Oxford eagle., 1919-05-22

our esteemed friend Of the Star Ledg-
er, and he believes that he is correct
in his statements, but for his informa-
tion and for the enlightment of others
we are going to give him the facts
straight from the records. Read it
and then pass your own judgement
upon the record of former Governor
Longino. We agree with Brother
Sanders that the politician who hopes
to profit by falsifying the records will
find, when too late, that he has made
a mistake. > ~,'.
We shall take Brother Longino's re-
cord in chronological order and cover
not only the proposition Of the new
state capitol but several other PROPOSE
tions out of which certain newspapers
are seeking to make capital by draw
ing wrong conclusions or creating in
correct impressions. The record fol-
lows:
LOnginO's First Official Act.
The first official act of Ex-Governor
Longino as Governor of the State was
to deliver his inaugural address to the
Legislature. In that message, he
recommends to the Legislature, at
Page 80 of Senate Journal Of 1900,
"the wisdom and eXpediency Of giving
to the family of any one who may be
lynched right to recover in the
Chancery Court a fixed sum in dam
ages against the county where the
lynching occurred. Let the amount of
said damages" says the Ex-Governor,
"be sufficiently large to engage public
opposition to the payment thereof and
let the right Of recovery be predcated
alone upon the fact that the lynching
was done in the county where the re-
covery is sought" Governor Longino
also commended to the Legislature the
expediency of providing by law that
the office Of sheriff or constable should
become vacant ipso factO whenever
any person is taken from the Jail or
the custody Of such officer and mobbed.
This recommendation of Ex-Governor
Longino is copied verbatim and can
not be denied. In view of the fact
that the vest majority of lynchlngs
in Mississippi are of negro blutes for
commission of some unspeakablc crme
we do not think that this part of the
record of Governor Longino will be
given very much publicity by the Hon
orable Edgar Wilson and the news
papers named.
The Half Million of Bonds.
| One of the main propositions upon
which the Ex- Governor bases his claim
to reelection is that 100000 Of bonds
were paid off during his administra,
ton without the issuance of new bonds
with which to pay them. Let's see
about this Referring to the last mes
sage of Governor McLaurin at page
IA, Senate Journal 1900, Governor Nc
Laurin REFEREES to these same bonds
and says, 81 really think it will be
safe for the treasurer. to pay the en-
tire 100000 at this time, and OF
course to do so will be an additiOna
saving of interest The payable bond
ed indebtedness of the State is 81 ,OO3,
900. Included in this is a $4OO, ,OO(
bond issue of 1896, mentioned. BY
its payment, as have suggested ant
recommended, and for which the
money is on hand, the bonded debt
as you will see,s will be $603, OOO.'
When Governor Longino went out Of
the office in his final message to the
Legislature, at page 32 of the Senate
Journal of 1904, we find that he re
fers to this same 100000 of bond.
and says "$4OO,O00 Of interest bearing
bonds have been called in and pai(
off during the last four years, leaving
100000 as the only payable bondet
indebtedness which the State owes.
In other words, LOngino paid of
$4OO, 600 of state bonds with none,
left in the treasury by Governor Nc
Laurin, and that is all there is tt
that proposition, and this is the un
deniable, uncontrovertible and abso
lutte true statement of the whole mat
ter as shown by he record. Thus end:
one of Longino's big claims for re
election, and thus falls plank number
one Of his platform.
That One Million Dollars
The next claim of Mr.. Wilson, the
Carthage Carthiginian, the Daily Com
monwealth, the Kinds County Gazette
and the Hazelhurst Courier, is that
when Governor Longino went out o1
office he left $1,OOO,OO0 in the treasury
What does the record show? By re-
lferring to the signed message of ex
Governor Longino at page 26 of the
| Co,,+o Tc,,,,,1 of 1904 tho loct oJ