The Bolivar County Democrat. (Rosedale, Miss.) 1887-1969, 1907-03-23
The POOR MANS FRIEND.
Malvina, Bolivar County, Miss.
March IA, 1907.

Won't you please print this let
ter? l like a square fight, and
think most folks do, and I hear lot
of things in this race for governor
that are not square fighting, but
just plain mud singing. A friend
showed me a letter from out in the
state reading that the Hon. Charles
Scott's political enemies were say
ing that he was rich mans man
and against the poor people, and
that when poor white man and a
negro called at his office he saw the
darkey first and made the white
man wait" Now, that's what /
call mud singing of the very mean-
est kind, and besides it is not true.
know am a small farmer. For
years l made and gathered my own
crop. This year I was lucky, and
western man who bought place
here get me to manage for him;
but before that all the time l crop
ped for myself. Now, I have
known Mr.. Scott for a long time.
When l first knew him he was as
poor as I ain, and he is just the
same now as he was then, and he
is always kind and polite and nice
to everybody, and is everybody's
friend. He is my best friend. l
may say he has been a brother
to me all these years, and
in spite of the fact that he has
made money he is just the same as
he was a poor man. Money makes
no difference to Charlie Scott, as
everybody calls him. When used
to 90 to Rosedale I sometimes went
I'D to dinner with him and his fam
ily, and its the same thing now; and
he never fails to invite me when
I ain in his Office at dinner time.
This talk about Mr.. Scott being
against the poor man is nonsense.
I know, and l want to tell my
brother farmers in Mississippi how
I know and some Of the things
Charley Scott did for me, and lie
has done lots of things just like it
for others, too. When the Bank
of Rosedale failed they had mort
gage OH my place for what l was
worth, but l thought maybe I could
work it out with few years good
crops. I asked Mr.. Scott to get
the Memphis or New York bank
that held the note to give me time,
and though, as everybody knows,
he and his wife mortgaged their
property to get the money to pay
the banks depositors, though they
were not responsible for the same,
he did so, and the bank gave time,
and after two or three years Mr..
Scott paid the Memphis or New
York bank my note, and he then
held it up for me. After a while
found l could not pay, and
went and told him to sell the place.
! I owed more than it was worth,
and if it sold out under mortgage
it would not have brought half the
debt. Now, what did Charley
Scott do? He gave me more than
the place was worth, and gave to
boot a little cash, saying he hated
to see me dead broke. Then he
offered to sell me the place back
for a whole lot less than he gave
me for it, and even now, when
land here in the delta is high, and
after all these years, he is trying to
sell it for less than he gave me.
Now does that look like man
who is against the poor white man.!
But that is not all. l rented land
from another man for few years,
and then went to Mr.. Scott and
asked him to rent me rich little
place of his near his Malvina place.
He did so, and at some trouble to
fix it, too; and for four years. un-
til this year, l have been his ten
ant. The first year with him I
made good money; the last three
years Our crops have been bad.
There was too much rain and l
have been sick, and had a hard
time to support my family; and
during all this Mr.. Scott has been
my best friend. He furnished me
from his store and sent us his own
doctor whenever we need one, end
let me pay when could, and never