Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-02-08
STARTLING DISCLOSURES.
JAKE COOK TELLS OF THE ROTTENnESS
OF THE ROAD CONTRACTS.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SHOWN UP
In Bad Light-Whoro the Money Goes
Reply to LommOns.

hcply 10 LCl1nl0nS
Fort MADISON, February G.--Editors
Courier: We arc glad to SEQ Ned Todd"
crawl out from under that nom do plume
and sign his real name lie has taken
his little light from under tho bushcl at
last, but it's like mine-if it was placed
Oh tho top Of Mount Ncbo it wouldn't
shine any brighter than lightning bug
in bluo bottle.
Mr.. Lcmmons is just about as change.
able rs tho weather has boon for tho
past ton days. IL THE COURIER quoted
him correctly in his first lcttcr ho Ger
tainly did say cts nothing but right
and just for the property to work tho
roads" Now he thinks tho poor man
who has no property should work them
also. What is tho cause Of this change
of mind? Ilo has changed and got on
The same limo with us. | don't know
whose preaching has converted him, but
| suppose it was Mr.. Vcrncrs, for | am
no preacher hardly.
NOW, MIR. Icmm0ns, como back to
head taw. My brother, shoot fair; don't
fudge on us. Tell us why you think tho
property, which is already taxed l3l
mills, shoul6 do all the work on the pub
lie roads? TEls is tho meaning of ono
part of your first letter, and you know it.
Mr.. Lcmmons thinks "God could not
please me-" We think it is Mr., Lem
mons who is not satisfied this time. 1t
is h2 VIII" is quarrcling with Mr.. Werner,
w, arc pleased with the road law amend
mcnt. God has always pleased us, if wo
have not often pleased him. 1t is the
high taxes, the devil ana tho vagabonds
who displcasc us.
MIR. lcmmons wants us to keep those
fellows who wont work. lie says thcrc
arc none on his side Of the county, and
he don't want them scattered over the
county.
Now it seems to mo that the Lcgisla-
turc and the laws of the whole Static Of
South Carolina arc about to fail to make
HIM worN-cvcn four days in twelve
months. We have been investigating
among the lowest class that VIC men
toned in our first letter, and we cannot
find one among tho Whole gang who is
too lazy to work on the public road in
his own vicinity. 1t seems that this gels
pretty close to your frc-sidc, my other
SO now, MI 1cmmons, if there are any
of the remnants of Coxoys army on your
side of tho county, please keep them
there, and we will try and keep the
working men.
MIR. l.cmmonS seems to have an idea
that oar three Representatives should
work a whole week at four dollars Dcr
day each just to keep Mr.. Lcmmons from
working four days in twelve months
and then our County Supervisor should
work Il whole week trying to arrange his
books and papers just for the purpose of
sending Mr.. LcmmonS' little one dollar
and fifty cents back into his vicinity.
Now here is eighteen days work for our
law makers, cost Of about $I5, and six
days, for our Supervisor, all just to keen
Mr. l.cmmons from working four days
i'll twelve months, and that on the public
roads of his own vicinity. This looks
more like that onc-Sidcd business that
he speaks of than anything that we have
seen.
Mr.. LcmmonS speaks of the old gray
haired citizen who wants the county to
carry him along on ilowcry beds of ease
lie says good roads advance the price of
property. We know that good roads
advance The prico of property, but the
prlcc does not advance half as fast as
the taxes advance. Our property would
not sell for as much to-day as it would
twelve years ago when taxes were not 10
mills. But Mr.. LcmmonS cant sec this.
| suppose it is because other men have
1T to pay.
We know there is one class of Door
men in our country who have no prop
Christian gentlemen as there arc in the
State; but we don't touch those when
we speak Of vagabonds.
We have worked some times is hours
at Il time, half leg deep in SHOW, without
eating or sleeping, Just to pay for that
little farm, which Mr.. Lcn..nons speaks
OF, and no" our county is carrying us
'alonG,' a lc says, not on tlowcry beds
Of ease, but on l3i mills taxes. But
once in while we find Il little, single
Slazcd, juG-hcadch, | by ,, johnnie
.Iump-up, who will call it ilowcry beds
OF ease, and ut the same time he has
probably been educated on this kind Of
money, and now he is destitute of graft
tu,lc.
What's the reason the words Gun
grateful generation Of vipcrs' would not
fit in right here: "kqual rights to all.
special privileges to none" This is our
motto precisely. We think every ahlc,
bodied man, regardless" Vt color, age or
size, who tlaic's .hc public roads,
should worl, thee, and not have the
property taxed to DO all the work as Mr..
i'tlililtllS Sill, Ill 'llS lllSL !plttr, 'Drac-
ticc what we preach" Its very easy for
MS to practice what we preach. But we
don't think anybody will ever practice
what Mr.. Lcmmons prcachcs, especially
his first sermon. lie die! better in his
last sermon, since he was converted.
"If thou art converted strengthen thy
brcthrcn."
"lounE mans nose to The grind
stone" We would not attempt to hold
Mr.. I.rmmonS' nose to the grindStonc
1t may be that his little dab of brains
lies III his nose, and it would be II dan.
GcrOuS operation. II is his skull that
needs the grind rock.
We have Il number Of white aud black
renters on our farms, some Of whom
have been with us more than ten years.
Ihey are honest and upright. We never
have Il cross word nor Il hard feeling.
Instead of furnishing them supplies TO
make their crop with 1T u hundred per
cent profit, we 90 with them to The
bank, stand their security for the cash
money, and when the note is due if they
can't pay it wc go and pay it OF for
til en- and wait with them until they can
pay IT, They divide the crop. We don't
have to watch them. When they want Il
horse and wagon to go TO mill, or to haul
wood, or iihc to town, they have nothing
to dn but go TO Jake Cooks and hitch up
ana go. II don't cost them anything at
all. This is the way we grind poor pco-
Pies noses. Other men have tried Scvc-
ral times to set my renters, but they stay
ON With me. suppose they like my
Enndng very well. But some renters