The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1903-03-07
WAKE UP

Messrs. John w. Ward, Editor
Greenville Spirit, and ID. T.
Crosby, Editor Greenville Times
Gentlemen
Your many appeals for better
drainage, better streets and better
sidewalks are highly commendaDle
in you. And if the citizens give
you their united support you
would, in time, accomplish a great
deal of good, but a good deal OF
the miserable condition OF our
streets, bitches and sidewalks and
sewerage is partially due to the
utter indifference of ourselves.
The letharagic and Indifferent
citizens With which this town is
overcrowded, and the lack of inter,
! est they display in selecting and
retaining in Office a set of mum,
cipal officers in the present and
the past is noticeable and proven
by the condition now existing.
A good many of the men that
have most do not pay their poll
tax, do not register, and when the
time comes to cast a ballot for good
governments, they cannot go to
the polls but tender some frivilous
excuse to cover their culpability as
citizens But the pernicious element
is there in force. They do the vot-
ing. They put your municipal Off
GERS in power, not only put them
in, but retain and control them
while in there. When the atten-
ton of the lethargic c i t Z e n
(Pachydermata), is called to the
fact he shrugs his shoulders and
says; What can | do?" when in
fact he never tried to do anything.
He consoles himself by think
ing, Il have paid my church dues,
l have paid my lodge dues, | have
paid my taxes l go or send to the
bucket shop to see what cotton is
doing and invest in 100 bales of
cotton and sell what | don't own,
and buy what / can't pay. If l am
good church member, | put an
extra dollar III the contribution
box when l win, so that | may be
applauded of my fellowmen, and
use the church or lodge as cloak
to further my designs of obtaining
that great and glorious dollar, that
is the god l worship" The lethar-
gic citizen not only does this, but
a great many more things which
has a tendency to bring our form
of government into disrepute.
There is another class of citizen
also who is the silent citizen. He
goes about and gets somebody else
to let his troubles be known, -
afraid himself to do it. His excuse
is: 1T might injure my bnise
ness. He remains silent when he
ougth to speak, when the laws OF
the land are openly and VIGOROUSLY
and with impunity violated, and
fail to be enforced by the officers
of the law, who when they offered
themselves for your suffrage,
pledged themselves that they
would obey the law and enforce it..
The same officer, who, when he
took his oath of office with his
hand on the Bible and his head
bowed before the Divine being,
swears to obey and enforce the
laws made by the people,
All. fellow citizens, when in
duced into office he acts different
ly then. He scans the code and
laws to see how not to enforce
what will bring him into odium
with the violation Of the law, and
who may have political pull and
control votes to make or mar his
political aspirations in the future.
The silent citizen rerfains from ut
tering word. Here we have the
principle of duty to ourselves and
our fellow citizens, our patriotism
and our manhood trampled under
foot. Silence is very often caused
BY defiance and reserve. The
principal part of it eliminates from
selhshness and, self interest that
breads loosing trade or business
from the sworn officers of the law,
who knowingly and wilfully fail
to perform the law, not only in the
form but in the spirit, for exam
pie, our ditches(. The man who
remains silent through fear of loss
in trade or business, or who walks
along with his eyes open and is
silent when he knows the laws are
violated is criminal. Fellow citi-
zens, take this matter home tc
yourselves and see how much of il
fits you.
Now, Editor Spirit, l have read
with care your appeal to every
man, woman and child to swell the
chorus for drainage to our streets.
Brother Ward, 1 am not one of the
fellows to plead and beg officers to
do what they are paid to do. We
pay our mayor 500 per month for
the services he is supposed to do
under the law. 1t is his duty to
give you drainage. The amended
Charter Of 1900, page 81, section
SO says:
He shall have the superintend-
ing and control of all the offices
and affairs of the city and take
care that the laws and ordinances