The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-12-31

,srests made when the lrohihirion
all As uassed the state closed It's
ssral year with a balance in the treas
srv and With receipts only about sils.-
100 less than they we're for the pre-
gious wear. Papers II once assumed
thar this deficit in the receipts vas
5ue 10 the loss from saloon revenue
A examination Of the accounts OF
he treasury fiscloses the surprising
Fact however. that had the peniten-
Ia --cesrts eQuaIed those OF the
r-yiars year or been equal 10 those
- anv 81 the three proceeding years,
instead OF a deficit there would have
been an increase OF nearly $4,000 IN
the revenues Of the stat, for the hscai
yea- ending Del IS
II viii be recalled THAI at the time
az the enactment Of the Prohibition
Law the Editor OF this paper IN a
signed article contributed TO the Knox
vile Sentinel. the Chattanooga News
and the Nashville Tennessean pre-
dicted that the States revenues for
he fiscal year Just ended would equal
the receipts for the year ending Dec
Is. 1905. He assumed. however, IN
making this estimate that the prison
receipts would at least equal those OF
former years. There was no reason
70 believe otherwise md the public
will he astounded at the news that the
contrary is true.
The penftentiary is the only revenue
producing department Of the State
government that is entirely under the
supervision and control Of the Cover
nor His appointees fill every ONCE
Those who would not bow to his will
and become his subservient tools have
had to find jobs elsewhere. He would
he entitled to whatever credit might
be accorded the prison and ne is
cbargeable with it's management He
cannot. under the law, escape respon-
sibility therefor.
For the year ending Dec. 10, 1906,
the last year before Patterson became
Governor. the receipts of the prison
were s6Os. 1864. For the same year
the disbursements were $32S,s79.5 50,
leaving a net profit of s275.OOO-
Last year the receipts were s472.-
$50. 81 and the disbursements were
1914. 227.49. a profit OF $4,000. While
the receipts under Patterson were
s131.O 900 less than under former adj
ministration. the expenses Increased
$50 900 This is the price that the
state must pay for political jobbery
That is the cost Of having those IN
r,owqr who believe that government is
huge lob for distribution among the
faithful It is the toll that the tax
ravers must contribute for having in
office those who have no higher con
.ertior Of their obligations than office
brokerage, machine building and par
Ion distribution.
I AS a simon pure, old line Democrat,
who 4prays for the faith that makes
men strong" the Governor may be a
bowling success: as a business admin
istrator he is a dismal failure. What
this state needs is little less machine
Democracy and a little more bust
ness in the administration Of its ar
fairs. Through office distribution, par
don brokerage and machine building
the Governor has decreased the profits
+ NJ the State prison from s275OOO 70
less than 100000 in three years. At
.r:s rate at the end Of another three
ears there will he a 100000 deficit.
I II will be recalled that when the
/ Governor made his first campaign he
denounced the state administration as
,n.pemocratic as arbitrary. extrava-
CANT end corrupt He declared on
every stump in the ate that the
trail of the serpent was over every
department of government" He was
a Reformer; a modern Moses come
forth to lead the oppressed people
from political bondage. When he or
ganized the Legislature in 1907 ne mad
committee appointed to examine the
penitentiary This committee was I'M
able to find the trail of the serpent,
but it did report that there were roo
many officials and the salaries were
too high. Not only has the Governor
not followed the recommendations OIL
his Committee. but every year since
he went into office salaries have been
Increased and the pay roll heightened
This is "Refawn" with vengeance.