Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-09-21
MRS. LYTLE AND
GROVER EDMONDSON
COULD NOT APPEAR
Fred Bridges Tells of Trip to
Dublin During 1922
Campaign
PAID HIS OWN EXPENSES
Governor Hardwick and Others
Testify at Thursdays
\ Session

= ~ $3.50 ~ EAC y ~ " SAf~ w PetA
ment Of agriculture, now under in
yestigation by the legislative COM
mitttee, testified at the hearing to-
day that he went to Laurens county
during the campaign period in 1922
to correct the false reports which
had been circulated against Com
missioner Brown and himself, and
also on business for the department.
Bridges stated that he received
a salary during the trip but that
he paid his own expenses. He fur
Their declared that Commissioner
Brown did not know of it and that
he went on his own accord.
Arrangements were made to take
the deposition of Mrs. Alice Louise
Lytle and Grover C. Edmundson,
formerly connected with the Co.
lumbia Sentinel. Both repaired
that they were unable to attend the
hearing here.
Representative Stewart, insti-
gator Of the investigation, appeared
and gave written testimony and his
request was granted that he be al
lowed to detail certain specific
charges next week in the presence
of his attorney
JACKSON REFUTES
HILBUN TESTIMONY
ATLANTA, Ca, Sept. 20-At the
Thursday afternoon session of the
committee probing affairs of the
department of agriculture the fea-
ture witness was L. B. Jackson, di-
rector of the bureau of markets Of
the department. Jackson refuted the
testimony of j. NJ. Hilbun TO the
effect that compulsory campaign as
sessments were exacted from the
of the department. He
said he and others in the department
handled the campaign funds without
the knowledge of Commissioner
Brown.
Questioned, Mr.. Jackson denied
that contributions had been solicited
under duress, that any threats bad
been made or that any jobs had been
promised in return for contributing.
On the contrary, said Mr.. Jackson,
every contribution was solicited with
the plain statement that if any man.
felt he was not financially able to
give, they did not want his money.
Many of the employees did not con
he said, and many of those.
who did not give are still employed
by the department. He said no man
had been discharged because of q
failure to contribute to this fund.
He stated that Mr.. Brown knew
of the HilIburn contribution
and that on the contrary when Mr..
Brown was later making some app
continents and it was suggested
hat he inspect the list of givers Is
MS campaign fund, he refused even
20 look at the list.
Former Governor Thomas w.
Hardwick testified that Commits
sioner j. J. Brown never approved
he "Kittrell hotel bill vouchers" on
which a state warrant was issued
N the governors office, while Gov
ernor Hardwick was out of the city.
The original requisition in this in
,ident is nowmissing, the committee
having sought in vain to secure It'll
For two days past, but Governor
aardwick said that, from the best of
MS recollection, the blank space for
Commissioner Browns signature
was still vacant when he saw the
requiAition.
1t was brought out during exam
nation Of Walter Vance, warrant
;lerk for the governor during the
Hardwick administration that rel
her Commissioner Brown nor any
)fficial of his department had ever
this particular re fuisition.
Asked by one of the members of
he committee whether he had not
attacked the department in his final
Message to the Legislature Governor
Hardwick. stated that, in his opin-
ion, he had not ATTACKED them Sc
,erely enough but this was ruled out
If the record by the chairman of the
as testimony not as to
fact, but as to opinion.