. / therefore have tn