The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1913-09-19
j. Will Taylor.
Insurance Commissioner
Oefies the Whisky
Bunch In the Legisla-
tnre who are Trying to
COncOct G h arge 8
Against Him.

The alleged regular Democrats
10 the extra session of the Legs
latnre, composed Of Messrs. Bry-
ant, ChAmlee, Myers, Collier and
Royst0n, House members, who
haye been appointed 9 commit
tee to Investigate the Fire Mar
shall Buerau Of the Insurance
Department, on the allegation
that positions as Fire MarshaIs
we're given to members 10 CON
sideration for their work Of
breaking the. quorum 10 the
House, during the regular ses
sion, were openly defled by State
Insurance Commissioner j. Will
Taylor, 10 unpublished statement
last Friday. Commissioners Tay.
lor refuses to recognize the le-
gality Of the committee and it's
authority to investigate the Of.
fee, and assigns two reasons.
Here are Mr. aylor's own words:
First desire to state that I
do not recognize the legality Of
your committee, nor its authori.
~ to Investigate this Office for
two reasons. In the first place,
it was not appointed by q joint
resolution Of both branches of the
Legislature, and In the second
place it Is not responsive to any
provision in the call for the
special session. The personnel
Of -FOUR committee, composed as
it il Of five regular Democrats,
without minority repi esentation,
is sslf-tuffcient to show that the
proposed investigation is purely
selfish and PARTISAN, and not for
the public welfare. The matters
concerning which you inquire,
however, are matters Of public
record In my Office, and, az yonr
resolution states, have been pub.
lished in the newspapers Of the
state without any effort at con
cealment. |, therefore, furnish
yon the information sought as a
citizen and not as officials.
Il note that the resolution
under which you purport to act
does not question my right as
Insurance Commissioner to ap.
point members Of the Legislature
to subordinate places in my de.
partment, but the pretcxt for
the resolution ~ that mem bers
Of the Legislature that are depu.
~ fire marshals, have been &C.
tive IN their efforts to prevent a
reduction OF the fund collected
to maintain the Fire Marshal
Bureau.
Il beg to advise you that this
statement in your resolution is
incorrect, as neither / nor any OF
the officials under me are the
least concerned about the effort
made in the former appropriation
bill, or the one now pending, to
limit the fire marshal fund.
This attempt to unduly limit
said fund is abortiye and uncon.
stitutional, because a special
statute upon subject cannot be
amended by the simple insertion
Of a clause in an appropriation
bill. Such limitation of the
fire marshal fund, if legal W Juld
be an imposition, aud an outrage
on the fire insurance companies
who are entitled to the protec.
ton it affords them. And II some
future Legislature should limit
the expenditure of this fund, the
fire marshal tax collected from
fire insurance companies should
be proportionately reduced. For
the Legislature to do otherwise
would be a. simple misappropri-
alton Of funds.
In direct,answer to your ques.
ton, l will statethat during the
six months of my administration
the following members Of the
House has served as deputy fire
marshals at various intervals,
and not all at the same time,
and have drawn the following
salaries and expenses:
A. j.. Argo. $4,000
~ r. n