The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-05-03
THE BAD BOY.
Prom PICKS suN.

81 don't hear much about your
pa lately, said the groceryman to
the bad boy, as he showed up one
morning before breakfast, to buy a
msckcrel. lie is alive amt he Z
Is he in politics YETI" and the
groceryman took n small rusty
mackerel by the tail and slapped it
against the inside Of the barrel to
get the brine o and wrapped 1t
in some thick paper, heavier than
the fish, before lie weighed it.
"IIold on there, please said
the boy who was watching the
proceedings. weigh the mack
erel separate, please, and then
weigh the paper, and charge the
fish to pa and charge the paper to
yourself. That is all right. Yes,
pa is alive, but lie is not in politics.
lie was throwed out Of politics
head first, on two occasions the
night before the election. You
see, pa is an enthusiast Some
years lie is in n party, and some
years in another; Just which party
gives him the best show to make
speeches. lie has got speaking on
the brain, and if he a get up be-
fore q crowd and say Teller citi-
zens,' and not get hit with a piece
of brick house, that is a picnic for
pa. This spring he went with the
temperance and saloon people.
You know tho temperance and sa-
loon people sort of united on a can
didate, and pa was red hot. He
wanted to speak. The fellows
showed pa hat he had got to be
careful and not get mixed, and
they turned him loose to speak.
The night before the election pa
went in a hall where there was to
be a meeting, and he got up and
said what the people wanted was
the highest possible license, enough
to drive out half the saloons. He
was Just going on to demonstrate
what a blessing it would be if there
was only one saloon, when some
one took him by the neck and
threw him through a window. 1t
seems that it WAS a meeting of peo-
pie who we're Oppose d to any Ii
cense, and who believed everybody
should be allowed to sell liquor for
nothing. A policeman picked pa
up and took the window sash of
from over his neck, and picked the
broken glass out Of his vest and
parts, and walked him around and
told him of his mistake, and pa adj
mitted that what the people want
ed WAS free trade in whiskey, lie
said now that he thought Of it there
was no Justice in making people
pay for the privilege of engaging in
commercial pursuits, and if the pc
liceman would take him back to
the hall, he thought he could set
himself right before the assembly.
Well, the policeman is the mesnest
mar in this town. He took pa to
another hall, around block, where
there was a meeting of the high
license people, and he went in,
thinking it vas the one he was in
first. He was kind Of surprised
that they did not attack him, but
they were busy signing a petition
for high license. Pa waited a
minute to think up something to
say, and then he got up on a chair
and said, MI. Chairman, this is a
matter we are all interested in, and
the hvnblest citizen may speak.
After studying this matter thor
oughly, looking at it in all its bear
ingG, and summing up an e1pe-
rience of forty years, l have come
to the conclusion that the city
should not grant anylicenses at all.
That tickled the crowd, cause they
thought pa vas in favor of stopping
the sale Of liquor altogether, and
they cheered him. Pa got his sec
ond wind and continued: AS long
as liquor is recognized as an arti-