Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-09-21

was violated by giving Mr.. Lindsey a
draft for 5000 on the LIST Of November,
1902?
MIR. Lindsey was to receive under the
provisions of the order 500 per month
for fifteen months, that is from October
LIST, 1902, to January 1st, 1904. This
would amount to $500. The statements
from the Auditors Reports show that
Mr.. Lindsay received in monthly COM
pensation $1,000, the last draft for 500
being drawn or paid on January 2Sth,
1904. Was this prosecuting the work
in accordance with the order?
The second provision of the contract
with Mr.. Lindsay was, that he should
be paid the sum of fifteen hundred dol
lars, when the manuscript shall be
decided by the Committee to be ready
for the printer. The fifteen hundred
dollars was paid Mr.. Lindsay on the 9th
of August, 1904. When and where did
the Committee decide that the manu-
script was ready for the printer? There
is nothing in the statement from the
Auditors Reports that shows that
meeting of the Committee was held to
pass upon the manuscript. If there
had been such meeting there would
have been some item of charge in the
Auditors Report made on account of
expenses of such injecting. The first
two items charged in the statement
are dated the 9th of October, 1902, and
they are for expense accounts of Carter
Glass and Geo. K. Anderson for attend
ing meeting of Committee on Report
ing and Printing. If there was meet
ing of the Committee held to inspect
and accept the manuscript of Mr.. Lind
say there would surely have been ex-
pense accounts rendered by the MEM
bers of the Committee who attended
the meeting and drafts drawn therefor.
This looks very much like another vio-
lation of the order before referred to.
But, aside from the above, the most OBJ
jectionable feature of the transaction
is that it looks like job. Mr.. Lindsay
was not only a member of the Constitu-
tional Convention but member of the
Committee on Reporting and Printing.
This committee gave a very lucrative
Job to one of its members, which is not
in accordance with the proprieties that
should obtain in connection with such
transactions. The sum paid and to be
paid for the work of editing the debates
of the convention will strike the aver
age taxpayer as pretty large one, and
not at all in accord with the resolution
written by Mr.. Glass and adopted at the
State Democratic convention of 1900,
which said "And the Democratic party
pledges that the expenses incident to
constitutional convention, if one be
called, shall be kept down to the lowest
possible figure"
Three years have elapsed since the
job was given to Mr.. Lindsay, ne has
gotten more than three-fourths of the
sum to be paid him, and the work is not
yet completed. The excuse Mr.. Glass
offers for the delay is rather weak
one. Why did the editor adopt the
plan for sending proofs to members OF
the convention for their revision? Did
he not have the stenographic reports of
the convention as printed in the Rich
mond Dispatch and for which another
large sum was paid by the taxpayers?
What right has any member to correct
the debates reported by the official
stenographer and printed in the Dis
patch? We strongly suspect that some
of the members, perhaps number OF
them, said things on the floor of the
convention that they do not wish to ap-
pear in the revised debates on which
Mr.. Lindsay has been working for three
years. This may be the reason why the
so-called finished work of Mr.. Lindsay
is being sent to members for revision
of their remarks. Fortunately bound
files of the Richmond Dispatch con-
tanning reports Of the Constitutional
Convention are in existence and we are
fortunate enough to have a complete
set.
AS TO SCHOOL BOOKS.
LJ;+or;oIl,y fha Tl1raU COurler IKE