The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1910-06-03

day Tor several months In looking
after this work. and. IL | am correctly
Informed. this $4,000 was properly
allowed by the board of trustees 10
compensate him in part for money
expended by him while engaged in
this work
This board OF trustees was com.
posed OF men OF the highest character,
including Col. r. J. Harding. OF Jack
son. sherif OF Kinds county. whose
Integrity no man ever questioned and
who stands as high as any man in
the state for both valor and honor
The other gentlemen were OF equal
high standing. We did not have Col.
Harding before our committee. our
time was very limited. but, without
his permission. refer TO him as TO
the correctness OF the statement
now make. This amount, and no
other. was drawn by Gov. Vardaman
in connection with the Jackson insti-
tuition. and the accountants report
bears this out
On the 2-9-05 Gov Vardaman re-
ceived $500 from the penitentiary
trustees 70 make trip 10 buy mules.
and on the PESOS drew $500 from
/ the contingent fund. The last $1,000
was an additional amount spent la
his work on this trip. There is no
showing that the $1,000 paid by the
Soldiers Home on the 5-I1-O6 was
paid out of any other fund For two
I trips. one TO the soldier IOma anI
one to the East Mississippi insane
asylum, the expense. as show by the
report, is $4,000. Twenty-Five dollars
of this was drawn from the contingent
fund and $500 from the Soldiers
Home. Exclusive OF chair car service.
Gov. Vardamans railroad fare was
about $500 on these two trips. The
other items on this exhibit. amount
ing to sl31.40. are susceptible OF like
explanation, and a study OF the ex-
hibtt would bring any intelligent and
unbiased man 10 the same conclusion.
Expenditures Not Extravaganza.
IL is charged that Gov. Nardaman
was reckless and extravagant with
this contingent fund. To refute this
| only ask that you read the report
OF the account. Take, for instance.
his trips: One was TO New Orleans.
La, on the occasion of the boundary
suit: to St. Louis and Kansas City 10
purchase mules for the state: inspect
ing yellow fever at Natchez. a visit to
city insane hospitals in Illinois. In fact.
you will find that each and every trip
charged TO the contingent fund was for
some everyday, common-sense pur-
pose. OF course. the purchase Of
mules. the selling OF cotton. putting
down uprisings at Oakley. were quite
prosaic. but nevertheless, were stern
duties that Gov. Nardaman attended
TO well, as this report will show
defy any one TO point 10 a single trip
Gov. Vardaman has made. and as
shown by the report. that has not been
altogether and entirely for the states
benefit. lie is charged with extray-
agance when his entire travelling ex-
penses. including the amounts appro-
priated by the institution. amount to
s2,1s715. As Exhibit Il Of the same
report shows Gov. Noel expended 81
1915 for similar expenses during his
first two years in office, the ratio OF
travelling expenses for the two govern
ers is about the same Exclusive OF
the whitecap fund and the Meridian
cyclone fund, Gov. Nardaman received
contingent fund OF s20O0O00 for
the four years and returned To the
state at the end OF his term OF office
s1,73O00. having expended for four
years sls.27000 out OF the regular con-
tingent fund
Expended Less Than Present Admins
trstion.
There was appropriated for Gov
Noel for the years 1908 and 1909 s10,-
10000 contingent fund out Of this
s9.94313 was expended. and in addi-
tion TO this 5 50215 of the Vardaman
contingent fund turned over 70 him
in 1908. making a total expenditure
out of Gov. NOel's contingent fund for
the two years. s11.4452s Gov Noel
is also provided with a stenograpber
In his office who has received s1,4fO.O0
for the two years, making the total
expenditures OF Gov. Noels office for
the first two years of his administra-
tion s12,Ss5.2S (this was the expendi-
lures of about twenty-five monthsD.
II the same ratio OF expenditures Is
kept up. Gov. Noels office expendi-
lures for the four years will be about
&25,O00.09. against 100000 spent by
Gov. Vardaman.
Object of Contingent Fund.
want it distinctly understood. how
ever, that what | here say is not
meant as any criticism OF Gov. Noel's
expenditures. The contingent fund is
placed in his hands and is. / believe,
used by him for the best interests OF
the state. / only use this comparison
because il has been charged that Gov
Vardaman, who did quite as much as
any governor while in office. spent |
the executive contingent fund in a
reckless and unbusiness-like way. and
lt is for the purpose Of refuting this
charge, that has no foundation in fact, !
except that a few vouchers have been
lost out of the executive office, that
I have compared the expenses OF the /
two governors.
In conclusion. wish 10 say that | |
have made this statement as a matter
of right and justice to Gov. Vardaman |
and TO the people or the state who may
have been misled 10 some extent by |
raise rumoTs and insinuations and the |
article is written without suggestion |
on the part OF Gov. Vardaman or any |
one else.
Very respectfully,
CLAYTON ID. POTTER,
amber joint Contingent Fund Com
"a. 1910