The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-07-31
The True Facts.

(Lincoin County News.)
In his speech at the opera house here
on last Wednesday Gov. Roberts was
was proud OF his record. We would
like to know which record he Is so
proud of---his public or his private one?
As far as we can see, Gov. Roberts has
done nothing aS publicly q Which ne can
the state Of Tennessee were. clan1oring
for the enforcement OF the law, taken
the part he did his name would have
been a memory only as far as the gov
have proved a traitor to the platform
pledges OF the party that elected him.
No man, In our opinion, deserves any
credit for doing his sworn duty, and 1t
was and Is the. sworn duty OF Gov.
Roberts to uphold the law and to pre-
serve peace and order in the state over
which he presides. .FN
We can see nothing In his public rec
ord that shows In any way that he has
done any great thing for the people Of
ed upon and carried out platform
pledges on which his predecessor, Gov
Tom c. Rye, fell down. This may De
true. But why boast Of triumph over
q fallen foe--a man who did everything
in his power to carry out every pledge
made the people, but who could not con-
troll the legislature and compel them to
pass bills they did not want? One thing
that can be said of Rye that can't be
said Of Roberts, and that Is, Rye did
not violate the laws OF the state by ap-
pointing members OF the legislature to
office. and Roberts has searched out
every position possible in which to place
them.
Gov. Roberts boasts that he is the
daddy of the new tax law and that 1t
will operate to the credit of the state.
This may be, true, but II he was so sure
Of Its benefits why 10 II that. the opera
ta,. AN In 1AA f1r
year so that its wonderful working
powers could not be understood by the
people OF the state until after the pri-
mary election In August? The governor
~ his speeches over the state claims
county. but this statement cannot be
borne out by facts and figures, because
no one can say for certainty what the
tax rate will be. for no one knows; II
has not been fixed and will not be un-
Gov. Roberts Is q candidate to succeed
himself before that primary, II Gov.
Roberts assertions are to 20 taken for
granted, why Is Il the records were not
every person could know for sure by
this time Just what their taxes would
bef II this had been done, then the
people would know II the grent tax MA
pointees was able to redeem his plausi-
BILE promise about the sliding scale.
Now here are the absolute facts, and
these facts. despite the work OF the
governor and his henchmen, cannot be
successfully refuted: Eight months have
elapsed since the enactment of this
famous tax law. and nearly $4,000
has been spent by the Roberts ma
chine In making these assessments, and
yet today no taxpayer In the state OF
Tennessee can say for certainty what
is the state and county rate on his
taxes that accrued Jan. 10 OF this year.
The people will be kept In ignorance
until after the August primary in the
belief that the less they, know the bet
ter chance will Roberts have for re-
election, but the taxpayers are not fools.
They know their money has paid for
these public records and that they are
entitled to see them. The secrecy ON
the part OF the governor and his ma
chine Is pulling the wool over the eyes
OF no one. and the day OF reckoning Is
near at hand.
We have searched in vain for some of
ernor boasts. but have been unable to
find anything In his public record OF
which he should be proud, unless II Is
the fact that he has been more than
lavish in giving legislators good fat
Jobs and spending the peoples money
with a free hand. II will take money
and lots OF II to keep up the present
governor and his "big machine" and II
the people desire TO see their money
Fly upon the wings OF the morning"
and get nothing In return for the same,
then Albert Roberts is the man they
should keep at the head OF the states
lavish In his appointments to useless