The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-02-26

proposition to make along that
line. DR.. Butler told mo if he
were to discover that the Brookha-
ven Bank & Trust Go. were in a
scheme like that he would sever
his connection with it. That is as
near as the representatives of that
bank came to making me any
wrong proposition, and | will not
get dollar out of the treasurer's
Office except the commissions the
law entities me to. =
When the people of Lincoln
county read this story they will
be surprised, but they ought not
to be. This almost successful at
tempt to debauch an honest, up
right public official of the county,
whose every condition, physical
and otherwise, is an appeal eIo-
queDt for just and considerate
treatment, and to subject him to
criminal prosecution and to be
turned out of Office, is but the
Towering of the system of politi-
cal graft that has been going on in
Lincoln county for so long. 1t
is a sample, on a smaller scale,
of what was revealed by the mis-
use of insurance money and other
forms of graft uncovered by the
Investigations in New York, the
evil practices of the grafters of
San Francisco and elsewhere.
We cannot think of Treasurer
Linton and this outrageous attempt
to influence him to betray the con-
fidence the people of his county
have reposed in him, without re-
calling the lines of the great
dramatist:
"Good name, in man and woman, dear
my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls !;
Who steals my purse steals trash it's
something, nothing;
Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave
to thousands
But he that filches from me my good
name,
Robs me of that which not enricbes
him,
And makes me poor indeed"
All honor to W. G. Linton, who
has nobly stood the test of an evil
temptation and come out pure
gold. He deserves, as he will re-
ceive, the increased confidence,
respect and plaudits of his fellow
countymen.
The Leader cannot close this
article without saying that it
does not believe for one moment
that very many of the officers or
stockholders of the Commercial
Bank have any knowledge of or
would sanction such methods of
its political bureau sas those recit-
ed above. We know most of
them personally, and they are
honorable, upright gentlemen in
their private and public dealings,
and they would, never endorse or
stoop to corrupt or questionable
act. At the same time we want
to say, in all kindness and candor,
it is high time for the stock
holders of that institution,
for the sake of it's reputation
and their own, to be giving
closer scrutiny to what, for
the lack of an apter term, we
have called its political bureau,
both as regards county and munic-
ipal politics. At the pace things
are going the time will soon come,
if it has not already arrived, that
sheriff, county or municipal
treasurer, cannot place an account
with that institution, or man as
candidate be known to have the
support of its political bureau.
without subjecting 6imself to the
suspicion of being tainted by some
form of graft.
1t is hoped the present Legisla-
ture will do something to remove
the county treasury temptation
out of the way of dnscrupulous
bank politicians, as it has started
to do. So far as we are concern
ed, we want it proclaimed from
the housetops that The Leader has
raised the black flag against all
political grafters, official and 9th
erwise, and whenever we have
facts that the people ought to
know, they are going to be pub
lished, let the chips fall where
they may.