The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-04-24
POcOTALIGO cAUSEWAY.
Mr.. Horton Closes His Side Of the Con.
trOYerSy.

Mr.. ED1roR:-One of my antago-
nists has taken leave of this contro-
versy with hat in hand, having come
no nearer than the "dead line,'' and
peeping over, retired. Another-Mr.
Cole-after throwing a 7ood Of light
on the subject, by the recital of an
efete monkey. fable, like the prairie
dog of the desert shook his tale most
vigorously as the signal that he was
going into his hole. In telling US of
this captain-monkey borrowing ten
yards Of tail, he failed to add the
moral, which ought to follow always,
and left us to draw our own conclu-
sions. We do so to the effect, that
Mr.. Cole, after getting the ten yards
became So hopelessly entangled in tail
as to find himself unable to proceed
further.
But bye, bye, as he is gone! I fire
no blank cartridges. The only colors
left on the field is the one emblazoned
"Jake," and that floating behind a
breast-work of secrecy:
From this point we have had load
after load of mustard seed. He set
himself in judgment upon my first
article, entirely as volunteer, and al
lowed that passion was weakness;
but if he did not let out every spark
in himself, the last time, there is no
fire in flint. From the very COM
mencement he evidently WINGED under
every thrust, and made it manifest in
attempted ridicule. The great burden
of his song has been to show to the
people here, and elsewhere, that I did
not write those articles. In all COM
mon sense, what has this to do with
the questions under discussion? Ad-
NIT for the sake of argument that not
one line was written by me, would
that make his position more tena-
bic or mine less so? Boil Jake down
and reduce his communications to its
last analysis, and we have left that
Mr.. Way is the greatest man he
knows OF, and Horton did not write
his articles.
This rejoinder, Mr.. Editor, closes
my connection with the matter, as
tbs vain and idle to be firing random
shots at an S1aeognlto. Before doing
so I fain would say to @Jake," that the
only element of strength in his entire
production is his ingenious acknowl-
edgement of his weakness. Here he
drew the line of comparison Ihave
never, and do not now, lay any claim
to skill as newspaper correspondent
I only strike when I am struck, and
write only in self-defense. The fact
that he never rubbed his back against
any college wall, was easily gathered
from his "pieces." An old adage says:
Little boats should always,keep near
the shore. To him I commend this
proverb with the caution to leave such
controversies to those more fitted for
newspaper work, or jackdaw's fate
may be his It is said that once upon
time q iackdaW aspired to take sta
ton among the crows, after adorning
his tail with a few feathers flched from
some bird. So long as Jack held HIM
self aloof he escaped detection, but
ambitious to stand among the black
est crows, he gave himself away, and
was at once pounced upon, the false
plumage torn of, and glad was jack
daw to find his rightful place again.
Well for Jake to call q halt! The
disease for scribbling seems to be a
growing one, and I should not be sur
prised soon to see him blossom into
spring poetry. E. C. HORTON.