Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-02-25
WHEREIN WE ARE NOT GREAT.
Senator Werner Directs Attention to
Our Exceeding Smallness.

Courier to learn what became or my
last letter, but | suppose it was pub
lished, because of letters and news
papers and clippings that have come
to me since-one letter coming from
North Carolina-all along one line
that Of the suppression Of crime.
This is the last letter that | will
write you from Columbia, and / am
going to deviate from the usual lines
Of writing or speaking.
The main stock in trade with the
average writer or speaker in this
State as well as elsewhere, is to boast
Of the greatness Of the State or
States. 'The great State of South
Carolina" is heard so often in the
3 State Senate that it has become such
a contagion that even the chaplain is
wont to repeat those words in prayer.
This thing has so impressed me
that / have tried to see wherein we
are so great. They tell us we have
the record of the greatest yield of
corn grown to the acre. What Of it,
when we are away toward the bottom
of the list Of States in the average?
They say we are great manufac-
turing State. In what way? Certain
ly the appearance Of many Of the cot
ton mill villages does not give that
impression.
They say we have virtuOuS women.
/ grant that one point is scored there,
but that fact is obscured by the fur
ther fact that we have many houses
Of vice.
They say many other things, just
to please some folks, but at least half
Of what you hear or read is not
founded on fact.
Now, for the sake Of variety, sup
pose we take a peep at the other
Sld9-Wnpreln
By keeping my mouth shut and my
eyes and ears open | have made these
observations:
1. / think there is more vanity to
the square inch in South Carolina
than anywhere on this entire earth.
The typical South Carolinian thinks
the sun rises in Charleston and sets
If left to me-n Oconee county
The boundary line OF this State is the
horizon Of his world; Columbia is
his Mecca. If he should chance to
let the scales drop from his eyes long
enough to look across the State line,
it would be for a brief glance in the
direction of Washington, D. c., faint
ly hoping that he might ultimately
prove to be one Of the "elect' and
land in that holy Of holies.
2. We have a universal, insatiate,
uncomfortable propensity for making
that this winter no less than 1900
bills have been urged as necessary
to be added to the statutes of, the
State.
3. We have no respect for author
ity, but live in daily and open viola
ton of the laws of this Common
wealth.
The first two observations are per-
haps harmless. The third is deserv-
ing OF more condemnation than any
and all other matters now in the
public mind-if, indeed, it can be in
ihv uan''r mind nj all. So, whether
Ne &c arca. 81 noe of one thing l am
,eI.ain. We IrN IL ain, self-centered,
ana 10 an n,0wuiUg degree lawless
poh,..1. We iEnOTG good laws and
n.""" IHtin attempts to enforce some
1ad ones. When gotng home one day
iast win teri mCC a banker. He knew
that / had taken an active part in
killing compulsory school attend
ance bill. He said that young man
came to his bank to borrow money;
that he had to make his mark on the
ncte-could not sign his name-and
that was his reason for wishing to
compel children to go to school.
asked him what rate of interest he
charged the young man. He Wiggled
about and finally stammered out IL
per cent. | asked him which he
thought the greater enemy Of this
govern rnmont-the rich man who stole
from the poor or the poor man who
by reason of not stealing. was not
able to send his child to school, | am
still asking that question, and so far
nave had to answer it myself. 1t is
not hard to answer. The uSury law
is a good one, but there is an elect
class who appear to be above the
law and they say no. This banker
deliberately stole about $500 from
this man, and yet he wants to know
what makes Bleaseism.
Now we have one powerful bad
law-that providing for the sale of
whiskey. There is a lot of money
spent endeavoring to enforce this
law, and | could name a half dozen
good laws that are utterly ignored
and no attempt made to enforce them.
In the Senate recently | heard a
Senator, in speaking of the lunatics
in the asylum, refer to them as chose
unfortunate people whom God in His
wisdom had seen fit to afflict." That
same man represents one OF the wick
eldest places in this State, where H.
quor Is sold in almost any quantity
and Of almost any quality. The wise
ones tell us great per cent Of lunacy
is caused by the use Of whiskey. Now
when you place liquor right in a
mans way and really want him to
buy it so as to raise revenue, he does
buy, and drinks, and beats his wife
neglects his children and finally lands
in the penitentiary or the asylum, do
you think it fair to say that God had
anything to do with that? 1t looks
more like the work OF the devil, and
I hat 10 In CHI