The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-07-23
LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE CHAL-
LENGED TO MAKE GOOD HIS
CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.
SAT SILENT IN COUNTY COURT
Commissioners Declare That He. Has
Been Recreant to His Trust IN Not
Demanding Investigation Is They
viii Resign If Court Desires.
Saturdays Daily Herald.)


for the legislature, that they have
used the road funds of the county for
corrupt political purposes, Commits
sioners John Fl. Murphy, ]. A. Grove
and Clay e. Hight, have handed out
a sizzling hot reply. They insist that
being all of the time member of
the county court ii has been the duty
of Squire Ricketts, to demand an in.
vestigation.
The commissioners recount the
difficulties under which they have
.labored and close by offering at any
time the county court or majority
thereof may so desire, to resign and
cooperate with whoever may be sell
ected as their successors in office.
The statement. which is reply to
the platform declaration of Squire
Ricketts, that the road funds of the
county were used for political pur-
poses, in full follows:
To the People and County of Maury
County:
1t was our intention to appear be-
fore the county court last Monday
and make plain statement, but ques-
tiOns came up that prevented this
and the adjournment of the court
was rather precipitate.
/. But we give to the people the facts
which we had prepared for submits
sion to the court then. We have oper-
ated under the road law OF 1919 in
the face of the greatest difficulties.
This law was not of our making. 1t
was compromise between the Nc.
knight law of 1917 and the conten.
tons of Hugh Lee Webster and 9TH
ers. 1t had the approval finally of
all the road enthusiasts and of the
majority Of the county >court, Squire
Ricketts, being of the latter number
When the road law was finally pre-.
sented to the county court, the op.
ponents of the Webster plan reserved
the right and did present it's objec.
tons to The court through James T.
Petty who explained that the law
was the result of compromise.
In the face of a hostile public senti.
ment, Of lack of cooperation never
expected, OF greatly increased costs
OF labor and materials, the members
OF the board have done the very
best that they could They had 100
miles of main line turnpikes thrust
upon them, with not a sound culyert
or hardly safe bridge on them:
they had over thousand miles of
other roads to look after and main.
tain and they had at their disposal
a fund of considerably less than SlO9
mile including expenses of new
culyerts. Formerly the work house
contained from fifty to hundred in.
mates, now 1t has an average of
about ten Then it was a source of
revenue to the roads now 1t Is almost
total loss.
more than that under the new law
ials heretofore furnished without
cost. On many roads we were ac.
tually unable to secure the services
OF any one during, all of last Year to
make the expenditures appropriated
to the roads.
mat we have made mistakes
to pay for gravel and other mater.
doubtless is true, but we deny that
we nave sought to use the funds at
our disposal for corrupt political pur.
practically every community ceased
10 contribute either time or money
TO the work of the roads. We had
poses or that one single dollar has
ever been misappropriated. SQUIRE
f M. Ricketts,, member of the conn.
ty court, and candidate on the
Roberts legislative ticket, Joins in an
attack upon the board and the law
Squire Ricketts, not only contributed
10 the passage of the law, but he
mas voted for every member of this
board.
ne mas never appeared before the
board to register any COMPLAINT of
us conduct. He has all the time
been member of the county court
and IL, as he says, the board has used
the road funds of the county for
corrupt political purposes, he has
been false to his duty, recreant to bis
trust and unworthy of public conf.
dence in not publicly bringing that
TACT to the attention of the county
court and demanding an jnyestiga.
ton. II never occurred to him tba,
the road board had corruptly used
the funds Of the people for polit cal
purposes until certain politicians who
are seekin gtO make the roads NJ
Maury county a political asset put
the words into his mouth. He sbould
either prove his charges or apologize
for making them. IL he has been for
two long years member of the coun-