The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-09-28

Charles M. Strain, then chairman e.
the highway board, and Mr.. H. l.,
Wigs, Of Ebert county, Ga. Mr.. H.
l. Wigs and W. A. Grassland, a
United States officer, never in the
employment of the state highway
board, had employed Mr.. r. G. Aston,
Of Atlanta, to procure for them a
charter for company to be known as
the Granite Products company. While
Mr.. Aston was preparing the papers
for this charter negotiations for the
sale of the Ebert county quarry be-
gan between Dr. Strain and Mr..
Wigs. When Mr.. Wigs Informed
his associate, Mr.. Grassland, that lie
desired to sell said quarry, Mr.. Cross
land objected to the sale on the
grounds that he and Mr.. Wigs, by
keeping said quarry, could make 1t
pay fair return on two hundred
thousand dollars ($200,000). Mr.,
Wigs insisted on selling the quarry
to the state and Mr.. CrosslaItd then
stated to Mr.. Wigs that he could
not sell anything to the state, as he
was United States road official as
signed to work in Georgia. Mr.. VICES
then purchased Mr. Crossland's in
terests in the quarry for the sum Of
$4,000. Mr.. Wigs then sold the
quarry to the state for the sum Of
100000. Subsequently, DR.. Strain took
the position that the state only &C
CURED the mineral interests in the
property and that this would be es-
sential for the state to hold fee
simple to the agricultural and all
other interests in the land. DR..
Strains reason at the time was that
under the terms Of the law abolishing
the convict lease system convicts
could not be worked in Georgia on
privately owned property.
'Mr. Wigs was called upon by DR..
Strain to furnish deed to seventy
acres of this land and Mr.. Wigs tes-
titled that his relations with owners
Of the land were such that they would
not knowingly sell to him, that he
employed Judge w. D. Tut, of Fiber
ton, Ca, to buy the title In this seven
ty acres Of land in the name of w. A..
Grassland. That Judge Tut succeed
ing in buying this seventy acres Of
land for thirty-five hundred dollars
and took deed to same to be held in
escrow by an Atlanta bank till the
sum of thirty-five hundred dollars
should have been paid. Mr. Aston
testified that he loaned thirty-five
hundred dollars to H. l.. Wigs with
h;oh - koIr 1nnA oT1d Euhinb
money paid for said seventy acres
That after the thirty-five hundred dol
lars was paid the title to this seventy
acres was In w. A. Grassland, and
that w. A. Grassland decided the said
seventy acres to the highway board
for a consideration of one dollar
($1.00); the members Of the state high.
way commission at that time to-wit:
DR.. c. M. Strain, Judge S. S. Bennett,
and r. C. Nicely, testified that the title
papers were taken and passed upon by
Mr.. Quincy, then the attorney for the
highway board, and that no member
of the state highway board had any
dealings with Mr.. Grassland, or any
knowledge Of his connection with the
matter as they did not read the deeds,
but left that matter entirely in the
hands Of their attorney.
There was no evidence before the
committee to show that any member
of the highway boerd had any knowl-
edge of Mr.. Crossland's connection
with the transaction. Mr.. Grassland
in the meantime rendered his reslgna-
ton as a United States engineer, but
this resignation was not accepted and
Mr.. Grassland remained continuously
in the service Of the United States
and Is now in the United
States service as its road engineer in
Georgia. These are the facts as pro-
duced at the hearing in reference to
the purchase Of this quarry.
vi.
"Your committee is convinced that
the quarry was we'll worth the money
which the state paid for 1t and from
evidence your committee is Of the
opinion that same is now worth con
siderably more than the price paid.
It was brought out IN the evidence
that all the dealers in crushed stone
in the state were holding up the price
and as soon as it became known that
the state had bought quarry they
Immediately materially reduced their
prices, thereby saving the state large
sums Of money. Your committee
finds that the purchase of the quarry
was at fair price, and that the state
highway department was wise in ac-
curing this property, as the holding
Of it absolutely protects the state
against any possible combination Of
dealers in crushed stone.
VII.
your committee carefully investi
gated all the charges Of discrepancies
In the bookkeeping department Of the
state highway department and the
board furnished your committee the
information requested at great labor
costs on its part The highway de.
partment furnished list Of the names
of every employee Of the whole de.
partment, In every county OF the. state
covering every cent which every EN-,
ployee had received. and this list con
tanned between five and six thousand
names, covering all positions from the
humblest laborers to the chairman Of
the state highway board. Four com
mittee finds that the books Of this