The times., 1896-02-07
A Great Man.

Some great man in this county wrote aletter
respecting the temperance agitation and printed
in THE TIMES one day last week. He is too
timid to sign his name-most OF them seem to be
who labor on that side of the fence-so he signs
Local Option"
Well Lo, that little convention joke is alive
yet is 1t? 1t is old enough to be bald, but what
idiot made me apologize for it? 1t was done to
shut off a tiresome Introductory speech-was 1t
yours?-and answered the purpose. You must
be hard up for material il you have to pick up
an old thing like that and put mean con-
struction on it, and If you've got to depend on
personalities in this fight you'll get left. Be
manly.
This correspondence has been a consc entious
matter with me from the start. know what 1t
is to live here under prohibition and have put
forth such arguments as / knew to be facts in
regard to the working of local Jption. Further,
have tried to be honest in what have written
and have slung no mud and INDUCED in no per
sonalites. They always weaken cause, Lo,
and you take my advice hereafter and leave
them out.
AS was demonstrated in last weeks TIMES
those Eaton county board of supervisors "reso-
lutions' are very weak. They won't bear dis
section, but maybe they'll put out something
stronger next time. My helper who has a broth
er living in Charlotte told me along last fall that
his brother said that there was more whislxey
drank there and that his taxes were higher on
the same valuation than before local option
took effect. But that is no evidence to you Lo.
Your informants sail in an atmosphere so high
that they can see no flies on Eaton county.
Speaking of taxpayers, has it occurred to you
that II all the non-taxpaying local option guns
we're spiked thre'd be heap more silence on
the other side? You shouldn't have spoken
about that, Lo, for there are many Of us on both
sides who, when you come to regular bond and
mortgage and genuine bank deposits, you know,
are as busy and worthless as borrowed cat.
Finally there is no use for you and to argue
this matter. You said about all that was neces-
sary for me to say in last weeks issue and you
can say it better and sharper somehow, as you
have education and SKILL and no doubt have
more words on this subject that you didn't say !;
whereas, the fact is, Lo, that began in the fall
early to drag over the field, trying to get at the
truth as could pick it up around the stumps OF
experience and log-heap OF the lowly, so as to
be right, but still we don't come to the same
conclusion. You see you move in an exalted
sphere and doubtless are one OF these "solid
chaps" rich you know, and have every thing
your own way. Ii YOU could only get down
among the lowly-poor folks mean-as have
had to do all my life, you'd get few more IDEAS
But you are a high up gentleman no doubt
judging from the way you write-and you don't
'have TO- as the boys say. But I wish you
could see some OF the low down work OF liquor
made men, when they get plugged up. BY liquor
men mean men who handle gin, rum, beer,
cider, or anything that's got liquor in it, and 1
believe that cider is about bad enough for farm.
er's boys and girls to start with. Ny, what
lot of 1t will be strengthened" II this option
law carries. You don't know OF course what is