Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-02-26
FEATHERINe HIS NEST.


reproduce verbatim OF literatim:
In another column will be found a
communication from Senator Herndon
upon the question of public advertising.
We are not fully advised as to the pro-
visions of the measure, but the criticism
appears to have been fimsy pretext for
boasting. Mr.. Herndon might well have
asked other questions more biting, even
than those that he has. No other officer
has ever attempted to feather his own
nest at the expense of the public, those
who are compelled. under the law 70
publish notices, as the present incum-
bent of the Office of probate judge. Yet
pay into his own Golfers twice as much as
the advertising can be done for, getting
equally as good service, may appear TO
be following the golden rule, ever so
strangely. Again, to charge ten times
as much to one person as another, may
bloated minds, but is surely poor ex-
cuse for an officer in the exercise of a
public trust to force such exorbitant
prices upon the estates of others, even
for his private gain. These are matters
of public interest and proper for COM
ment. Thousands of dollars have been
saved to taxpayers and litigants by the
Oconec News along these lines, and we
expect to continue its policy for honesty
and fair dealing.
Suppose the County Commissioners
should employ their kinsfolk and pets to
build all of the bridges, or do the other
public work at price they should call
reasonable" without allowing others an
opportunity to do the work at any price,
isn't it certain that there would be a
tremendous protests from the entire
communityp Yet the same thing is
being practiced to-day. Senator Hern-
don is perfectly right in his effort to
have public printing let out like other
public work, and we are confident that
the people will sustain his course. The
discussion of matters of such vital inter
est will result in a benefit to the public.
We give it space because we propose to
comment upon it, and we trust the Oco-
nee News will also have the fairness to
publish what we now say should its edi-
tor see fit to comment further on the
theme.
1t is we'll that Mr.. D. A.. Smith, the
present Judge of Probate, has been a
resident of Oconee county for twenty
eight years and is personally known by
nearly every citizen. No man can truth
fully charge him with dishonorable or
ungentlemanly conduct No decent man
would make the attempt, and the effort
to do so under existing circumstances
will rebound against its author with
crushing effect. This dastardly attempt
will TAIL OF It's purpose, either TO oniisj
sympathy or BRING business.
The charges in the above article are
born of deliberate design to traduce
the character, both public and private,
of an honorable man for the foul purpose
of getting gain to him who makes them.
We emphatically declare them to be
false. In almost every instance the par
ties interested have designated the paper
in which their advertisement should ap-
pear. In no case has an advertisement
been placed in The Keoweo Courier other
than desired by the parties or their at
torneys. Can the editor of the News say
as much? Never has an unlawful charge
been made for such advertisement by,
The Keowee Courier. Not only so, but
in no instance have the prices been
greater than those suggested by the
editor of the News when he wanted these
advertisements to appear in his paper.
Why then this attack We can an
"a plopOSltlOH WAS I1due TO us
last summer in the interest of and COM
ing from the editor of the News, that
both papers should do all the advertis-
ing of an official nature, charge one full
price therefor, and divide the same
equally between the two papers. This
we declined, for the reason given in orr
answer to interrogatory five, propounded
to us by Senator f. l.. Herndon, which
will be found elsewhere in this issue.
If we had assented, nothing would
have been heard of any accusations by
the editor of the News. We admit that
our assent to such Il proposition would
have been for the benefit of said editor,
but submit that it would not have bene-
fitted the public. Nothing would have
been saved.
1t has been our purpose to avoid war
of words, and hence on many occasions
heretofore we have paid no attention to
his base insinuations. We think we are
capable of conducting our own business
without any suggestions from him, and
80 long as he confined his remarks to
puny criticisms of our business methods,
we remained silent. We knew it was
none of his business. We know, too,
that we enjoy the satisfaction of meet
ing the approval of numerous patrons by
an uniform course of fair, just, honora-
BILE dealing, and the rendering of value
received. We have also long since
learned that person who is notorious
failure in running his own business is
the very one who copceives the idea that
he Is divinely commissioned to tell 9th
ers how to run theirs. But forbearance
sometimes ceases to be virtue.
Let'us see what manner of man he be
who talks 80 Justify about the attempt of
another "To feather his own nest" AS
he has appealed to the records of the
Probate Court, land distorts them to
suit bis own purpose), let us, too, go
there and see If his name form any part
of that record. Yes, it is there, and at
the head of an accounting with his infant
motherless daughter. Such an account
ing has never been made before, and for
the sake of the manhood of Oconee
county, should never be again. Here he
charges as having paid to his wife, for
years, five dollars per month for the
board of his motherless daughter. Does
he charge any other of his children one
tenth as muchp Does he treat all alikep
Again, he makes the proud boast that
as editor of the Oconee News he has
saved the people of Oconee county thou