The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-24
COUNTRY sTATESAANSHIP.
How Blank County People Live and Let lave
-Punishing Q Confessed Forger.

Statesmen in Washington and In London.
not 10 speak Of q dozen other capitals. may pride
and plume themselves on their diplomacy and
inesse, but II takes q country politician to de-
vslop real statesmanship. Down in Blank.
the capital Of Blank county. they've developed
craftsmanship until it's slmost genius. Here
are some instances Of this genius or statesman
ship, After you've read them you can decide
which it Ia.
There are only eighty voters In the county
town. AL Of them live off the taxes Yet the
taxes amount TO only about $500 a year. The
way they do II shows how far ahead the good,
honest countryman Is OF the evil. wicked city
man. By the way. remember here that the
countryman who comes to buy green goods
always intends to swindle his near friends at
home. Recalling that will help you to under
stand how the people live.
The local taxes amount to about $500 a year,
collected mostly from New Workers. who own
hunting tracts In the county. But from the
State comes perhaps $500, to be devoted to
various uses. Now. Reuben Glendowsr, a good
American. whose fathers have been Americans
for two centuries, who Is an A. 2. A.. and q
Know Nothing Of tho worst sort, gets a
contract to repair the roads Of the county
for $1,000; He hires Simon Peters. the JUS
bic and I. jefferson Woodbury.. the su-
leans, TO do the work. They do about three
Postmaster, puts in a bill for 81 .2oO-so many
days work at SO much n day. The bill is audited
hy The Supervisors and the Justice Of the Peace;
Zach q i, them EN- get, say. sioo, for his three days
The road? There's only one In the county,
across one end; and the soil Is sandy. so that
the bed dries quickly after rain. Besides, no
that's s" pot 3 Bad for country .t.tssmanship:
but this IS better. D~aye.-neyer mind his last
name Dave forged o friends name. and the
worst Of il was, tie forgery got out No, that
wasn't the worst Of 1t; Dave got the money
Of course a fellow doesn't forge for the fun Of
Course he couldn't deny It's
The friends Of both parties met and talked
the matter over.
eral opinion. "Leastways. he shouldn't ha'
been caught. But then. Dave, he allus was a
poor, no-account feller,,not 'sponsible really
ta TIVE f ssif wsy. friend In d HSs DS %sD, T 20 %sne
Dave; liked him now, r .th' matter o that, He
hadn't no, srudge aRtn him But he couldn't
But II ye put Dave in tn jail ye wont get
MOI. That SOP.
Yeah! Hev to sue him n a civil court
Then Daven get 70 doses for bein' sick
oncsp'
Yep. Jail fust, an after jail tn creditor.
"Iiuh!"
When they heard that. Dawes representa-
tives were satisfied. Then they sprung their
diplomatic suggestion. There was some dis
%cussion, but the upshot wa that Dave ran for
Sheriff the NEXT election. was elected, and
turns over to his friend all the emoluments Of
his office, except the few dollars that are re-
CURED to keep him in funds as a Sheriff.
~ you suggest to one Of the citizens that there
head Of the executive department Of the county,
he'll say: -"Sho! what's the odds? Jail amt no
place for Dave; sides, Bill needed the money,
an Daye'd never have paid him II he'd had to
go 10 ial.
say. an Dawes a fu.st class Sheriff. tool