Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-06-25

l could see. the president Of the board
trying TO get the legislature to pass
this bill week after week, and month
after month. On the last day OF the
term the legislature passed the bin,
on the last day OF the session II was
sent to me and | was urged to turn
1t back to the legislature. l said to
my secretary that we will let 1t dry as
| have time from now until three days
In the ext session to look into It. I
said. Put 1t in the safe" The pres
ident OF the board and the lieutenant
governor tried to get me to sign the
bill. | said. There is something
wrong with this department" said.
81 want to look into 1t first. 1t may
be that you will have to sue these men
and their bondsmen." said, There
Is a leak somewhere. | don't want
to tie the State up until | see where
1t is going" The acknowledgements
again urged me to sign the bill. | did
not know him as well then as | know
him now. (Cheering.l
So, my fellow citizens. the next
thing he said was this: Governor, IL
you don't sign that bill you are going
to get crossways with Charley Smith,
and you know he is strong here" He
said, Go ahead and sign it," | said.
When | was a candidate | told the
people was not going to wear the
collar Of any political gang or OF any
one" | said | was not going to be-
long to Vardaman, or John Sharp VIII
liams. and that I was not going to
swallow Sandy Bayou. That is the
way l came to be here. tell you
that this State has been rent In po-
litlcal factions. | am free; | don't
belong to any OF them. | pay no
attention to factions than I do to the
blowing Of the wind. My only star 10
to follow that which Ia right. The
president OF the board came back. and
he had had a drink or two--MORE.
He begged me to sign the bill. I told
him | was busy. He said, "You should
have said so before now. l have been
here lobbying for this bill for weeks
and months. and there is going to be
something doing here" | said. That
is not going to get anywhere here,
as It might ~perhaps-as II would on a
negro on a plantation" He said, II
want to tell you we're going to tend
to you II you ever run for any other
| office" He said, THE back OF my
hand is to you" Now, | said let me
tell you something: that there Is two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars OF
the peoples money going out through
a leak somewhere, and you are the
head Of the department through which
II is going. You have drawn out OF the
State treasury a lot OF money to buy
whiskey to pass this bill, but you can't
put It over the governor. said come
on and | will promise to meet you at
Phillip before the people to discuss
the matter. From that moment the
fight was on. This man was loaded
with booze; this man has played with
the rights of this State; and he was
a giant In power; and | said there 10
something wrong with this institution:
and they reared around and talked to
you about shooting me with a two
holed shotgun" They filed a two hun
dred thousand dollar damage suit to
break me up. They have tried black.
mail-threats and blackmail to put
me out. | have been on the job for
the taxpayers Of Mississippi. and am
in business at the same old stand.
The arrows Of blame have dropped
at my feet as the arrows fell at Lib
erty's feet a hundred years ago.
After exposed them to the gaze of
the people those men melted like a
snowflake during the rays OF the noon.
day sun. This man came to me In the
presence OF witnesses, and said,
III you will quit this. we will get he
hind you and we will send you to the
United States senate, and will make
1t so hot for him that he will not be
a candidate" speaking OF Williams.
| said. That will be a nice thing for
rue. but not for the high oath | took
and for the people. who are my peo-
pie" | said, 81 have but one answer.
and that is. get thee behind me,
Satan" said. IL don't want any
office or anything else, but | am going
down the middle OF the road after
you" He said that they would make
me unpopular; they did 1t. all right.
Let's look into this business and see
what they are doing. | went over to
Parchman and remembered that the
law provided that the board OF trus-
tees should provide every sergeant
with a well-bound set OF books, and
in these he should keep an accurate
account Of what was produced on the
farm and what became of 1t. | dis
covered that the board Of trustees
had never furnished this. found
that FIVE out of fourteen of the ser
geants kept a little book In their
pockets for their own information. II
was impossible to find out what was
raised on the Mace. You had IN find