The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1922-03-03
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON
A. & Nj. COLLEGE MATTER
Practically Underwre What the Editor
Said and Gives Lee M Russell Black Eye Commend At
fairs of The College Under the Former MANAGEMENT A
Singing Rebuke 10 Russell

Jackson. Miss, Feb. 27.-Th
special House committee appOinte,
to investigate the charges containe,
In Gov. RuSSelfs biennial meSsag
against Prof. w. II. Smith, forme
president Of the Mississippi A. 4 NJ
College. and other officers and EN-
plOyes Of the institution, in referenc,
to an alleged deficit in accounts. sub
mltted its report TO the House thi
morning.
The excess Of expenditures over ap
preparations Is attributed in the re
port TO the fact that in 1918 the col
lege was converted into Student OF.
hcers' Training Camp, and it was i'm
peratlve that Indebtedness be incur
red In order to properly maintain this
organization, especially when an in
fiuenZa epidemic developed, and at
one time more than 1900 cases were
under treatment. The college was
even required to pay the railroad fare
of men sent to the training camp,
new buildings had to be erected and
$4,000 worth of furniture perchased.
The total of the alleged deficit is
about SIS, 900. and bill for its pay
melt is now pending.
The full text of the report follows !:
We, your committee appointed un-
der House Resolution to investigate
the affairs of Mississippi A. e. NJ. Col
Iege relative TO certain irregularities
which are alleged to have occurred
during the administration of former
President Smith, have performed their
duty and herewith submit our report
based upon evidence taken and here
unto attached, to-wit:
We have examined a number of
witnesses, all of whom were familiar
with all the conditions existing at
the college prior to, during and after
the expiration Of the administration
of President Smith. From the evil
dence YOU Will ascertain that the
statement of the biennial report of
the present administrations, which
shows that there are now outstand-
ing. or unpaid bills amounting to
cts, ,251.68, which bills were made
prior to the resignation of President
Smith, is correct. 1t seems that a
custom has long existed at the col
lege to install incomin" presidents
without an audit or an investigation
Of any kind, and whatever deficits
NAV have existed were wholly un-
nIION IL ~ IIlS I4iNOiliiIS pI tSIu6lllS-
DR.. B. VI. Walker, vice president of !
the college. and who has been with |
the college for nearly forty years, |
testified that at the time of the re-
tirement Of President Hightower and |
the induction of President Smith |
there existed a deficit of from S45,-
600 to 100000 that this deficit was
inherited by President Smith. This
being true. it is an easy matter to
ascertain how the deficit grew to its
present proportion.
From the very beginning of
President Smiths administration
rapidly rising Values of all supplies
for the college made it difficult for
the rigid appropriations of the lecis
latpre to meet advanced pl cts. Fol
example, co"i advance! rom Sic
a ton to $50 q ton. The daily &v-
erage coal is eighteen tons a lay. thus
increasing the cost of coal alone, :
$500 per day, or about $105, ,000.0 90 .
in the four years Of President Smiths -.
administration. In 1917 the War De- :
partment virtually took control OF J
he college and one of it's first acts =.
was to condemn a large part of the !;
furniture, dormatory furni- :
ure, as unfit for use. Around $780,
10000 worth of new furniture had to
De purchased, the larger part of which :
las never been paid, and constitutes a I
arge percent of these unpaid bills. n
4 new building was being erected n
md large excavations were necessary,