West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-10-19
THE RAMBLER
Finds II a Hard Task Holding Down
the Lid on the Pie Box.
The CUBAN PIE PRAISES COY.
DAWSON AND HIS TAX LAWS.
Editor whstssll Writes Him Of the Won
dsrful Growth Of the Preston County
Crops Under the Dawson Tax
Laws-The People Of Cuba
Want to Make Dawson
President Of Cuba.

To my friends back in Preston l
want TO say that while they may
have framed the idea that my sitting
on the pie box and holding down
the lid while Gov. Dawson is tour
ing foreign countries preaching his
new tax laws is pleasure 10 me,
that l am not enjoying the distinc-
tion as hugely as | first supposed
would. For the grateful Dawson
pie which placed me on the lid / am
thankful, but the pardoning power
which a Temporary Governorship
has placed within my hands is a
terrible instrument in the hands of
fearless Chief Executive and SYM
pathetic brother. When the friends
of the Machine are in limbo for
infraction of the State laws which
was never intended to infringe upon
the rights of the members of the
Machine, still at the same time
they are liable to fall into the hands
of the rural district officers of the
laws, while pursuing their peaceful
avocation, who do not understand
that the friends OF the Machine are
exempted from prosecution and con-
viction.
| have just been called upon to
release one OF our friends from a
Fayette county dungeon where he
had been placed behind the grated
bars to observe the landscape on the
village lawn, because he committed
the pardonable crime of removing
gentleman from terra hrma, which
means the sod
1t greves me to think that those
who live outside the protection of
the Machine cannot understand our
motive in liberaiing our friends in
order to keep us united. As our
motto says, Omitted we stand,
divided we fall.
How the people of this great
Commonwealth, who have been so
generous in appropriating money to
purchase the needful supply of pies
for the Machine, would want to
separate us from one another is
more than my philosophy teaches.
The only thing that can keep US
together and united is the pardoning
power which il has fallen to my lot
to exercise.
ItIsa source of great annoyance
to me to see Republican" of the
Old Family Journal, and "Only a
Farmer" of the Deacon Brown
ARGUS, quarrelling over our benevo-
lent tax laws, which is a twin sister
to our benevolent assimilation in the
Philippine Islands, as used to hear
Col. Bob Monroe remark so fondly
Il / left the land Of the Buck
TO be torn asunder by such
~IamiE quaTrels9 Are our County
Commissioners going to sit idly by
aud offer no fraternal hand to stay
the sirspgIing hold which "Repub-
liean" and "Only Farmer" have
on each others throat7
Our promise is out to the dear
old farmers that il after due and
mature delibsralion, they found that
my old army comrade, Maj. Orr,
did not assess the farm to its true
and actual capacity for producing
bfiars and sage brush, that they
we're to call upon the County Com
missioners, who would 60 into an
executive session trance and call
upon the spirits of the departed pie
men to witness that they would in.
crease the assessment Of the farm to
such an extent that it would produce
wealth and happiness to the farmer
Such we're the instructions that we
issued to the Commissioners all over
the State. Had our instructions
been carried out by the Commis.
sioners Of Preston this family quarrel
and disturbance could never have
occurred between Republican" and
"Only Farmer" have just
written to Leader shaw 20 fully
investigate and report to me.
Under date Of October fourteenth
Bro. Whetsell, OF the Old Family
Journal. writes me as follows.
"Hiave just returned from a visit
to every district in the county,
somewhat hoof-sore, but otherwise
radiant with Joy and satisfaction.
My purpose in visiting the districts
was to get one more touch Of the
sod, and second to investigate the