The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-25
THE DEVIL SEEMED
To RULE THE R00ST
The Boy forsook the Good
Old Strait Way.
BENT THE KNEE TO GOLD
Got Enormous Wealth by Internal RascaIib"
and From Being Neb dy Became Power
fore Which Men Fell Down ard
Wo-shippad.

To the Editor. When boy IN the mar
tial Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1 often
heard that honor, courage, industry and
bility, and was fool enough to believe it..
Old women said if boy had good morals
and Industrious habits he'd be respected
if he didn't have dollar to his back.
Preachers would warn against the cares
of the world and the deceitfulness of rich
es, and admonish everybody to seek the
pearl of great price, and thus win crown
incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth
not away.
In my youthful credulity 1 believed
they meant it, but later I observed that
the man of wealth was the one that the
clergy visited, and his sons and daughters
We're the one fiattered and caressed. Some
of the wealthy people were the vulgar
rich who would have driven Lazarus
away unalmsed, and ground the faces of
the poor, oppressed the hireling, and taken
the widow S OK for a pledge. l had, mean
time, become slave to the unpopular and
accursed hab.. of observation, and would
suggest that things were not being car
RED out by priest or people according to
the text, and would be rebuked. Mothers
in Israel would skin their sanctfied eyes
heavenward and say: Judge not that ye
be not judged" Howbeit, they would
judge me as a mover of sedition.
Later, I sought the borders of North
Carolina, where tradition said that broth
erhood and fraternity were religiously
the serpent was over them all, and the
image of the dollar mark was burnt into
every soul.
I felt the sting of poverty, and the
badge of ostracism. l. therefore, resolved
to become capitalist. and throw scruples
to the four winds of heaven. My training
was in favor of temperance and my Chris
tian parents had taught me that no drunk
ard can inherit the kingdom of Heaven,
and that tie terrors of the law threaten
ed the man who put the bottle to his
neighbours lips. But l wanted filthy lucre,
and stifled the still small voice of con-
science and set at naught the teaching of
my youth. | put up a grist mill, store,
and blockade distillery and put all up
on borrowed capital
At first the church raised a row and
turned re out I got plenty of corn to
grind, and had toll corn to spare, and
fattened plenty of hogs to sell at my dis
t:lleIy If some poor honest widow. or
man who had been sick wanted corn or
meat, he never got it without the cash.
l took at least one fourth more toll than
claimed, sold goods on time at IS per cent,
and of course, defrauded the government
BY the time l built me white house
and bought fine carriage and span of
horses the church offered to restore, but
I was not ready yet. l put up big saw
mill and stole lumber and a cotton gin
and claimed to gin for the twentieth.
When ginned 400 bales l would have so
bales for toll. but this gave me reputation
as a fine business man. But when l made
an assignment defrauding my creditors,
beat the government by evading the tax
stole my goods from the trustee, as well
as pocketing all the cash I had collected
1 was restored to favor in church and
society, and am universally respected
I am Commercial Democrat, ie.-call
myself a Democrat but talk 'sound
money" and vote the Radical ticket
When l walked to Sunday school, paid
shabby clothes and listened to the cry of
distress I was nobody. Now | am worth
100000, got it by internal rascality, wear
imported tailor-made goods, ride an auto
mobile, and am called colonel I drank
whiskey till the doctors saw it would kill
me and told me So
Now / am great temperance advocate,
and am listened to with great respect
when | raise my voice against the curse
of the demon rum.
/ teach my boys that no man is worth
d by a dollar and a -ffalf if II, has
no money, and that the sin that is neither
forgiven in this world nor the world to
come, is poverty. When I was poor and
honest l was never noticed nor visited by
preachers, except when tney wanted
"quarterage' or heather money. but now
they fairly fawn on me and try to bark in
my favor. Sunday school superintendent
used TO scowl when ! opened my mouth
In Sabbath schools, but now all nv plati-
tudinous utterances are considered as
words of wisdom. When l go to town, all
the cussed little time-serving country pa
pers swear thai a rising capitalist, stall
wart Democrat. and Christian gentleman
honored their sanctum. If | get off the
original observation that if it don't rain
it will be a long dry spell, all the
damphools explode with merriment. When
was poor / used to say better and
brighter things than l can say now. but
these crisinne hill-Bilie would look as
though they had heard piece of sad
news. Some times now I make talks in
the church and Sunday school when am
so drunk l can't brush horse fly from
the end of my nose My admirers say |
am $50 peculiar" when in my days OF
poverty they called it drunk as usual. l
pay The preacher 500, which is easier to
pay than the $500 | paid in my days of
poverty. But now l am monument of
hberality, while then l was worth nothing
to the church
gave S25 to help The hcathen in Afrcl
while my extorton al so-called ''busi-
hess sagacity' makes heather here, but |
lose no sleep about q North Carolina
heather. u I hear a smart poor man
growing ahoEt the equality Of man. uni
veisal education, working roads by taxa
ton or claiming recognition. pay some