The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-07-31
Edwards Gives Warm Letter.

Jackson, Miss, July 25.-In re-
ply to newspaper charge that he
has Disseminated against the Uni
versity of Mississippi IN the matter
of paying out the moneys appropri-
ated for its support and maintain
ance, State Treasurer George r.
Edwards. Jr., Saturday made pub
lie a lengthy letter which he has
written to Chancellor A. A. Kin
cannon, who he charges with in
spring the article.
The charge against Mr.. Edwards
was contained in a dispatch dated
from Jackson, and was to the effect
that the officers and professors Of
the university had not received
their salaries for past services.
amounting in the aggregate, to
s., 900. Salaries for the month of
July will be due one week hence.
1t is needless to say that all officers
and employees Of the university are
greatly embarrassed by the state
treasurer's refusal to allow these
salaries TO be paid -
In his letter TO Mr.. Kincannon
Mr.. Edwards says: i have sim
ply insisted that the letter and spir-
it Of the law be complied with, and
/ want to tell you right now, you
will have TO obey the law, when it
comes to drawing the support fund
appropriated by the legislature.
and you will be required by me to
comply literally and in toto with
the letter and the spirit of the So
called Burkitt rider
He said that in conversation with
him in the office of the state treas
urer, Chancellor Kincannon declared
that the board of trustees Of the
University Of Mississippi would un-
doubtedly comply with the provis-
ions of the "Burkitt rider" by re
ducing the chancellor 5 salary to
So, 800 per annum and would then
proceed to give him a salary of 81, r
500 per year to teach some branch
Of study in the university, thus in
one breath ostensibly complying
with the law and in the next breath,
by subterfuge, tlagrantly and will
fully violating 1t.
By making this statement, Mr.
Edwards says, the chancellor has
placed him in the position where it
becomes his duty to see to it that
he does not get the SIS, 900 salary,
which the legislature said he should
not have, and also to see to it that
the teachers at the university re
ceiye the salary after Septem Der 80
which they received during the
year 1906.
Now | want to say that if by
any hook or crook you violate the
provisions of the 'Burkitt rider,
and if you do, you may rest assur-
ed that [ will find it out, I am 60
ing to lay the thing before the leg
islature in my biennial report So
that if you do not accept in fact
and reality these provisions of law
and obey them implicitly, you will
regret it when the legislature meets
again.
Mr.. Edwards refuted the idea
that he Disseminated against the
university, giving statistics of mon
ey spent by that institution
In the next campaign, he de
clared, 4 expect to call to the at
tention of the people Of Mississippi
your persistent effort to force me to
violate the spirit and the letter Of
the law, and shall frankly state to
them that my oft repeated refusal
to do so ought to be sufficient evi-
dence to them of my unwavering fl
deity to public duty, and shall ask
them upon that sort of a record to
give me their approval | am per
fectly willing for the people to pass
upon my record, and | shall con
sent to rise or fall as a result of
their investigation of il"