Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-13
BROWN EXONERATED
BY COMMITTEE IN
FARM BUREAU QUIZ

ture was exonerated of charges lodg-
ed against it at the last session of the
general assembly in the report OF
the joint legislative committee adopt
ed Thursday noon after two hour
executive session at the capitol. NO
minority report was offered and the
report will go to the legislature as
the findings of the whole committee.
Only three minor amendments were
! tackled on to the draft of the report
as submitted by a subcommittee.
False and without merit" was the
reports reference to the charge that
Commissioner of Agriculture j. j..
| Brown has approved voucher for
the payment of Representative c. II.
Kittrell's hotel bill during the 1922
session of. the general assembly to-
be paid out OF the port and harbof
| commission funds. The report
| legal payment of =. M. Hillburn's sal
airy during January, 1928, was not
| sustained, md that the salary was
paid for services rendered
The committee found that Mr.
BrowH was politically active; that
| he used all honest or legitimate
! means within his power to secure his
reelection; fought for his friends and
against his enemies, but that there
was no evidence that Mr.. Brown used
any illegal or improper methodsin Sc
curing his reelection. In an amend
ment however, it recommended that
no employe go out on state funds
Tor the sole purpose of electioneer.
Ing, stating that Mr.. Browns EN-.
ployes had not been more active in
this regard than any others.
Stewart Is Criticized
Inc committee did not condemn
representative c. e. Stewart, of A.
klnson county, for his failure to ap.
pear at the final session of the in
Vestlgatlang body. as had been pre-.
dlcted, but it pointed to that fea.
cure or the probe and stated that
he has all along failed and refused
10 produce documentary evidence, or
TO swear definitely as to what docu.
mentary evidence he had, or to fden-
tify any documentary evidence what
ssoever, but on the contrary has con
tlnually asked for more time, and
|
would produce these things"
In reference to the Kittrell hotel
bill, around which a principal por-
ton of the hearing revolved, the
committees report held:
The evidence submitted by every
witness, for and against Mr. Brown,
showed that j. J. Brown did not
approve the same; the evidence fur
Their showed that J. J. Brown was
out of the city and knew nothing
of the transaction, and the evidence
further shows that C. H. Kittrell, by
draft introduced before the commit
tee, paid said BILL In an amend
ment, the committee also held tha.
the bill had not been paid out of
any funds of the state of Georgia.
Payments Declared Legal
Concerning the charge that Com
missioner Brown has approved an
item to the WrigIey Engraving COM
raised so that the governor would
issue a larger warrant than the
amount due, the committee report
declared that all evidence submit
ted them showed the transaction was
regular and legal, and that the COM
pany received the amount actually
due them by the state.
Concerning the Hillburn transac-
ton, the report held that evidence
showed that Mr.. Hillburn had work
ed during the month of January
helping his successor and that the
state money had not been used to
repay a contribution made to the
Brown campaign fund, as opponents
of the farm department. had charged.
"There was no evidence that Mr..
Brown used any illegal or improper
methods in securing his reelection,
| nor used the state funds of states
employees in any improper manner
in his election" declared the report,
commenting on the political activity
charges. His employees, through
their loyalty to him, contributed to
his campaign fund and did their ut
most to secure his reelection but in
a perfectly legitimate way.
therefore, we find as an abstract
principle, there is nothing improper
or illegal in any man holding any
office in the state of Georgia, or
| elsewhere, striving, together with
those under him, to secure his own
reelection, to aid in the election of
friends and to fight politically
against those who fight politically
against him."
Cleared on Contributions
Concerning the charge that en-
ployes of Mr.. Browns department
had been compelled to contribute to
his campaign funds, the report said:
Therefore, considering the fact
that some who contributed lost their
places, and some who did not con
tribute still held their places, we can
but find that there was nothing com
1lN
the campaign fund, and nothing H.
legal or improper on the part of Nj
Brown or the agricultural depart.
ment in reference thereto, and we
further find that J. ]. Brown had
nothing whatever to do with said con
tributionS"
Referring to oil inspectors, the re
port declared the number should not
be reduced below those necessary to
insure the collection of all inspection
tax due the state, and it further rec
commended that the inspectors file Il
duplicate of their reports with the
comptroller general to aid in the col
lection of the three-cent tax on each
gallon purchased from retailers. The
report did not condemn or defend the !
OIL inspection system, but said it
was run according to. law, as far as
the committee could ascertain. ANY
defects found therein are allowed by
law and should be corrected, it was
stated.
The system of fertilizer inspectors
should be changed or some method
devised by which all fertilizer could !
be promptly inspected, according to
the report. The present force is too |
! small, the committee held.
Fee Splitting Upheld
Concerning the complaints that oil |
inspection fees had been split fifty |
nifty in compensation for political |
activity the report said only two |