The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-16
Letters to The Editor
MT. Crawford's Letter.

ozark, Ala, AuS. To- Editor The Advertiser:
 From my earliest Infancy I have been told that Consistency is jewel" It is a beautiful theory, but like the nep- ular hypothesis, 1t as mere maiter of supposition, an article or faltn. We believe Mars is inhabited, but we car- not prove it. One thing is certain and it has been repeatedly knocked into me; from that period of my existence, in which held the mule to be at fault because there were roots in the new ground" down through an interminable series, even to your short, concise un- warranted and wholly unjustifed edi- torial, or rather attack, upon the smaii appropriation awarded the white chil- dren of Dale County. say I know one thing is true, inconsistency IS what Sherman made of war,
 In your editorial, If you do not ac- tually reprehend, you ait leaef sheer at the noble action of DakE County In then you proceed to make that action a "causus belli' for your unWarranted attack upon our small educational ap- propriation. You couple the two acts in such a way as to cause those who think not deeply, and who may be un- familiar with the circumstances to be- lieve that Dale County went to a Leg islature, already on record as a pro- hibition body. with the threat; eye S liquor traflc." As a matter Of fact, our prohibition hill. was drafted, intro- dueed and assured of passage before the bill for a small appropriation for school purposes was drawn or even projected Two separate and distinct acts, each as worthy of commendation n from the State as whole as any local acts passed by the Legislature.
 Brother, step lightly, you are on dan- gerous ground; the prohibition wave and the educational wave set in mo- tion by this Legislaturel are sweeping the State. There is scent In the alr that has grown too strong to be term ed A suspicion, that the corporate in- terests, already rich and sassy by virtue of a long suffering populace, have taken sides with the liquor ele- ment, and it would take more than the past prestige of Grandma" to stem the tide of popular indignation were 1t even hinted that you were allied with, or even in sympathy with the anti -prohibitionists; or ayerse t0 the education of the white children, of the State.
 Under the present plan of the distri- button of school funds, it Is well known fact that the white child pronts vastly more in the Black Belt coun- ties than in the White" counties. If am right, special appropriation was made for the establishment of school at Moundsville in Hale County, and at Plantersville in Dallas County, and the Paterson negro school at MontgomeTy
 
 same time as ours was~given us. w Ina did you say to that? Nothing. If nothing, why SO? Is 1t case of The dog in the manger?" Why did you not tell the people in your editorial, that the city of Ozark deeded to klle State a building worth $15,000. which con stituted an indirect gift to the children of Dale County? Why did you not tell the people that Dale County, although it had never had q special appropriation from the State, had always paid its just share of taxes, (can you say that for your county?); that they have turn ed into the State Treasury more than a hundred thousand dollars in fertili- ger tag tax, from which they derived a benefit of approximately 30 cents? With the debtors, or transgressors side of the ledger already full against | the entry that you favor appropriat- ing money to a negro school in Mont gomery County, but oppose the ap- | propriation of money with which to educate white children in Dale Coun-
 And another thing if the course of current events In the State, have caus- | ed you to commence practicing. fin ex- pectation of having to sing your ''swan's | song" take my advice and pitch your voice in a softer key. The peo- 1 pie of Alabama are a lenient people l and always speak kindly of the dead | If your song is soft, the last echo may shatter by reason of its resonant | vibrations on sympathetic chords, the picture of other days in the memories of those left behind.
 Respectfully l Ora Wfnrn