The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-29

ten to ex-Governor Joseph F. Johnston by ex-Governor William c. Oates: I'd ex-Governor Joseph F. Johnston:
 have taken no part in the contest between you and Governor Jelks for the nomination for Governor. I went to the Opera House Thursday night and heard your speech. You seemed to have aban- doned the points you made in your fight against the ratification of the Constitu- tion and have renewed your self-lauda- ton and boosting of your great achieve nents when you were Governor. as you did in your campaign against Morgan for the Senate
 I care not how big braggart you are, nor how much you indulge your vanity, provided you do not tread on my toes. When you do you may expect ne to kick.
 You said Thursday night When went in (the oficeD before I found Ss6,- 0O0 in your treasury-not as much as the weakest bank in Montgomery had in it's vaults" You must have known that this statement was incorrect. or you were too ignorant of the condition of the treasury at that time to make your statement about, it trustworthy. You votes you were seeking. I assert that on the day you were sworn into offico there was in the treasury and under its com trol sl4s.s7s. and the books of that depart ment show 1t.
 oficiai statement made yesterday Is as follows:
 Montgomery, July 7s isa3.
 Statement taken from the books of the Treasurer of the State of Alabama, as they stood at the close of business in the treasurer's office on the seth day of November. 1896. to wit;
 Cash subject to payment of warrants. To balance cash on hand .....: .SiSs. .So0.15 Tn addition to the balance men
 tioned above there was a bal
 ance held in trust at credit of
 interest on the bonded debt of
 the State on that date of,...... u.s1T.l0 Of which the fiscal agent held
 in New York .................... l.sSAH Leaving balance in the vault
 intedest act ......................S 10. 4S2.SS
 The two balances designated above be- ing combined make total of one hum dred and forty-nine thousand. three hum dred and seventy-three dollars and four cents. Very respectfully,
 J. Craig Smith.
 state Treasurer.
 You said in your speech lone bank in Mobile. the First National. held s5o.0o0 of warrants of the State that were overdue. If they had presented them your treas ury would have been dishonored and protested" Everybody knows that you succeeded me as Governor, and you cer- tainly knew that I. as Governor. had borrowed $50.o00 from the Mason Bank. or rather got that bank to cash certain warrants and hold them as security for the money thus advanced You knew that fhn kc he @av the repayment of that money or the re- demption of those warrants. Tn my bi- enniaI message copy of which gave to you many days prior to your inau- Ruration, it was stated and printed in plain type on pages 3 and 10 as follows: "On or about the 10th day of October induced the First National Bank of Mo bile, J. H. Mason. president. to cash $5o.0oo of the warrants drawn by the au- ditor on the treasury in favor of the Bryce Insane Hospital and some others of the most needy institutions whose warrants could be thus used. The bank thus rendered the State much needed as- sistance. THE TERMS AGREED ON WERE PER CENT DISCOUNT. WHICH WAS RESERVED BY THE BANK AND IT TO HOLD THE WAR RANTS FOR FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE STATE SHALL BE CALLED UPON TO PAY THEM" Did you read the message? If you did you assumed in your statement Thursday night, that I made false report in that inessage certainly did, if your statement made Thursday night be true assert that it is not. know what I stated to have been the truth. Your memory is so trescherous that therein '.you are dan gerous man.
 You further stated in your opera house speech that . joint committee of the two Houses tof the I1egislature) a few days before entered upon that ofiiee made report that was adopted by both Houses saying that there was a deficit of about $500. 1000, that the State owed that much money that it could not pay"
 You were in my office the day the reso- Iution was introduced to raise that com mittee. showed you every cour- tesy and told you that I would be glad taining to the affairs of the State which you might desire. felt that this was due to you as the incoming Governor. I was reliably informed that soon after you left my ofice you wrote the Joint resolution and had 1t intro- duced into the Senate that evening or the next morning. You seem to have had ennity towards me or suspected my honesty. and intended to throw discredst on my administration if possible. I do not know whether the fact that had de- ieated you for the nomination stimulated your action to any extent, but have al- l ways suspected that it did. I hope that I l am mistaken l The amount reported by that commit |