Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-07-27
That "ReYieW. -

J ~ P0A' "iA HiI Uut LET
ribly brilliant, personal attack upor
me, and in the same article to pub
ilsh statement of certain matters
upon which the County Board hac
taken some action, evidently hopin Q
to provoke a personal controversy
by means Of which, and his false
hoods as to the proceedings of The
County B0ard, to escape the effects
Of the lashing which the Reporter
had Justly administered to him be.
cause Of his shameless conduct up
on the County Board. He had the
effrontery, also, lin view of the fact
that he was and is wholly without
means, and destitute of credit where
ever known,) to volunteer an assur-
ance to the people that, in certain
contingencies, he 'ewould see" that
money wrongfully taken from the
county should be t'refunded!" [ paid
no attention to his personalities, but
gave a correct version of the only
matter in that connection which was
of the slightest Importance to the
public-the smallpox steal, and
Neeves' official course in connection
with it, including his labors to have
the County Board allow it-and
vcntured suggestion that it might
be we'll for Neeves to discharge his
own well known delinquencies to the
public, and cultivate a little credit,
before thrusting into the face of the
public his void and staggering
promises that money wrongfully paid
to others from the pockets Of the
people would be refunded" This
brought two columns more from that
modest patriot and tar-payer which
he calls "review," but which the
reader, familiar with the truth, would
be likel y to term a feeble struggle
to restate foolish falsehood, already
exposed, harnessed to other silly
faIsehoods, coined for the occasion,
and put forth in the hope of creating,
by such means, some doubt in the
minds Of the public as to the extent
Of his official perfdy. Among the
silly falsehoods referred to is the
statement that Neeves ''frequently
requested" me to appear before the
County Board in opposition to the
''smalI-pox' steal, and that l ''could
never be induced to appear when
the Board was in session" I may
have agreed to be before the Board
if called upon. l certainly made
such agreement if asked, and would
have done SO most cheerfulIy. But
| was never, when the Board was in
session, notified that the measure in
question was likely to come before
it, or called upon, or ''requested'' to
appear before it, or any member or
committee of it, in relation thereto.
Neeves' pretended opposition to the
claim was absolute and unqualified.
He never expressed, to my knowl-
edge, the slightest fear that it could
pass, as it could not but for his
treachery in relation to it. This fact
is patent upon an inspection of the
record of the vote upon the PROPOSE
ton. 1t had become evident when
Neeves' name was called, that the
steal would be defeated unless
''something was done" So that
eloquent tar-payer made a speech.
He clenched his "Iaboring mans"
fists; he shook his ''gory locks" or
what there are left of them. He de-
molished ''street rumor," and de-
claimed against personal "spite." He
Numbered forth ali he knew-which
was ''precious little" And then he
became "utterly disgusted," and
"voted for the balance Of the claim
for the purpose of getting it ont Of
tie '0ay" And the two new mem
bers who afterwards voted, voted for
it, and the steal was allowed. Hiles
was pleased. He gave the ta1-pay-
err an approving smile. The tar-
payer rolled his intellectual orbs at
Hiles-and the two, symbols of
genius and purity, sat enraptured,
each with the enhancing beauty of
the other. And no artist there.
During this lovely scene it was,
doubtless, that the taxpayers great
mind conceived that immortal SEN