The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-05-11

no reason why this Legislature should not
give il consideration know further from
experience, that may be suggesting heavy
task for ycn, but neither the magnitude of the
task nor the labor involved, should deter us
from doing our duty. No knows better
than | the difficulties which this committee
would meet in its effort to ascertain all of the
truth about the management and conduct Of the
this institution, and one knows better
the obstacles that would be in the way of
the Legislatures applying the remedy. but
neither the difficulties obstacles should
deter US from trying to discharge our duty to
the people and to the state"
Immediately after the Legislature the Peniten-
tiary COMMITTEES, in response possibly to this adj
dress. and possibly to public sentiment, began the
investigation of the penitentiary That Committee
did its work well and faithfully Its report is also
matter of state history. The conditions existing
were still exceedingly unsatisfactory. The business
OF the state still being handled in a most
wasteful and unbusiness-like way When the Com
mittee made its report Oakley and Rankin
County Plantations. the opponents of the reform
insisted that the purpose and intent of the commit
tee was entirely POLITICAL that its object was to
destroy the political inunce of certain gentlemen
IN the state, and that the Speaker had packed the
Committee for that purpose. I submit herewith
the names of that Committee: Miller, Chairman
Arnold MCGEE, Billiard, Ross, Reynolds, Bynum,
Cavett, House, Doherty, Meharg, Stennis, Owen
Hoyle, Boddie, Mcfarland, of Jasper, Caruthers of
Lee, Kyle and Wells.
declare that no better men can be found in the
State of Mississippi, elsewhere, than the gentle
men who composed this committee No Speaker
could influence one of them to do what he con-
ceived to be wrong. They are above reproach and
l challenge contradiction on this proposition
The result of the work of this committee was a
change in the management of the penitentiary.
The fight hard but the battle was won and
would stake my reputation businessman, such
as 1T is, this proposition; that the profits of the
penitentiary for 1907, will far exceed the profits
of any other year to pay the expenses of the
legislative session of 1000 / believe that an nsti-
tuition large and extensive the Mississippi penal
system, should be controlled conducted and man
aged by men set apart especially for that purpose
instead of men who undertaking to discharge
the duties of other offices, and the result
will justify the change made in the management.
have tried to discuss your business have
tried to confne myself to matters in which you
ought to be interested l not orator and
have attempted Fourth of July Grafton One of
my distinguished opponents declared that each of
the candidates, except himself is politician. l
am politician. l plead guilty to his Indictment
try, however to be politician in the best
l try stand for those things which I
believe to be clean and fair and just I try to do
what | can to elevate the ideals of people. 1
believe that every citizen of Mississippi ought to
be politician. He ought to stand for good cti-
zenship and good government
Another of the distinguished candidates has
said that the customary speech of candidate is
made up of two sections: one is laudation of
himself and the other is abuse of his opponent
| have done my best to honor this custom by its
breach. If have been able to render to the people
OF Mississippi service at all (and God grant that
have) my work is recorded in the Journals of the
House This is documentary evidence. These
Journals must speak for l can speak for
myself. There things which have done
that regret did not leave undone. There are
other things that did not do that 1 should now
be glad had 1 DONE but such as my record is it
is mine, and on it, as Missssippian, / willing
to stand or fall. wish to make witnesses now Of
you [ beg you to bear evidence to the fact that
except in far have differed from my oppon-
ents questions of public policy, | have had no
controversy with them. Their unftness or un-
worthiness, if such they possess, does not make
me fit worthy One should succeed on his own
merits and not on the dement's of his opponents
l have not made as active my
opponents. / convinced that, if in order to be
elected governor, must engage in constant
persistent for eighteen months, the special
interests in the state-those institutions which
concern themselves in the election of officers and
who furnish the sinews of war, will eventually
name all of the state officers, and this will not be
the best thing for the people Either our primary
election law must be repealed, limit must be
put the time in which campaign be made
1t is not best for the people that of limited
should be debarred from serving them in
official capacities. l have endeavored best I
could to appeal to the individual voter to do what
he believes to be best for himself his family and
his country. 1 appealing the inddua
hood of the state am supported by machine
faction, I the candidate or representa-
tive of section special interest. With the
I,z1- @f A. -
for what I conceive to be good government and
good citizenship If you think 1 right, and if
you mana man created in the very image
of the Master, you should help make the fight
have nothing to offer for the support of any
not promise him office, because the offices
do not belong to the governor; they belong to the
people He who is after the "loaves and fishes"
has part and place in the fight I trying to