The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1923-06-14
WHITFIELD ASKS
POINTED QUESTIONS
Scores Lax Business
Methods.

Tunica. Miss. June 12th-Henry
l.. Whitfield. candidate for Cover
nor, speaking before Il large audi
ence here tonight said:
From The printed speech recently
delivered by my friend Conner nj
Canton and circulated widely by
him. find the following statement
My good friend Professor Whit
field mades@an unwarranted attack
on me. saying that your high taxes
are the result of the extravagant APP
preparations Of the Legislature oil
which was a member. He said
that | am one of the four men
responsible for high taxes
Differ on Business Policy
Il made no such charge against
Mr.. Conner. merely stated In
discussing the financial condition
of the state that Mr.. Conner was
one of four men who, during the
last eight years, could have prevent
ed the deficit of over five million
dollars for current expenses. Does
Mr.. Conner deny this statement!
Was he not the presiding officer
of the House during these years
Dido he not appoint the committees
that passed on all appropriations!
| do not charge that Mr.. Conner
acted in bad faith. On the con-
trary. / am sure that he acted
from the highest patriotic motives.
We simply differ on public business
policy.
A Record of Economy
my friend further charges that
| have been a beneficiary of high
taxes. If he had examined the
record he would have easily found
that for the entire time l was State
Superintendent of Education / re-
ceived only $4,000 per year, which
is less than one-half of the present
salary of that office. In my early
days as president of the college
at Columbus, when the state was
passing through one of the times
of stress, as it is now, and it was
necessary for the appropriations
committee of the legislature to re-
duce appropriations, | voluntarily
went before the committee and ask
ed that my salary be reduced.
respectfully furnish the name OF
Hon. \. Johnson, of Shubuta, then
chairman of the committee, fol
notification of this statement.
want my friend to know that in
preparing the college bill, after my
salary had been reduced $1,OOO.O0
l kept IA rider in the bill which pre-
vented the Board of Trustees from
raising this small salary. My sal
AIRY could not be raised by the
Board. when the salaries of other
presidents of state institutions were,
because of the inhibition to put in
the act by myself. l not only take
pride in the fact that l have not
personally profited in any way
from excessive salaries, OF other
wise, but / tried to conduct Mis-
sissippi State College for Women on
the strictest financial basis. The
record will show that this institu-
ton was conducted on a basis OF
slightly more than One-half per
capita than it cost to operate the
other white colleges of the state
and that by an economical admins
tration a deficit of $13,000.0O was
overcome At the same time the
graduating classes were raised from
about twenty to one hundred and
seventy five.
Business Methods Needed
Il also desire to say in this con-
nectiOn that l have never stated
in private nor expressed in my pub
lie speeches that l was in favor
of high taxes. l did state in a
short speech delivered before the
State Chamber of Commerce in
Jackson that we have issued mil
lions of dollars in bonds for our
various improvement projects, that
the principal and interest will have
TO be paid by taxation, and that
the only way a citizen could avoid
the payment of these taxes would
be for him TO go to Africa or some
other distant place. Pay day is
here and we will have to meet our
problems in business-lik way or
face disaster.
Il welcome the investigation of
past records by the fair minded,
truth seeking electorate of Missis
ciYni aJ1,