The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1907-06-13

NJ IOnGSl man WHO KNOWS HE,
says this pinnacle of purity, "can be
made to believe that during the time
| was governor | ever misappropri-
ated dollar Of the States money" ;"
/ True TO the trickster nature, here we
have claim of integrity rested on
the denial of a thing never charged.
| But how about the notorious Wealth
ers capitol plan, and its sinister
championship by the governor; the
published Impeachment of his verac-
the lieutenant governor; the open
signs and talk of deals and pulls to
secure its adoption, which drove the
| Legislature to reject it in the conf
dent belief of its rottenness; to pass
a bill taking appointment of the
building commission from governor
who rested under common distrust;
naming the commission, with hon
est John M. Stone as chairman" in
the bill; all corroborated by the dead
give way of the executive veto of the
plan adopted by the legislature? Of
the numberless circumstances point
ing to corrupt dealings and radiating
from the executive Office, one only is
cited A certain big contract firm
was notoriously putting up for the
plan. After its rejection the Herald
published, on the authority of the
agent for said firm, that the first "ex
pense" check was drawn on the desk
of the governor for s250.00, in con-
sideration for work for the Weathers
plan, and in favor of one of the gov
ernor's brothers, to whom the check
was delivered A challenge for con-
tradiction of this accusation was pub
lished-a challenge that was never
taken up. Poor Weathers; when he
some years later went into bankrupt
cy, he attributed his failure to the
terrible drain on his finances made
by the fight for the Weathers plan.
In his schedule of assets on file in the
bankruptcy court at Memphis is an
item of ten thousand dollars charged
as an ''asset" against the State of
Mississippi for failing to adopt his
plan. This ten thousand represents
the dough he paid out in cash, in at
torneys fees and lobbying, etc. Would
Weathers but name names, unfold
the secrets of this prison house"
what a rafting of dry bones would
be there.
Senator McLaurin calls the quoted
ha int of n iS
brothers "a vile and Shiny accusa-
ton Let us see further as to this:
The Herald, on July 1st. 1906, pub
Iished lengthy communication COM
piIing and tabulating the contents of
the State revenue agents report on
State farm receipts-the same report
that Mr.. E. n. Thomas quotes from
as stated above. The Herald CORES
pondent demonstrated from it that
during the McLaurin administration
the State was defrauded, "by graft or
negligence, of nearly $4,000 in cot
tonseed held out by the convict les
sees. OF this sum H. j. McLaurin,
one of the senator's brothers, was
charged with over $1,000. This was
called an apparent error" in Jack
son special, which MIR. McLaurin
claims to be able to explain away"
He, too, denied something not charg-
ed The actual accusation has never
been denied or explained. To this
day it stands as the Herald cores
pondent stated it, from the revenue
agents report-as money withheld
froIa the State by negligence or by
graft"
Senator McLaurin says: when |
recommended to the legislature the
submission to the people of an
amendment to the constitution for
an elective judiciary, the Herald's
wrath was further intensified" This
is another stupendous falsehood. AS
State Senator Noel, the author of the
amendment, will remember, the Her
aid supported it; we could produce
columns of editorials from our files
to this effect. Never a partisan of
the appointive system, its gross pros
titution by McLaurin, the governor,
enlisted the Herald for the elective.
Equally false and paltry is the fol-
lowing: Again | incurred the Her
AIDS hostility by my advocacy of
primary elections, instead of conyen-
tions, to nominate candidates" We
never before heard of his advocating
primary election law. Whatever
especial credit is due for the primary
in Mississippi belongs TO Hon. Frank
Burkett and Senator Noel. How he
incurred the Herald's hostility to
speak accurately, our contempt and
ayersion-was by his nopotism and