The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1913-02-14
Communicated.
Progress. Lexington, Tenn.

4 oPoSC ouIouSH your NdiuuUlc pa
per to say that many of those
who favored the stock law did
not vote in the so-called election
by Hon. Hare and Roberts, | be-
ing among the number.
| The reasons for refraining are
many and strong ones and should
be before the people as we'll as
before the Honora BILE Legislators
who ordered said election aud
expected to be controlled by and
act under its instructions and or
ders.
The strongest ones are:
| 1t sets up an illegal election
above legal one and is in viola
ton of the laws of our state in
as much as we are under a legal
Representative Government and
not popular illegal one.
1t puts the non, paying poll
tax payer who can't vote with.
out receipt in a legal election
above the legal law abiding tax
payer and voter and allows him
to instruct the legally elected
Legislator to vote against the in
terest of those who elected him.
There are 1900 poll tax payers
in the county who paw no realty
taxes and more than 700 Of those
who pay no poll as shown by
the delinquencies on the tax
settlements.
1t kills the issues upon which
our Legislators were elected
who were put out and elected
upon an issue of civic righeous-
ness and moral law. For an H..
legal election held on tomorrow
similar to the one just held
would put saloons back in Lex
ington and defeat the very is.
sues that elected Hare and Rob,
erts, and for which they must
stand, and put them predica-
ment which would bring up the
yeighty question of Apostacy.
Again it assumes to set up an
illegal, immoral law by the |
hands OF a legal moral legislator.
In fact it is anarchy against law.
Every question of law is a
moral question, since it carries
with it the question of right or
wrong.
If right moral. If wrong i'm
Can one hundred and forty
and four thousand majority in
struct a moral Legislator to stand
for an immoral law.
How can we vote to tell anoth-
er how to vote upon moral
question, for he alone must pass
upon that for himself.
Again we are not in favor of a
popular illegal vote making our
laws. But we believe in and
stand for the doctrine of our
Daddies and the constitution Of
our state. A legal Representa-
tive Government.
1t was good enough for them
and is good enough for us, and is
the Magma Charter of our Liber-
ties.
Render therefore unto Caesar
the things that are Caesars is
the text Of the stock law advo-
Gates. 1t needs no one to plead
far it other than the text.
Some may be land poor. Christ
was poor for he had not where
to lay his sacred head, but he
stood for his poor followers to
render unto the Rich King that
which was his.
Standing for the doctrine of
right and right only.
Now as | see it | had as soon
vote for law for one to have to
keep his house locked to keep
someone from trespassing and
taking possession with his fani.
Iy, as to vote for him to fence
his farm to keep him from TAX
ing possession of it with his
stock. The principles are the
same and identical-for either
would be a trespass whether
locked or fenced or not.
AS | said it | would prefer to
vote for Ben Page to run his wa
ter mill toll free than vote for
one to fence his farm at his own
expense against the trespass of
another's stock. For Ben's wa
ter is free, but wire rails and la
Dor are dear and fences inter
fere with the conveniences and
rights of others. Such as high
ways, water coures and neigh
borhood roads besides tim Der
should be preterved for future
generations, for it is a crime
against them to wantonly destroy
The inheritance which the God
r. ~ Il 'co.tL..