The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-08-02
PROMISES VIOLATED.

|
II IL doubtful II any candidate for
governor OF Tennessee ever made fairer
election promises than Coy. Roberts
in his announcement. April lssslsis. and
1t Ia likewise doubtful II any governor
has violated q larger per cent Of his
promises after having been elected. An
examination of tho governors an
nouncement. and review OF what he
| has done In the way Of fulfilling his
promises will sustain this charge.
On tho subject OF finance and taxa
ton Gov. Roberts promised, II elected.
to reduce expenses Of the state gov
eminent by consolidating many offices
and abohshing others. He declared
that he would wipe out the annual
deficit In the state treasury without in
creasing taxes on the people, and abol.
ish the haraHsing baok-tax machine OF
which ther was just complaint at the
time.
How did the governor redeem this
promise2 He influenced the general as
sembly to enact thasMew NNsesHment
law with It's Aboniinu&iuuwo fsMtatiati.
clans under Prof. Loutfiasi He reor.
ganized the old backtax mschino that
he had denounced from ope end OF the
state to another. and which had. been
denounced by q half dozen democratic
platforms. including the one on which
he was nominated. That IL the way he
kept his promise. There 10 more COM
plant throughout the state now against
the Roberts tax law than there ever
was against the baoktax machine.
This discussion OF the financial condi.
ton OF the state was followed BY q de-
nunciation of the convict lease system.
That iniquity was TO be abolished the
nrst thing after his election. He found
lease contracts az the main prison az
gregating s22,&fs.2o. The convicts were
earning Is cents per day per capita
above the cost OF maintenance. He con.
demned this practice and aipo the work.
Ing arrangements OF convicts at Brushy
mountain prison. The governor prom
ised TO employ 1900 oonvicts on the
state farm, to work force In the main
prison In the manufacture OF supplies
FOR the state and to put others on the
public highways. and by this policy TO
abolish forever the lease system.
Did the governor fulhll this prom.
isef He did not On the contrary he
leased the convicts to the penitentiary
ring OF contractors. all Of whom are
now supporting him to make women
and children's hosiery and ladies' waists.
waists. instead of working them on the
farm. the roads and on state work as
he had promised. He now throws q
few bouquets at himself for forcing the
contractors fer foundry labor 20 pay the
oonvicts ti,t0 per days In the states
factory buildings when this labor out
side Of prison walls In being paid from
IS TO So day. Gov. Roberts did not
remove any convicts from the mines at
Brushy Mountain last summer. or this.
TO work on the public roads as the law
directs. Col. Crabtree shows that the
earnings OF the penitentiary system has
fallen of In eighteen months under Gov
Roberts sAes.sS
Gov. Roberts while discussing the
penitentiary system. promised TO de-
velop the Herbert Domain. All that
has been done on that property IL 10
the credit OF colored boys confined IN
the industrial school who were sent out
there by the state board Of administra-
ton 20 cut timber and clear up ground
for farming purposes. They also built a
few cottages out of rough lumber IN
which to live, That Ia the extent Of
development on the Herbert Domain.
The immense property IL not even
reached by . railroad. although a leg
connection should ho made. A large
smount OF money has been spent on
the Herbert Domain by the Roberts
administration with little or nothing 10
show for Il. except the work done by
the negro boys from the industrial
school
A careful reading Of the governors
announcement shows that he made
promises about workman's compon-
sation law, the lobby around legislative
halls agriculture, roads charitable in
stitutions. constitutional amendments,
pay Of engrossInE clerks and employees
and assistants Of the general assembly
that have never been fulfilled. lie
severly condemned extravagance In the
leEislatiev field. and promised 60 reform
all Of II out Of the state service.
How well Gov. Roberts fuihllcd these
promises is shown by statistics as
sembled from the Official records by
Col Crabtree. He charges that the rec
ords show that Gov. Roberts FIRST leg
stature cost t2i. sos more than Gov
Rye's legislature: that Gov. Ryc's en-.
crossing clerks cost tlo.sl6 while Gov.
Roberts engrossinE clerks cost IS goo
more. or SIS. 900. Gov Roberts junket-
ting committees cost t6.SSs more than
Gov. Rye's Col Crabtree also show
| that the annual increase % the Rob
| orts administration over that Of Gov.
Rye has been S2i2.767. He shows fur
/ Their that taxes must be collected TO
make IN excess expenditures and losses
! Of the Roberts administration over the
administration Of Gov Rye. Of $3.50. 900,