The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1922-01-13

ing letter which / gave to the pub
lie press September 18, 1920, which
i think covers the matter in question
Possibly many of you recall that let
ter but may have forgotten it's speci-
fic contents and possibly, too, some
members of this body did not see it
at all. The letter was addressed ITO
the People of Mississippi" and reads
as follows:
On September 9, there appeared
in the public press statement from
Gov. Lee M. Russell relative to the
finances of the A. & M. College in
which my name was mentioned. The
Governor limited at a great deal more
than he said. have waited until
now to give the matter any attention
because / thought perhaps he
would wade out into still deeper water
and for the further reason that for
some days preceding his statement,
he had been credited in the daily press
as seriously thinking about calling an
extra session of the Legislature to
consider conditions at the A. & M.
College.
If that part of the Governors
statement is to be accepted as being
unfettered by fiction wherein he said,
"While L have no desire to criticise
any person unjustly, my sense of duty
and responsibility forces me to state
to the public that the management of
the affairs of the institution show
the grossest negligence / have ever
observed in my entire life" then it
must be admitted for his Excellency
Ii =. -fn.-A>l
lapse Of memory as to the Insane
administration of the then Superin-
shown not only ilching and graft but
all sorts of lechery and licentiousness
which were shocking to every sense
of decency and source of humilia-
tion to the people of the State. When
an effort was made in the Legislature
to investigate DR.. Buffers manage
ment of the Insane Hospital, Gov.
Russell, then Lt.-Covernor, was
among those who did all they could
to shield Butler and to prevent an
investigation. 1t was understood
that he was among those who COM
planned that Speaker Conner would
not listen to counsel when he was
naming the investigating committee.
The investigation was had in spite OF
objectors and the public knows the
result.
Why the Governor so quickly
changed his mind about calling the
Legislature together and why he did
not at first realize the expense of a |
session of the law-making body, and |
+1at the matter, even were it so grave |
as he sought to have the public be-
lieve, could not wait over until the
next session, of course he alone |
knows. l am not divulging any secret |
when / state that there are those who |
think that the Governor feared that |
the lawmakers might nose into the |
Soldsby pardon and to what some be-
Seve is a pardon producing cabal.
Possibly, too, the Governor thought
he might be called to account for
in open violation of plain
provision of the State Constitution,
Senator Wood of Gulfport, who was
Ghown to have used while County
Of public education
about $5OO0.OO of the money that
should have been expended for the
school children of Harrison County.
An investigation of the Wood pardon
might also have prompted the curious
minded to enquire about the Senator'S
effrontery in coming to Jackson al
most Immediately after his guilt was
established as a representative of a
book company that was trying to I
persuade the Text Book Commission
% adopt its book.
1t will be recalled that while Secre-
,ary Powell is charged with carrying
his own checks as cash to the amount
# several hundred dollars, no graft
o alleged and it is not even limited
hat any person either directly or in L
lirectly was the beneficiary of any I
unds or moneys at the A. & M. Col.
ege. Is
Gov. RusselPs political friends have
,een in control of the board of trus- I
ees for nearly three years. Mr.. g
lowell was elected secretary Of the II
/. & M. College by the board Of X
Trustees a majority of whom are Gov. j
lusselPs political friends. Gov. Rus v
ell was named as member of the lv
,oard Of trustees in the early part of +
he year 1918. He was made men, /
,er and chairman of the Executive {
Committee of the Board of trustees
or the A. & M. College at the an /
lual meeting of the board in 1918, +
ct there was never a meeting Of
he Executive Committee after he be- i
anne a member of it; Gov. Russell r
ever called one. He was evidently | {
90 busy playing politics to have the f
Executive Committe meet and 60 ov- .
r the affairs of the A. & M. College o
8 such committee was expected to g
%. Had he had meeting of the