The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1907-01-08
GOVERNOR CHARGED WITH CRAFT
A Very Sensational Report is Submitted By
Warden ]. ]. Henry.

Book 5, page 342) which are
signed by j. K. Vardaman, chair
man, show that this charge is
: absolutely unfounded. 1T will be
seen by reference 10 this public
!. record that | recommended that
the board should retain only from
1000 to j 800 acres OF private
land, without specifying any
i ones lands, for the good reasons
among others, that the state did
i not then have sufficient cleared
land of its own to probably en-
| ploy all Of the eonvicts. | now
state for the first time that then
thought, and now think, the re-
tention of the Sandy Bayou place
was advisable, because the
records showed, and now show,
that in addition to being the
most healthful, it was the most
/ profitable private place ever
worked by the state, ana that it
has been so ever since it was
first leased during Governor
Stones administration.
In view of these facts, and the
further fact that during the year
1903 the Sandy Bayou place had
returned a net profit of SIT ,686.-
86, / was amazed TO see the gov
ernor cast his vote against this
pla ce, and in favor of a place that
had not been profitable, but which
the records show had lost du ring
the year 1903 the sum of S63. IA,
a difference against the Sandy
Bayou place of SIT, 100 so. This
/ vote was cast in the face of the
oft repeated assertion by His Ex-
cellency that he was actuated only
by what he considered to be the
| best interests of the state; in this
vote he missed the best interests
of the state by S17,750.6O. Why
this favoritism?
The governor may still claim
that he voted solely for the best
Interests of the state, and has
never lost an opportunity to pro.
claim his honesty. The facts
speak for themselves.
1t seems that he was so honest
that when shortly after he was
iinau9urated | offered him con-
vict to work at the mansion, the
governor, with an air Of appa-
rent superior virtue, said that he
would not accept il, and that he
was going to run an honest ad-
ministra ion, according to law.
However, it was not very long
before he changed his idea of
honesty, and called on me to
assign him a convict to work at
the mansion, which direc ion |
obeyed. Later, his idea OF hon.
esty became st'll more elastic,
and he soon made requisition
for and had two convicts aG work
instead OF one.
| This is a sample of the conduct
of the public official who brings
charges Of incompetency against
! me. Another sampl OF his ideas
of honesty is found in the trans
actions that he has had in pur-
chasing horses for himself in
, connec ion with purchases Of
horses for the state. He bought,
on one trip, black mare named
J "Maud" which was shipped in
the same car with the states
, horses. 1t is also fact that he
/ had another horse transaction in
i connection with the business of
the state, which demonstrates
llnat he, at least, was not careful
} to avoid the appearance of evil.
! IL l had been guilty of acts
that beat such a striking resem-
} blancs to graft as these acts of
His Excellency, would enter a
plea of guilty to the charge
brought by the governors legis-
: lative committee of appropria-
j ting public property to private
, use.
IL The chairman of this commit
, tee stated that he could not iden-
tify one single item that | had
I received as "public property
: and that the committee based
; their charges against me alone
on the fact that there had been
D shipped 20 me several items; a
i sack of COOLERS. one little dog