Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-10-24

tended by me IN NV inaugural alfH"'S
and first message TO the General A.
semby.
The Legislature.
A few examples of the truth OF these
statements will suffice.
Legislation along the lines Of prison
reform demanded by every consideration
Oh justice and humanity was denied for
the express reason that it might re-
douud to the credit of my administrl-
ton Senator Hill McAlister, chairman
of tie committee appointed to draft
these bills, deliberately strangled them
for partisan reasons, and stated that the
parole bill should not pass because he
wanted to handle the pardon problem un-
der the same conditions that had sur
rounded his patron saint, Patterson.
A bill requiring the payment OF inter
est OH deposits OF state funds in banks
was choked to death when it occurred to
certain astute statesmen that the power
to select the banks to be favored with
this gracious gift of the peoples money
was valuable political asset. And thus,
in order that the State Treasurer may
be empowered to play politics with the
public fund.- our state continues to give
away perhaps $4,000 per year, and Is
one of only three states in the Union
that gets no interest on its deposits.
If the true inside history of the meth
DDS employed in the manipulation OF the
deposits of Tennessee's public money
could be unfolded, it would cause the
people to sit up and take notice.
My fight for law to require banks
to pay interest on state deposits has
resulted in plank in the Republican
platform favorlng such n law, and Nc
Millin's platform has followed suit. Pub
lie sentiment will sometimes move set
of machine politicians to declare in favor
of a needed law, even if they find a
way afterward to repudiate their prom
ise5
A bill was introduced and urgently
pressed to continue the strangle-hold OF
the machine on the Agricultural Depart
ment, by taking the power of appointing
the Commissioner away from the Cover
nor, and permitting the Old-time gang of
useless, idle and inefficient tick and feed
inspectors to remain in office. l know
one member of the Legislature who was
offered lifetime job at $500 to 'ote
for this bill.
TEMPERATE conspiracy
The Comptrollers office was indus
triously manipulated for partisan pur-
poses, and a disposition was manifested
to wreck the credit of the state, if a
plausible way could be found to art
tribute the disaster to me.
A deliberate conspiracy was entered
into to lead down the appropriation bills
with useless and eXtravagant appropria-
tions, with the intention either of bank
rupting the state, if the bills were APP
proved by nae, or forcing an expensive ex-
ira session of the Legislature if they
failed to pass for lack of my approval.
When these bills were under cOnsidera-
tion in the Senate, the doors were closed
and nobody was allowed 10 remain inside
except the Chief Clerk or Comptroller
Dibrell who acted as the financial ad-
wiser of the Senate. And there, under
the leadership OF John T. Cox, who had
been in the Legislature for nearly eigh=
teea years and under the direct super
vision of Frank Dibrell, the chief finan-
cial officer OF the state, set OF appro-
priation bills were framed up, which,
added to the outstanding appropriations,
would have caused the state to default in
the sum of 81, 312, 900. Can you believe
that they did this ignorantly? No.
Whatever may be said of them, they
are not fools. Then it follows that they
conspirad to ruin the credit of the state
by slipping through these loaded bills.
Appropriation Bills.
When these appropriation bills reached
my desk | devoted three days and nights
o. almost continuous work to their con-
s1deration. The Legislature had had the
whole session. | then sent message
to the Legislature, showing in detail, and
with mathematical certainty, that they
had appropriated over million and
quarter dollars more than the state
would be able to pay. | threw the re
sponsibility squarely upon their shout
ders and suggested that they recall the
billS and trim them until the states ex-
penditures would fall within it's receipts
John Isaac then publicly proclaimed that
such thing could not be done and never
had been done. About that time the peo-
pie and the newspapers got afoul of
them, and public sentiment forced theN,
to recall the bills. Having trimmkl al
bills to suit themselves, some a
slick gentlemen who in the first inl
tried to put up the job 3n the state
on my administration, have never
an opportunity to charge me with %
they left in the bill, as well as all they!
cut out. 3i
For instance, they have criticized me,
for sgnig the bill with the 5000 salary
grab in it, in the teeth ftthe fact thai
| condemned the salary grab in -
different messages to the LcS
When the appropriation bill
amended to-1,2lude the $50
for each member of the
sent in a message to tho
cut it out When the
with the $500 grab bill inSfaVl
fed the Legislature that | woSN
the whole bill if the $500 grab wa
in. After a prolonged struggle
this matter, with the session closingl
danger OF an expensive extra sessS<
staring us in the face, and the Comp
troller threatening to permit the state to
default in the payment of interest on the
bonded debt, ! agreed to sign the appro-
priation bill if the salary grab was cut
to 5000, but | never, by any means, APP
proved of even this amount as | did not
| approve Of many others among the hun
dreds of items in the appropriation bills.
1t must be remembered that members of
the Legislature have the privilege of
WIT ino IN tha GrnDroprin tipn hull itav, Nv