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

business administration. / told It in
childlike simplicity. / told you that /
would take hold OF everything, Of every
Institution in this State supported In
whole or in part by this State, and
put It on the most economical stand
point that l could. I appealed to the
legislature to give US an accountant
who should go about and check up
the finances Of the different state in.
stitutions and advise the boards Of
trustees. The legislature went half
way and provided that one member Of
the board Of any high institution Of
the State should be a bookkeeper and
that he should check up the books,
at least twice a year. and keep the
board advised. The first institution
we checked, and found forty thousand
dollars in a hole that the board OF
trustees had eve heard Of. We put
that institution on an economical ba.
sis; put the faculty on the lowest
wages possible and promised them
more later. BY holding our noses to
the grind rock for two years we
brought II up to the normal financial
basis.
The money Of the different depart.
ments would not get in the state de.
pository until 1t was checked out to
some other bank; and | said why don't
we get the interest on this money. let
It stay in the depository. They did
not like to give the money up, but |
adopted that policy. represented
you, the taxpayers, and not the fellows
getting the benefit " It. | am pleased
to inform you that | have saved over
and over and over again my salary
by this business method.
Take the University. Look at It
now. The largest 1t has ever been
before. The board for students Is
not much more than fifty per cent Of
what It wal before. You can send
your boy or girl there for less money
than ever before. Fees smaller than
ever before. That educational sys-
tenn has had Its books checked and
renovated. 1t has not been done with.
out hard work.
Take. for instance, the A.. and NJ.
College. The same is true there.
Take the Insane Hospital at Jack
son, that carries an appropriation OF
n hundred and eighty-three thou
sand dollars a year. Graft and waste
had become so common there that
was told for six months to my face
tuition without petty graft. ! am
pleased to advise you that 1t has been
renovated to the bottom. The hog,
chicken and dairy departments are
one hundred per cent better than ever
before. And they have a great many
more patients than eve before.
We have not been playing, have
been trying to serve you. Sometimes
1t is a little discouraging; when I was
burning the midnight oil, and every
moment wal burdened with care, and
sometimes with a sick wife In the
hospital and a house full OF little girls
at home. 1t is not the pleasantest jot
when q gang 90 about and put your
name down as a scoundrel. At times
| became discouraged.
We have had on the board Of trus.
tees OF the different departments a
number Of BUSINESS men that look
after the business OF the different In.
stitutions.
In regard to the penitentiary depart
ment: 1t carries an appropriation OF
two hundred and twenty-five thousand
to three hundred thousand dollars a
year. When | became Governor the
Honorable Joe Stennis, chairman OF
the ways and means committee Of the
house. told me that he wanted to dis
cuss the and liabilities OF
the State. He showed me a statement
showing the revenue and assets on
one side and the liabilities on the
other side. | found that Mississippi
was more than a million dollars In q
hole when | was elected governor. I
said. II don't see anything In regard
to the profit OF the p~enitentiary." |
said the statement OF the board OF
trustees showed a grand profit. He
said yes, and that 1t was only the
bookkeeping, they drew more than
thirty thousand dollars out OF the
treasury than they put back. / sais.;
III that Is true there is something
radically wrong with the affairs OF
that institution" Then a bill was in
troduced to add two new members
TO the board Of trustees, among them
the encouragement. | remember
that General McClurg was attorney
general Of the State and resigned. |
asked him why he had resigned. He
said that. as he was a member Of the
board Of control of the State peniten-
tiary, and they were handling millions
Of dollars Of the peoples money, and
that he could not give the proper time
to both offices. They might be putting
the property to the wrong causes. to
the wrong places, for all he knew.
and he resigned rather than remain