The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-06
SECRETARY POWER
MAKES STATEMENT
Corrects Error in Connection With the
Farmers Union Charges Against
President HiehtoWer.

President Hiehtower
JACKSON, August 6.-Since the
printing of the Scott county resolution
of the Farmers Union in which Pres
dent Hightower, of the state division
of that organization, was criticized,
among other things, for having re-
ceived pay as a state senator and as
president of the Union at the same
time, Secretary of State Power has
issued the following statement in re
gard to the matter:
To the Members of the Farmers
Union of mississippi:
An unintentional injustice has
been done Mr.. G, R. Hightower, pres
ident of the Farmers Union, by a
statement furnished from this Of
flee.
About two weeks ago Mr.. G. B.
Waller called at my office and re-
quested information as to the amount
of money Mr.. Hightower has drawn as
state senator during the session of
1908. l got a copy of the report of
the Auditor of Public Accounts and
showed him that Mr.. Hightower had
drawn $193.33 as salary and $31.40 as
mileage, amounting to $164.73. This
amount he was clearly entitled to I'M
der Section 1927, Mississippi Code OF
1906, which reads as follows:
"3O27-When Compensation Due
The mileage and one-third of the sal
airy for regular session may be re-
ceived at the beginning of the session.
After thirty days of the session have
expired another third may be received
and the remainder at the close of the
session"
The salary of members of the
legislature for regular sessions is $500
and mileage and by the above figures
it will be readily seen that Mr.. High
tower drew exactly what he was allow !
I'd by law.
Mr. Waller then demanded of me to
know when Mr. Hightower resigned as
4 member of the senate, but on exam
nation of the senate journal l could
lot find the date of his resignation,
hat being sent to the governor and
lot direct to the senate. In looking
.ver the journal for the name of Mr..
Dean, his successor, to find when he
ualified we found on page 1S9, senate
ournal, that Mr. Dean QUILTED on tho
vening of January 80. In roll call
II the same page of the journal i'm
lediately above the qualification of
Ir. Dean we noted the name or Mr.. {
Iightower as having voted. I natural |
, thought that he had remained in ;
lie senate until his successor qualified |
nd so stated to Mr. Waller and made t
certificate to that effect.
A few days after my attention was
llled to the matter by friends of :
r. Hightower and then made a care
Il examination of the journal and
und that on January Z, 1893, page +
g of the Journal, his name disappear h
from roll call and the yea and nay s.
tie. That was on Monday. I made v
! examination in the governors Of b
.e and found that his resignation to n,
e governor took effect on the 25th &.
January, 1908, hence he was not a h,
smber of the senate after the 25th W
January, 1908. The vote in the
Irnal on page 1gJ, wherein he is re- m
-ded as voting is simply an error, nt
: senate at that time using the old RI
I call, not having had a new roll call y,
uted with the name Of Mr.. Dean ze
for that Of Mr. Hightower. nc
The attention OF Mr.. Waller has wi
IN called to this discrepancy by "a
ne interested parties. but he has fir
been TO my office to have coIrec- in
Z made. re
u justice. to Mt. Hightower n III,
lk the above explanation is due be-
II me. So
Respectfully,