Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-02-11
Another Letter from Mr.. Cook.

Fort Madison, February 9.--Editors
Courier: j. l.. Talley says: "Guess Cook
will find out whore the burden will be
when the Legislature fixes the supply
bill and puts it at fifteen mills" we
don't have to find out; we already know
whore the burden will fall. But that's
all right; just lot 1t come. We are ready
for 1t. We have been talking to all the
best citizens of our vicinity and the larg-
est taxpayers, and nine out of every ten
of them<are not in favor of borrowing
money or floating bonds. We think our
members in the General Assembly should
meet this thing like men. Make suffi-
cient levy at once to pay the debt, and
be done with it, We have had too much
child's play already, and If we have to
take it, let us have the full dose. We are
getting tired standing half bent, with
spoon in hand. grinning and vomiting
over little broken dose. IL don't mat
ter how bitter, let it come, and then we
will be done with it. MY stomach ia
turned now. But, thank God, one side
is as good as the other, and l am still
able TO eat and drink. We think it is
bad policy to borrow money and con-
tinue in debt and all the while be paving
interest.
Now in regard to the flour. Mr.. Tai.
ley can't expect me to tell too much,
when am expecting every day for some
of those who helped to eat the hog to
send me mess of meat. Also, he must
remember that there are some new maga-
zine pistols in our country that shoot ex-
plosive bullets. l might meet up with
one of these. 1t seems that they don't
have to be twenty inches long, there
fore they are easily concealed. If Mr..
Talley will assure me he will not OK.
plode at the same time the bullet does,
then might tell him about the flour.
Ii he will come down we will make some
kind of trade in regard to the matter.
Mr.. 5. III. Snead seems to want to ex-
pain matters to the people in regard to
his work, the cost of it, etc. We have
heard no grumbling about Mr.. Snead's
work. We think he did more work with
the chain gang than any one else, and
the cost of his work doesn't seem to be
very extravagaut. But what about their
business methods in the Office at their
Board meetings, and their protection of
the county treasury and finances. This
was great deal more importan than
their work on roads, and this is where
the county is hurt.
1t seems that B 4. Pool could bring in
a whole pocketful of claims that he had
made out himself, amounting to hun
dreds of dollars, and the Board would
audit them at once, without any ques-
tions or estigation-regardles of
right or wrong, justice or honesty, rea-
son or common sense, honest intentions
or anything else. Now what kind of
business method is that. Why did SEN
sible men think that b. E POOLS mouth
was prayer book? The result of it is
very plain. Good men did the work and
Is. e. Pool got the pay, and have been
told that he is now in another State
splurging on other mems money. We
are not surprised at the ex Supervisor, for
we knew him before he was elected.
Neither are we surprised at his son, but
we have been surprised at our honorable
commissioners. The Supervisor is not
to blame for all the blunders. He only
had one vote and they had two, and Of
course they were in the majority, and it
seems to us that they could have investi-
gated and rejected the dishonest claims.
1t seems that B. L. Pool was paid four
hundred and nine dollars at the last
Board meeting. Wonder if Mr.. Snead
thinks the county justly owed that boy
this amount of money for one months
work, and what did he do for his work
to amount to that much.
Now, Messrs. Editors, if we remember
rightly, when we were on the Board of
township Commissioners a few years
ago we were advised by the Hon. j. w.
Sheior that there was ii law on the stat
ute books of our State that would not
allow the Supervisor and Board of Com
missioners to make debts that they could
not pay. We were not allowed, accord
ing to law, to spend more than the lew
that was set apart for US. 1 think he
said there was penalty for violating
that law of both fine and Imprisonment,
and also that the debt so made was lille,
gal and could not be collected What
has become of this lawP Did b. E. Pool
repeal 1T before he left, or was there ever
such a law on the booksp ia. Cook,