The Washington critic., 1890-02-23
MRS. BOGGS AND MR.. WARNER.

MRS. B0G(iS AND MR.. WARNER,
Ginerl Greely's cold wave got along at
last an me an the old woman found it
comfortable to sit close to the fire last even
in, she a-toein' out sock an me a-rcadin'
of THE CRITIC.
Bimeby my eye lit on a paragraph in Mr..
B. II. Warmers letter bout the tax assess.
ment troubles, an read it out to the old
woman:
II said to your reporter that the picturing
of frauds, either of a public or private
character, was, in my opinion, damaging to
our city,
"There, - says |, "thcm's my sentiments.
If that 'tarnal CRITIC keeps on exposing
the fact that the poor people have to pay
most o. the taxes here in the District while
the big, rich men git off pretty near scot
free, it'll do our city no end 70 mischief
''But amt it true, Jason?n says the old
woman. "Don't the poor folks have to pay
a sight more in proportion than the rich
folks do?''
"Waal," says l. ''what if it is true? It's
nothing to be proud of, an we don't want
it blowed all over the country.
"Why not?" says She jest like woman.
Women never can see through things like
the men.
"Waal,n says |, "s'pusin' our parson shd
it up in the pulpit an begin tellin' what
'tarnal sinners the members o. our church
are! Wouldn't you say he'd better good
deal he tellin' what sinners the members of
other churches are stead o. exposin' the
faults of his own ?''
mo, wouldn't" says she, sort o. red
denim up.
"S'posin' he sh'd pint his finger at Dea-
con Dobson am say: deacon, you're the
man that's q stealin' Brother Biggins's
wood. / seen you at it last nightl"
''Then," says the contrary old woman, 81
sh'd say that was the sort o. preachin' that's
| likely to bring about reform"
Jest then Doc. Whitcomb come in am we
| left the question to him.
"Waal,n says the Doc, 81 don't know
much about preachin' but if had frog
felon on my thumb wouldn't stick my
hand in my pocket an try to fool myself
| into thinkin' didn't have no felon. I'd
lance it. Maybe it'd hurt little to cut
into it, but it'd cure the felon; an that's
what believe in doin'"
] wasn't just sure what the Doc meant
by that figure o. speech, but it 'peared like
it sort o. pleased the old woman con-
sid'able.
After the Doc. had gone we got to goin'
at it again.
81 tell you," says I, "Worshington can't
afford to have it git out to the world that
she's wicked. It'd spile business here.n
GAS to that, l don't know,n says she;
"but it pears to me Moo York an Chicago
has got along pretty tolable well, am they
amt got reppytations for being any too
sanity"
"But who'd come to Worshington to buy
real estate if it sh'd git out that the poor
folks have TO pay about all the taxes2H
"Wiy the rich folks, of course,' says She
am it sort o. seemed to me that mebby ia
better not say much more in that direction
While was a-lookin' into the fire, won.
deIin' what tack I'd take next, the old
woman hitched up in her chair and put hel
knittin' in her lap, sayin', earnest like:
Jason Boggs, you amt got hold o.
neither the moral end nor the business end
o. this question, an the quicker you ac-
knowledge it the better you'll feel II
there is something unfair about the way the
taxes in this Deestrict is assessed, am if the
poor folks is payin' more an the rich
folks less than their share 1t Is unfair
then the best thing to do is to tell the truth
right out about it an have the thing cor.
rected. That's the only way to git rid oI
injustice. You can go around in mealy.
mouthed sort o. way till the COWS come
home an it won't do bit o. good, but the
way to stop fraud Of any kind is to take
off your gloves and attack jes' like you
wasn't afeerd of anything You admit, an
so does Mr., Warner, that there's been some
thin unfair and unjust about the way the
taxes is assessed here. You admit, an SC
does Mr.. Warner, that this has been goin
on year after year while the papers wa;
a-keepin' still about II (mebby some of 'eu
had good reason Of their own for keepin
still. You admit that until The CRITIC
exposed this fraud there wasn't no likell
hood of the injustice being stopped. Now
Jason BOggs, you needn't sit there an tel
me that The CRITIC is doing our city any
injury by lettin' daylight onto this wicked
ness. | tell You THE CRITIC has done more
! IN a NNNh w sup tieSb bNli HlNNbitCo buhl
you people that go about on tip
toe trying to keep the facts from
the world would do IN your hull natera
lfetimes. Pretty soon, when the mer
chants of Washington begin to see that or
dinaIy people are goin' outside of the Dees
triet to buy land an build their homes, an
that the unfairness o. the taxes here is sim
ply buildin' upa lot o. suburbs instead o
keepin' folks In Worshington, you'll agree
with 'em that there amt a point in tn,
hull controversy that don't prove that TIL
CRITIC is doing the very best thing not only
in a moral way, but IN business way, fol
the city o. Worshngton.n
never seen the old woman reused righ
up like this before. She ies seemed to b,
talkin' like she knowed what she wa
talkin' about, an somehow It made me fee
SO sort o. uneasy like that | never sale
another word, but jest sot back an though
the thing all over. / dunno, after all, bu
the old woman is more IN half right
Leastwise, / amt goin' TO try TO argy thu
case with her any more till I've had tall
with Mr. Warner and got some bette
arguments than any o. them I've heerd yit
JASON Boecs.