The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-10-18

The excess was ............$ 54,5s5.70
Add to this the reformatory
appropriation ............ 50,0O0.00
Increase of Confederate PEN
sions ..........,...... y ol0,00o,Oc
Increase OF public schools. -. 62,500.00
And we have a total of. -. .$677 0S5.70
Without this increase it is evident
that several hundred thousand dollars
could have been paid on the bonded debt.
The Legislature evidently concluded that
it was better to have the reformatory
now, before any more little children
were sent to the penitentlary, and to
care. for the old soldiers now, before the
white horse and his rider had carried
them all away. If Governor McMillin
takes different view of these matters,
ethim say so. If not, let him cease to
misrepresent the facts, and admit, as
Senator McAlister did, that nobody was
at fault.
McMillin's Figures.
At this point am reminded that Gov
ernor McMillin has been parading the
grand total of receipts and expenditures
during his administration and mine. This
means nothing, and amounts to nothing
unless the people know the details as to
now the money was spent and what our
respective attitudes were toward the
numerous items that 60 to make up the
totals. Any schoolboy knows that the
receipts and expenditures of this and all
other states are continually increasing.
lhe states. business grows in volume
year by year. The state collected and
spent more money during McMillin's ad-
ministration than it ever had before.
just two items will serve as examples
of the increase of Tennessees expendi-
lures:
Public Education.
MeMillin's last term ......$ 348, 10000
Hooper first term ........ 2,237, 621.19
Pensions.
McMllin's last term ......$ 300,000.00
Hooper's first term ....... l,460,0oo.00
Ii the state were not spending any
more on schools and pensions, to say
nothing of its numerous public institu-
tions, than it did during McMillin's ad-
ministration, it could pay on the bonded
debt during my administration $3,049,-
SCI.
Widows Pensions.
The Regular Democratic spellbinders,
from John Isaac Cox up to Malcolm r.
Patterson, or from Patterson on up to
Cox take your choice), have been over
exerting themselves to make the impress
SION that | opposed $4,000 appropria-
ton in the last Legislature for widows
pensions. In the light of the public
records, such statement is so COM
pletely false that it is indeed remark
able that any public man or newspaper
of any pretensions to integrity would
dare to repeat it. Lam not willing to
concede, however, that any man of that
has repeated it. The facts
are that under a special bill, the Legls-
lature of 1911 increased the appropria-
ton for Confederate pensions $51U,uuO,
and $4,000 of this increase went to
making the present appropria-
ton for widows pensions $4,000. These
bills were voted for by all Republicans
and signed by me.
Afterward an item apprOpriating the
additional sum of $4,000 for widews'
was included IN the general APP
bill. have already explained
how the Legislature called for the re-
turn of these bills, after / demonstrated
that they would bankrupt the treasury.
Then it was that the Legislature vOlun-
tarily cut out this $4,000 along with a
great many other items. Thas was done
without any recommendation or sugges-
tion from me.
Under McMillins administration there
was not a cent spent for widows pen
sions, and you cannot find in one of his
to the legislature where he ad-
vocated the appropriation of cent for
Confederate pensions oil any sort, though
he did afterward modestly claim great
credit for the little that had been done.
Moreover, he ignored the recommends
ton of the Confederate Bivouacs as to
the members of the Pension Board, and
refused to commission them as required
by law. Why? The reason given to a
member of the Board, by his brother,
John McMillin, who acted as the spokes-
man of the administration, was that
Major Guild as member of the State
Senate, had voted for a man who had
held office by divine right for some forty
years. But Major Guilds commission
lay unsigned from May in McMillin's
first term till the night before he went
out of office the last time-with empha-
sis on the word "last."
Patterson showed this same indignity
to the Confederate soldiers when he was
Governor, which is only another evidence
Of how these great minds run in the same
channel.
Dibrell's Pension Letters.
The greatest fraud, however, that has
ever been practiced ON the state and the
people in connection with the pension
business, is that whereby the Honorable
Frank Dibrell, Comptroller, conducts his
political campaign at the expense of the
state by inclosing campaign letter with
every check sent out to a Confederate
pensioner. have In my possession a
full series of letters thus sent by Mr..
Comptroller Dibrell, each bearing his
likeness, and assuring the
old soldier that he is the benefcient be-
ing away down at the Capitol City, with
out whom there would be no pension.
Each letter is stronger than its prede-