Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-02-03

dollars called 1Or pE'tnc lOOLlnH up Ol the Dill.
You might have retained your advantage with
perfect safety
Lee said this Oh the impulse of the moment.
He Instantly saw change in Mr.. Clinton's
countemsnce, as soon as he made the remark.
"0h, no, not with safety" was gravcly re-
Piled
"I,should never have found it out"
"But there is a coming day, with every man,
when tie secrets of his heart will stand revealed.
If now, it would then appear that had wronged
you out of twenty dollars"
True True But all men don't think of
this"
"No one is more fully aware of that than /
am. 1t is for me, however, to live i'll the present,
so as to not to burden my future with shame and
repentance knowingly, Mr.. Lee, | would not
wrong any man to the value of single dollar.
| may err, and do err, like other men; for to err
is human"
After the expression of such sentiments; Lee
felt curious to know what Mr. Clinton thought
Of and how he felt towards Maxwell. So he
said, after referring to the now mill dam i'll the
process of erection
"You did'nt take the lowest bid for its con-
struction.'
81 took the lowest competent bid"
"Then YOU DO not think Maxwell competent
to the work :"
u do not think him man to be trusted, and
therefore would not have given him the contract
or such piece of work at any price fou'are
aware, that the giving way dttisat Gam would
almost inevitably involve a serious loss of life
and property, among the poor people who'live
along the course of the Stream 'below. / must
regard their safety bcforeapy pecuniary advantage
to myself; and have given Mr. jackson who has
the contract, positive instructions to exceed his
efforts if necessary, in order to put the question
of safety beyond doubt. know him to be q
man whom can trust. But l have no conf
dence in Maxwell"
"A good reason why you declined giving him
the job"
IL think So"
Maxwell was greatly disappointed"
Il know, and has spoken very hard against
me- But that avails nothing My principle Of
action is to do right, and let Others think and
say what they please. No man is my judge
Maxwell is not, probably, aware that | know him
thoroughly, and that have thrown as much i'll his
way as could safely do. He is not of course a
ware, that one of my sons overheard him in re-
ference to this mill-dam, say-Tm bound to
have that,contract whether or no. | have learn
ned the lowest bid, and haTe:put ina bid still
lower, IIow did you learn ;ths!' was asked Of
him. No matter he answered, I have learned
it" You cant 90 lower and build the dam safe
y,' w;,s said To Which he replied can build
tho lnp, ,n,1 ,n,l-a ,,,ol ,,r,,St Ac fn tho
safety I'll leave that in the hands ofiProvdence.
He'll take care Of the poor people below Mr..
Lee, felt an inward shuldcr when this was re-
lHs.ird to me. | coill not have believed the
man so VOID of common honesty and common
humanity. Was | not right ,owithhold from
him such Il contract:'
You would have been no better than he is if
YOU had given it to him." was answered "And
vet this same man invcgs against the rich, and
thinks their chance of heaven poor one
Simply because they are rich!"
"Or, it might with more truth be said, because
they will not yield to his covetous and enyions
spirit lie is not content with the equivalent
society renders back to him for the benefit he
conftrs, but wants to share what OF right belongs
to others"
THAT spirit l have often seen him manifest.
We'll, if simple riches are bar to mans en-
trance into heaven, how much more so is discon-
tent, envy, malice hatred, anda selfish disregard
for the rights and we-being of others. The rich
have their temptations, and so have the !poor,
and neither will enter heaven, unless they over
come in temptation, and receive the purified love
OF their neighbor. This is at least my doc
trine"
OF the two, l would rather take Clintof's
chance of heaven, said Lee to himself as he went
musing away, seven ifhe is rich man"
Ludy Wreath.