Henderson gold leaf., 1911-09-28
OUR TOWN GOVERNMENT.
Re Careful, Little Children, for the
DeviI Is Among You Taking Notes.


I have written several articles crit
iri-ing the town government. have
aided. bleached and blistered,
scared and signed some parts OF the
administration, and as no one an
-wered the articles ] had begun to
think that the town government
wa- dead enough to be immune to
dynamite and impervious to light
uJnr. But in the stiffness OF the
ui.sht one commissioner, Mr.. o. ..
White, II good man, rises to remark.
The sum and substance of his article
in the Gold Leaf is that | have talk
,d enough, that it is time for me to
da something, that my oath OF OF
tfrr requires action.
I'm answer thereto | will say that |
have been on the board only few
months In that time | have accom-
rIi-hcd the following:
~. BY motion, ordered the two
pight police each to make two regu-
FAR beats over town each night for
ynur protection.
~. Bv motion, painted every
street post and signin town, improV-
rI the lookup and repaired the mu-
nicipal building.
90. Found the present fine pair of
horses in Baltimore, on which horses
Nm" town was offered 5000 profit be-
lore they reached Henderson.
~. Helped agitate and perfect
settlement with the dispensary. This
settlement has now been made and
about $50 i'll cash turned into the
town treasury.
l5j. BY motion, placed the town
on "a much better sanitary basis.
(GD. BY motion, deferred the clos
ing Of one Of HendersOn's thorough
lurrs.
~. BY motion, revised the license
tax list and added twenty or more
concerns on the tax list which had
never paid n cent of license tax be-
fore and thereby turned another
500 or 5000 annually into the
same town treasury.
During my few months service on
the board have saved for the town
several hundred dollars and on an
average have made n motion for the
bptterment of the town at each meet
iug have attended.
Now, Mr.. White, have shown you
what | have done and since you
have come ont in print you take the
witness stand and let me play the
part Of examining lawyer.
tD. | ask you, Mr.. White, if you
have not been on the board of town
commissioners about 1S months
and if your term OF office is not now
drawing to II close? (2). | ask you.
MIR. White, to tell the jury whether
or not in that time You have been
the father of q single motion except
motions to adjourn If so, MIR.
White, state them. (3). | ask you,
Mr. White, to point out single
motion OF your framing for the bet
tprment of the town? "a. Task you,
MIR. White, If you were even consult
ed when the slate for town officers
was made out? 90. | ask you, Mr..
White, II yuu did nOtVOta for IL sixty
years electrical power company
franchise for Henderson, to bind the
town for sixty long years, and | ask
you if when you so voted you knew
anything whatever about electricity
or municipal franchises? | ask you
further il yOu did not vote directly
against the advice Of your paid at
tOrney, thereby placing your jndg-
ment above his Judgment of the law?
Whether tue franchise will do us
good or not has nothing to do with
the question. | ask you if n vote to
out knowledge or information is not
"A most dangerous vote? 60. | ask
You, Mr. White, if after comparing
my service on the board with your
service, do You still think you are
the proper person to call me into ac-
tion and to call me out of the pa
pers! (O.I ask you, Mr.. White, il
the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany in front of you ever paid any
license tax and if not did you ever
have it listed for said tax? (S).
ask you, Mr.. White, if the Henderson
Storage Company back of you ever
paid any license tax and if not did
You ever have it listed for said tax?
CO.. | ask you, Mr. White, if the
Southern Express Company on your
left hand ever paid any license tax,
and if not did you ever have it listed
for said tax? Q0). | ask you, Mr..
White, if the Postal Telegraph Com
Pany on your right ever paid any
license tax, and if not did you ever
have it listed for said tax? (1D.
ask You, Mr.. White, if people and
concerns all around you and all over
town that ought to have paid taxes
were not listed and did not pay at
all, and | ask you if you ever put q
single one of them on the roll? 02)
ask you, Mr.. White-but what is
the Use? Do you think | ought tC
have been called into action by you!
Mr. White ventures the assertion
III his article that | claim to be g
business man. To be plain, | do
furthermore, | give my opinion bas
rd upon over ten years of business
experience in three different town.
and base my reputation as a bust
hess man in this community upOI
the single statement that the tow
government from mayor down is too
slow and too inefficient for a tOwr
the size of Henderson. Write again
Mr.. White. Come in; the water il
fine. But when yon begin to appea
IN public controversy, remembe
these little lines:
Watch out, Brother White. fur de fir
iu the way.
And pray fur de wisdom of the wise
lie lamb he lay down wild de lion on
day
Bat de lion was fuller when he rise.
Watch out, Brother White. Pray da
and night,
When de public is meeting of your ga7t
When your conscience tell you dat you
votes falling right,
All Hell is Just fixing fur to blaze
Mr.. Silus Powell is one of the con
mlssiOners of Henderson. As sue
he is public officer and as publ
man he must stand the criticisms {
a free press. Mr.. Powell told m