The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-07-30
REPLYOFPRES|DENT
,R,H|GHTOWERT TO
LIEUTGOvERNOR
b|LbO'S ATTACK

Tupelo, Miss, July IA. 1918.
Mr.. G. r. HightoWer.
Agricultural College, Miss
Dear Sir:
Lieutenant Governor Bilbo spoke
here yesterday, and, to my surprise,
mad a most unjust attack on you. /
have since learned that he has beer
making similar attacks Ill owe the
State. He said in substance that he
would remove you from the presidency
of the A. & NJ. College as soon as he
was elected Governor; that you were a
scheming politician, and held your
present position as the result of a po-
litical deal with Gov. Brewer; that you
were responsible for the losses sus-
tanned by the stockholders of the
Farmers Warehouse Company; that
you had profited by said failure, and
that you had bought lands near Match
ez since it's failure, which indicated
the extent of your profits. To my own
personal knowledge these charges are
SO unjust that / can not refrain from
writing you. l was with the warehouse
company when o resigned as its
president. You resigned six months
before the company failed and Mr..
Carter was elected president. l hap
pen to know that over SAC, OOO.OO OF
notes given by armer for stock In
the Warehouse Company was lying In
the safe of the company unpaid when
you resigned, and that these notes
were paid. | know also that the
company contracted obligations ex-
pecting these notes to be paid. and
that the non-payment of the notes was
IN %hn vooin tho 0f tho foi1Jrro I
also know that when you resigned the
presidency of the company, the COM
pany owed you a large sum of money,
and that your name appeared as en-
dOrser on a large amount of the COM
pany's Indebtedness. l know person
ally that o had to pay some of the
obligations which you had endorsed
and that you were the largest loser
because Of the failure.
I can not believe the farmers of Mis-
sisippi will vote for any one who
makes such an attack on a man who
has always defended their interests
AID who has suffered such heavy loss
for their business enterprises. Mr..
Bilbo, of course, realizes that owing
to your position you can not meet him
on the stump to refute the ISLANDERS h.
peddIes out to the people and thinks
he can catch some votes by such un
worthy methods.
l do not know how it can be done,
but certainly there ought to be some
way to get the facts before the people
so as to refute these libelous and Sian.
derous charges. If in your judgment
the publication of this letter will do
any good, o are at liberty to use it.
Yours very truly,
(signed) GREEN M. CROOK.
Agricultural College, Miss,
July 16, 1915
Mr.. G. M. Crook,
Tupelo, Miss.
My Dear Mr.. Crook:
I have just received your esteemed
favor dated yesterday telling me OF
s Lieutenant Governor Bilbo's SANDER
Gus assault on me in his TupelC
speech. I have been too busy making
the Mississippi Agricultural and Me
chanical College the biggest and best
college in the South to pay any at
tention to the rawlings of a cheap Pc
litical adventurer. 1t seems, however
that silence is no longer a virtue.
regret exceedingly being dragged into
this matter, but l cannot keep s1len'
longer and retain my self-respect. Be
sides, my duty as a citizen OF Misis
SlDDl anu NY Uuly " IL luuOCCAL 1
and children demand that l shall re
sent his Infamous attacks.
Evil days have come on our beloved
State when a candidate for the high
office of Governor can with impunity
drag the State colleges into a heated
political campaign. This is the first
instance of its kline in the history OF
the State. l have borne in silence fol
more han a year the persecution OF
this man rather than say or do anything
which would give the enemies Of the
College an excuse to critieise. He has
gone about over the State for more
than a year attacking me both pub
licly and privately, n it Is believed
for the reason that he has been prom
fsed political support to put me ant
NV Faculty out and put others in. HI
saws he Is going to put a man in tn
presidency who Is not supporting him
vet he a that none out the faithful
to Bilbo need apply. Is it REASONABLE
that he would select an opponent TO
one of the most responsible places il
the State six months before the cleo
tom! What kind Of an interview o
message caused him to select this PAL
ttcular individual? The Board of Trus
tees under the law are charged wit
the responsibility Of electing the Pres
ident, but 1t seems from Mr.. Bilbow'
statements that he expects to usurl
The authority invested by law In tn
Board of Trustees, and fire out" tn
President of the College; select an
other President who has not supports
him six months before the election TO
Governor is held. Those who are be
Heved to be emissaries have alread,
been on the campus whispering abou
xho% certain Of the facult.
WAS A LUCKY BATTEO BAL