325 



A. No, sir; only so that we might vote the exchange with the 

 Everton Land and Lumber Company. 



Q. It was preparatory to that ? 



A. That was a part of the whole. 



Q. The minutes show that on the seventeenth of September another 

 resolution was passed recommending this exchange with the Everton • 

 company; I will put the same question as to whether your vote was 

 influenced upon that occasion by what Mr. Garmon had stated ? 



A. It certainly was; that is all I knew about it. 



Q. You relied upon that in recommending this particular exchange? 



A. Yes, sir; but I didn't think it was final or anything of the kind; 

 my idea was that we recommended this trade provided that upon an 

 examination and a report of the appraisers we should know whether 

 the interests of the State were being taken care of or not, and it was 

 not final; I am no lawyer, and I thought it worked in that way, and 

 I don't . consider now that I have voted for the exchange finally; I 

 consider that I voted recommending it and that the appraisers should 

 report, and the report of the appraisers has never come to our office; 

 we have never seen it, and it seems to me a queer kind of law that 

 we would be bound by such a thing; I don't say but what it does so, 

 because I am no lawyer, but when I voted . for recommending the 

 exchange I thought we would have the appraiser's report, and that 

 we could look into it fully before we finally decided. 



By Chairman Byan: 



Q. You didn't know or think that your recommendation was final, 

 so far as your commission was concerned ? 



A. No, sir; certainly not; I wouldn't have done it if I had thought 

 it was final, without having a thorough examination and report; it 

 seems to me it would be absurd. 



By Mr. Adams: 



Q. What has been the state of cordiality between the members of 

 the commission for the last two years; have they been harmonious in 

 their action and intercourse officially ? 



A. Well, for the last year they have been pretty harmonious. 



By Chairman Btan: 

 Q. They have been ? 

 A. Yes, sir; for the last year. 



By Mr. Adams: 

 Q. How was it before that time ? 



A. Well, before that I don't think that we got along very harmo- 

 niously, that is as far as I was concerned. 



