The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-12-31

4 ny sCHeihhS Poh'iS 'S AO'
years.
ION the other hand, some of the
people that ! have met there are the
incest that I ever ran across in my
life. A man from the south has more
politeness and more thought for yot
and more general decercy than any
I ever met from any other place. A
fathcr. working. will say to his son
VIII you please get me- this or that
never met a boy there who thought
IL was smart to speak of his father
Is the old man
Much of the travelling in Kentucky
Is still done by the old-fashioned
method of horse back. That is one
reason why the roads are still so mar
row and rough. Automobiles are not
often seen in the country and even
i'm the cities you cannot find them
nearly so frequent as here In the
north.
| I'm the summer season the dust on
the roads gets half way up to your
knees. Winter comes on and the mud
is bottomless. The state highway de-
partment has recently been organ
lied. and have been cooperating
with that in my work.
"One obstacle that | have had to
meet the fact that the political class
has been building itself up with
| money. When the federal govern
! ment stepped i'm and told the Ken
tuckians that they had to get hun
dred cents worth of work for every
dollar of money that was laid out In
the road work, 1t took a job away
from the politicians. Most Of my
work is in western Kentucky. ! have
| 100000 worth OF road work con-
tracted for, and it is all going to be
good solid hard road. met with
serious opposition from the politicians
because they wanted to spend the
money of the state for themselves.
Engineers Service Free:
The federal government does not
contribute any money at all to that
road work. but II just donates the
services of its engineers. The en-
ginecr is there to see that an honest
Job is done. He makes daily reports
TO Washington on what Is being done.
Any time the state or counties fail
TO cooperate with the government I'm
getting the work done, the govern
ment can withdraw its aid. The state
has no engineers of its own Of any
ability. So il the state wants the
services of any engineers, il must de-
pend on what II can get from the
government. I'm tho same way. II any
county does not wish To do its share
IL. sat1
can withdraw its aid. and the govern
ment its engineers.
Il attended the horse races at
Louisville. That Is the great sport
there. There is not one of those old
Kentucky colonies that gives any
thing for an automobile race. but II
Is horse race that will make them
como out and bet their money. They
are all true sports.
Brooks Called a Captain.
All the gentlemen are called by
some nice title II you go around
looking dignified. they are apt to call
you judge. and once a Judge. you will
always be a judge. am Captain
Brooks TO my Kentucky friends. This
Is because direct the work on the
roads. | used to wonder how Ken
lucky came to have so many colonels,
hut now | know II is merely a matter
OF politeness.
One thing that all visitors to Ken
tucky must remember is that they
must not call negro Mr.. or Mrs. or
Miss. You may call negro brother.
or uncle or auItie. Al the same time
II is true that in q way the southern
white man loves the negro. but II Is
just as you or | would love q noble
horse or dog. The white man abso-
lutely insists on the negro keeping
his place.
IL is net niece: sary for you u know
negro's last name. A negro woman
comes TO work for you and you ask
her name. II may be Molly. or Aunt
Sally or Aunt Phoebe. That Is all
you need know.
ut cannot be denied that the
southern people are as good to the
negroes as they can be. II is true
that the southerners are improvident.
They do not look out for the future
but when seasons of scarcity come
they take care OF the negroes while
they are taking care Ct themselves.
The negroes will not be allowed to
starvc.
One southerncr once said 10 me.
We could not get along without the
negro. hut we would net fight for
him. ! saw that he was disposed to
pick quarrel with me, but simply
replied. 'You southerners treat the
negroes better than we northerners
do. That remark seemed to please
him.
On the other hand. IL a negro in
suits white woman. the white men
do not hesitate to deal harshly with
him There have been two or three
lynchings in Western Kentucky since
] have been there. They feel that
they have TO do that. Lawlessness IL
rampant I'm the state. IT You have anv
not words with southerner he Is
pretty sure to pull a gun on YOU. Dur-
ing the time | have been I'm Western
Kentucky. four men have been killed
In shooting that resulted from some
petty quarrel
Reports Not overdrawn.
! used TO think the reports of
these lawless proceedings were over
drawn but this is not by any means
me case. ! must speak OF the Night