Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-01-19
LETTER FROM BIG BUD

- bN0SOhs
Since my last letter the Committee on
Contingent Fund has made a rep>rt
exhonoratiHg Ex-Governor Vardaman.
1t was quite lengthy report and when
read in the House at once offered q
resolution asking that we vote on the
resolution by sections. This was voted
down and as there was matter in the
report that did not think the Commit
tee was justified in acting on, namely,
instructing the Attorney General to
dismiss the suit for the $500 unearned
interest paid the bank by ante-dating
the notes given for the 5000, 900 bor-
rowed by Gov. Vardaman. The Su-
preme Court has decided that this could
not be paid when Gov. Noel tried to do
this, so as I could not get to vote on
the "white wash" resolution by Sec
tions voted "no" on the entire resolu-
ton. Mr.. Brame also voted "no'. Mr..
Minor refused to vote. The resolution
was carried by vote of about 1O4 to
20.
When the vote was announced rose
to question of personal privilege and
had spread on the journal of the House
the following explanation:
believing in the integrity of Ex-
Governor Vardaman and believing
hot hn 70 nf
the Contingent fund to his person
al use would have voted for the
adoption of that part of the report.
but as the House refused to vote on
the report by sections and believing
that the interest paid to the bank
was un-earned interest. and there
fore illegally paid, could not vote
to instruct the Attorney General to
dismiss the suit for the recovery of
the money" Signed,
E. D. CAvETT.
Mr.. Brame offered the following ex-
planation of his vote on the resolution
offered by the Committee on the Con-
tingent Fund;
Believing that the Joint Com
mittee exceeded its authority in
making an investigation of other
matters than the Contingent Fund
and embodyin. the same in its re-
port cast my vote in the negative.
! believe that the report on the
Contingent Fund eXonorates Cover
nor Vardaman. I. w. BRAME.
Mr.. Minor, of Noxubee, refusing to
vote on the report of the Joint Com
mite of the House and Senate on inves-
-tigation of Executive Contingent FUNDS
gives as his reasons for not voting,
which he asks to be spread upon the
Journal of the House, the following:
''That he is unwilling to cast any
imputation in the fairness or correct
ness of the conclusions Cf said COM
mittee, which vote in the mega
tive might imply.
That he wishes the Senator-nomi-
late of Mississippi to be cleared as
far as possible of all the charges
made against him in this connec-
tion, and for'that reason, he is un-
willing to vote the negative.
That he believes that the accounts
of the disbursement of the Execu-
tive Fund and other funds for the
Years 1907 and 1908 were not kept
with due care and the investigations
of said Committee were not made
with the rigid and thorough care
and completeness the circumstan-
ces demand, cannot fully concur
with the c mmittees conclusions,
and he is therefore, unwilling to
vote in the affirmative" MINOR.
Over in the Senate when this resolu
ton came up Senator Price moved that
rs copies be printed, so that all could
vote intelligently on it, and he could,
not even get second 1t seems that
Bilbo dominates the Senate so absolute
ly that the opposition would not even
vote for this as it would tend to delay
matters; 80 it was rushed through. On
ly two members of the last Senate who
were opposed to Bilbo were reelected.
Price and McLaurin. McLaurin it
seems has not antogonized Bilbo evad-
ing the vote in the immunity bill passed
in'the extra session, and he has fairly
good committee appointments, but Bill
bo had it in for Walter and only put him
in the Committee on Federal Relations,
which will hardly meet at all Com
mittee on Engrossed Bills, committee
merely to see that the bills passed by
the Senate are properly engrossed,
and on the Committee on Temperance,
and there will nothing of Importance
come up before this committee. Some
of his friends told Bildo he could not
ignore Walter this way, but he was OBJ
durate and stubborn about it. Peirre
Robert, my little grandson, who is page
in the House, told his mother that Pap
py could not get the members of the
House to stand up all the time when ne
wanted them to, and he thought that
Mr.. Price and Pappy ought to be in the
house. SO they could second each others
resolutions, and | am of his opinion.
The committee on Local and Private
legislation, of which Henry Minor is
chairman, is one of the hardest worked
committees Of the house, SO much SO
that we have to set aside every Satur-
day for the work of this committee.
This gives Henry charge of the House