The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-06
JoHNsToN's INsINCERE AND
MlHLEAuIN9 SrATEm ENTS.

tney may 0Ssife-
Governor Johnston spent three years of
his life trying to defeat the call for q
Convention and the ratification Of the
Constitution which the Convention made.
He sought by every means in his power
to hold us to the old instrument which
meant negro domination, or white supre-
macy by fraud. The new Constitution
provides for white supremacy by law.
clean primaries and honest elections.
Governor Johnston is the most implacable
enemy of the new order of things. He
says he is not for "overthrowing the new
Constitution" He would make a most
amiable step-mother TO 1t. He would
make a fond and affectionate nurse for it.
The people who are in line with the new
conditions are not likely 20 trust Cover
nor Johnston's promises now.
He says further:
II endeavored to serve the people faith
fully during my administration and will
| do so again."
He served the people for four years as
Governor Of this State. as many years as
even the great Houston served them or
| asked to serve them, as many years as
any other Governor Of Alabama has ever
served. No other Governor of this State
las ever had the audacity to ask for q
third term. In effect he says: "One and
a half years will do for Jeiks. but ought
to have eight" Perhaps no Governor in
America ever served eight years. a long
season in the office of Chief Executive
tends to monarchy. We are not ready
for a monarch.
He adds in this extraordinary circular:
when went into Office there was only
$36 600 cash in the treasury and some $780,
0OO of floating debt; when quit the of
fee. there was not an overdue claim and
$50, 900 was in the treasury"
The Auditors report shows 1855 to
open with on the morning of December /,
1896. when Governor Johnston was INSTALL
ed and in addition there was
over $4,000 to credit of interest
account. The daily balances of the
Treasury are printed in the Treas
urer's reports and no man need go
astray for want of information on that
subject. They are not to be disputed.
In Governor Johnston's last message to
the General Assembly. few weeks befor,
he went out of Office, he quoted approx
ingly from a report made by committee
of the General Assembly, appointed to
examine into the Treasurers books in
the early days of De :cmber, 1856 That
committee reported there would be a de-
ficit on the LIST day of January, 1897, one
month after he went in office, of $685.
065.s4 In this last message to the Gen.
eral Assembly, after quoting this report
of the committee, he informed that body
that on the LIST day of January thereafter,
1901, there would be no deficit at all.
$4,000 but no real deficit: thus informing
the General Assembly that in four years
he had paid off that $56S,Oo0. He only
claimed that for his administration. Give
him credit for his own figures and his
annual receipts were only s13S,0O0 more
than the ordinary government disburse-
ments. He cannot deny his own figures.
On top of this, he deliberately advised
one-third. This recommendation was in
his last message. two weeks before Gov
ernor Samford's term was to begin. The
reader will understand what this means
when he learns that the assessment of
real and personal property at that time
was about $265, 100000. and at 71-2 mills.
the tax rate at that time. the receipts
from direct taxes amounted to about
a,9SS,oOO. Saving himself, above the ordi-
nary disbursements of the government,
$4,000 a year, he deliberately advised the
Legislature to reduce the total annual
income of the State by one-third of $685.
900. or $685., 900! While he could only re-
serve s1ss,OOO a year for the deficit. he
advises that futnEe= Governors could cut
of the income OF the State $4,000 per
year! If Governor Johnston's advice had
been taken the State would have been
bankrupt.
In this circular letter which he sends
out, he boasts of this advice. There is
not a school boy familiar with figures at
all who cannot discover that Governor
Johnston's financial advice was absurd,
and that the Ex-Governor himself was not
sincere in offering it. He ran the tax
rate up during his administration to a
point higher than it had been since the
Republicans were put out of power, and
then advised that one-third of the total
income SHOULD be abruptly cut off,
To quote from this celebrated circular
again:
In my last, year the expenses of the
State government was $2lSU,000. The year
after quit they ran up to s2.S9O.0OO.
Last year the State paid out for schools
and old soldiers alone nearly $6OO,O0O more
than Governor Johnston paid out In the
last year of his administration for the
same purpose, ard this was done on the
same tax rate There was paid out for
the Constitutional Convention $4,000: the
expenses of the Legislature about $4,000,
about $4,000 for licenses refunded which
were collected while Governor Johnston
was in Office under a law approved by
him, and which law was declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court. There was paid back $4,000
to the Sloss-Sheffield people money
they had paid in for lands. which sale was
rescinded after receiving the severest
criticism. 1t may not be improper to say
here that the Board of Trustees. over