Gol. Avirett continuing aid: ''I
6howed by the testimony of Governor
Gordon, iu Georgia, that it was against
all custom an! .ttf;iin-t the unwritten
law of all States in m kinar contracts
to lease property iu which they have
an interest, to make said " contracts
without advertisement of the invita-
tion of bids, the requiring of security
other than the bonds of the lessee, and
the payments of the rents other than
n a way to suit the convenience of
the lessee. We showed bv Governor
Gordon, that in 1890, when he was
Governor of Georgia, he leased the
Western & Atlanta Railroad. 139 miles
long, for 30 years a,ti $35,000 a month,
payable monthly. That the State of
Georgia required that its own State
bonus, and not the bonds of the leasee
be put up for security for the lease
money, though at no time could the
lessee be more than $35,000 in default,
as the rent is payable monthly. We
then showed by Governor ' Gordon
that 1 n Georgia they advertise all over
the United States for bidders for their
property, that no lease was made qntil
after such advertisement and th then
existing lase had expired. That the
bids were received under seal at the
Capitol and kept until the hour ap
pointed for opening, when they were
opened in the Senate Chamber in
THE PBESSKCB OF THK PUBLIC with
open doors, and that each and
every bid bad to be accompanied by
evidence of the financial responsibil
ity or cue niaaer. we showed that in
Georgia when the lessees of this.same
road, under the lease of 1870, came into
court and threatened when their lease
expired to take away .improvements
tneyiiad put upon it, that the (ov
ernor oi ueorgia instead or cowering
like a whip,pd hojjnd . at the threat,
oiterea to can out the posse comme
tatus and stated that if it took every
armed man in the State, he would
prevent such an outrage. We think
that this, contracted with the action of
Klias Carr, the de facto Governor of
North Carolina, at the time the lease
of 1S95 was made, is the most fearful
of this conspiracy that it is possible to
make.
