The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-04-02
BAsCUM REDIyIYUs.
His Objections to and ApprODa-
ton of Some Legislative
FnacfmentS.

EnactmentS.
To the Editor of the Morristowp Gazette;
In your issue Of last week 1 dis
cover that one of your correspond
ents is crying Justify for ''Bascum'
and asks if he (Bascum) is yet IN INT
land of the living. l would just sa!
in reply that 1 am yet here and tha
this is me. Did Poats think l wa
dead? Well, if 1 have my prope
mind about me / should say no
much, and should / keep my health
and always feel just as l do now
never expect to be, and if the matter
ia left with me don't expect to XII
myself if [ never die. The fact ls
cousin John, 1 have been looking al
ter the interests of my countrymer
by giving my undivided personal at
tention to the doings of both the
Congress of the u. S. and to the
Legislature of Tennessee. But, with
all the influence l could bring to
bear, the Legislature has passed
some very unwholesome laws. just
q few days since, that august BODY
composing the Legislature. passed a
bill to exempt blind persons from
paying license or privilege tax IN
order to do business. l used all
my influence against the passage OF
this act, but all to no purpose. A
very large majority of the Legisla-
ture, as we'll as scores of outsiders,
were in favor of the bill. l offered
strong inducements, in fact l be-
came desperate. and was told after
ward that proposed to give quart
of ''mountain dew" to the vote, but
the tide was against me, and the bill
passed. Now, cousin John, your are
aware of the fact that when a COM
mon Legislator refuses the essence
of Jerusalem oak, there is no use in
offering him money. Well, l set
about trying to find out what was
at the bottom of this thing, and was
not long IN learning that about two
thirds of the members had from one
to FIVE blind relatives. [ tell you,
cousin John, the passage of this bill
will bring desolation upon the peo'
pie of Tennessee. In less thaa five
years the State of Tennessee will
be a blind Asylum. Hundreds who
now see will see no more forever.
In one year from to day every busi-
ness house in the State will be run
by blind proprietor, and the State
will not realize $25 per year as priv
ilege taxes. The blind of all the
States in the Union will congregate
here. The blind of all the nations
of the earth will rally to this land
of the free.
Now the Pistol law, Cousin John,
l favor. I think it not only good
but very good. The fact is, pistols
have become too common: so much
so that they are nuisance at times
to me. You know that | always
liked to be familiar and neighborly (;
but pistols have become so common
that familiarity, cousin John, has ac-
tually ceased to be a virtue.-espe-
cially with me. / am very strange
mixture of humanity, and always
like to know how my neighbor's get
along in the poultry line; and often,
just to beat my wife guessing at the
number of chickens Mrs. Jones or
Mrs. Smith had. / would go at night
II did this in order to save time as
also not to disturb my neighbor-
and count the chickens, and while
pistols were a rarity all went vel
and I could beat my wife guessing,
ali hollow; but when pistols became
so common, and Jones and SmitE
each became the owner of one, and
knew how to shoot them--as / very
well know-I never felt that my
neighborly acts were appreciated
and now my wife can beat me guess
ing and give me two chickens to be
gin on.
Speaking of the Pistol law, cousin
John, reminds me Of that old prov.
erb, .'distance lends enchantment te
beauty" ! never fully appreciated
the real sentence but once, and a.
/ am full of talk tonight, L will tel
you how it was: A fellow of ny
acquaintance, an old chum rather
had the prettiest pistol ever saw
siIver.plated, with five beautiful lit
tie balls in it. He aud l kind 0
fell out one day, and be, fool like
pulled that beautiful little pistol on
OF bis pocket and poked the it'll
end Of it at me, and began to repea
the Lords prayer, or something tha