The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-07-08
THE COUNTY SITE QUESTION.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM OUR NEW
PORT CORRESPONDENT IN REPLY
TO g REAGAN ....-

PORT CORRESPONDENT IN REPLY
TO g REAGAN
NEWPORT, Cooke Co.. Tenn, !
July 4, 1874. 5
To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette:
In your issue of July lst, my at
tention was called to . miserable
worded article, scrawIed, doubtless.
by some little. empty-headed, cross
road smartie, who having some
where stumbled over one or two latin
phrases, COPIED doubtless from some
patent medicine almanac), inserted
them in your paper over the sigma
ture of 8 Reagan" Who ever he be. it
is very apparent from his article. that
his education was finished so soon as
his greasy fingers ceased turning
over the pages of Webster's spelling
book, and whose ideas, as to what
constitutes the first element of a
gentleman, have never yet germin-
ated. i will confess that it is some.
times a pleasure to argue questions
through the Press; especially when
an opponent has the constituents of
the gentleman, and the attainments
of the scholar, at the same time it
must be confessed that it is frequent
ly degrading, to even notice such
senseless jargon as every such illit-
crate boor as '' Reagan sees fit to
aff1ict upon a reading public. The
article which s. Reagan quotes as
signed by w. Ii. L., was not so
signed. 1t was signed WILL, and
was written by the undersigned. The
idea Of Reagan" arguing a ques-
tion of Constitutional Law! Look
at his piece! See the style; the
composition; the phraseoIogy and
o! we gods think of the ass in
A1sop's fables. But in drawing the
comparison between Reagan and
the other animal, the apology for
Pthe parallel is due to H1sop's ass.
What greater analogy can exist be-
tween two cases, than the illustra-
tion have just made? Ksop's ass.
made himself ridiculous in trying to
act the lion. Cooke county's ass
. Reagan" makes himself ridicu-
lous in appearing in print. 1t only
remains to be seen whether "Rea-
gan." like his dumb counterpart,
when discovered, will cease his ef-
forts-at least so far as keeping out
of print is concerned.
If the question, whether major
ity of the votes Of tie county met
the requirements of the Constitu-
tion, upon an attempt to remove the
county site of Cooke county, had
been advanced by any one capable
of arguing it, should take pleasure
in attempting to answer it. But the
meaningless utterings of Reagan"
can evoke no other reply from me,
than that which the painter Apelles
gave to the shoemaker, who was crit
icizing a picture" Let the shoe
maker stick to his last''-Let "Rea-
gam stick to his business, whatever
it may be. And, by the way. might
remark. that if he is engaged in any
calling, which requires two good
common sense ideas in the course of
year, that he is totally inadequate
to perform the duty devolved upon
him. On the other hand. if it is
business which no man of good breed
ing would follow, then l will frankly
confess "Reagan'' is eminently the
man for the place.
In conclusion, sincerely apollo
gize to each and all of your readers,
that feel myself forced to remind
the brilliant p correspondent, Rea-
gan,' that Solomon says, Even a
fool, when he holdeth to his peace,
is counted wise,' and if it is a con-
ISOLATION to g Reagan" l will in con-
clusion say, that find in the tenth
verse and twenty-siXth chapter of
Proverbs, one morseI of comfort
which may cheer him in his last mo-
ments. That verse reads as follows
"The great God that formed all
things, both rewardeth tie fool and
rewardeth transgressors. s's
/ Iremain, very respectfully,
w. j. McSwEEN.