The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1915-06-11
THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN.
AND HE WENT A CROOKED MILE"

There is an irremediable conflict between Honesty and Dshon-
esty. This conflict ar never be abated. When any man seeks to
combat and destroy any honest principle he declares himself dis
honest. This is an axiom and will not admit of debate. If one at
tempts to destroy honesty he is necessarily an advocate of dshon-
esty, hence dishonest.
Governor Brewer has given his administration the distinct char
acter of honesty; perhaps it is better to say that his administration
has the inherent character of honesty. BY the incident of birth
Governor Brewer is incapable of grating, by the accident of for
tune it is unnecessary that he should be rapacious. Nature made
him honest. and his own efforts have made it unnecessary for him to
steal, even if he were inclined that way. Only the hungry, destitute
or Indifferent steal. He is neither.
Entering office he detected certain laxity in the administration
of great properties of the state some penal properties, eleemosyn-
airy properties. He directed the eye of the law tina: way with the
result that some OF the offenders are in Jail. The entire administra-
tive staff of the state sat up. winked their eyes sleepily, and, seeing
that a goblin would get them if they didn't watch out, stifened their
backbones, got down to business and are giving the state a good ad-
ministration of their several Offices. Increased efficiency. The
Governors opponents are crying persecution of these Office holders
because he made them do their duty. If the Governor did his duty
honestly, as he had sworn to do, those who are opposing his action
are dishonest. Only thieves oppose disturbing thieves.
Seeing great loss to the state by reason of careless dealing on
the part of officials, and apparently fraudulent dealing on the part
of some men who had bought the states cotton, he directed legal
inquiry. Result: More-much more careful dealing on the part of
the officials. The Governor was honest in all this. His enemies
opposed and sought to thwart him. They opposed honesty. What
are they3 Logic; Dishonest. Seeing apparent evidence of feloni-
Gus attempts on the part of certain officials both in the legislative
and the administrative departments of the state government he d.
rected legal inquiry. While the legal evidence was apparently in
sufficient to convict, the moral evidence left a strong presumption of
guilt. The Governor was honest in his purpose. If this is true, and
it is true, what are those who oppose this honest purpose? Logic;
Dishonest. Combating honesty is in itself dishonesty.
To secure fuller, more exhaustive investigation the Governor
employed men whose profession it is to investigate. Detectives.
And why not? The evil doors had slyly acted in the dark and hid.
den ways and places. Though the faults were there it required skill
to detect them. The records of the Governors office will show du-
ring his brief tenure of power as acting Governor, when he like
ALBANY with feeble hand,
Held borrowed truncheon of command"
the Lieutenant Governor had interviews with, and employed detect
ives to investigate certain facts where the burning of state property
was involved. And yet he and his satellites are going up and down
the state inveighing against the Governors employment of detect
ives. We want to say right here that perhaps the most humiliating
page of the states history is the dictograph conversation recorded
between a hungry, destitute member of the State Senate and a
wealthy citizen. F&
And so on down the line. The Governor has given US a clean
administration; a diigent administration, and an honest administra-
ton. For this reason, and because he prosecuted vice, no matter
how highly placed, he is pursued by a clamorous horde of office
seekers who are defying and decryirg virtue because virtue and
their success are not in harmony. We commend this line of thought
to thoughtful Mississippians.
The Governor is only a man; he is liable to error, the same as
you and we. but he is an honest man who has tried to do his duty,
and because his movement in that line has brought the iniquity of
and faithful servant. 1t IS true the crooks are hurt; they are injured
and panied, and therefore they are squealing, but they got hurt in
the line of duty; but it was not in the line of their duty but of the
Governors duty.
The Governor has been straight. In the very nature of things the
crooks can't keep straight. AS we would rather be straight than
cooked let US stand with the Governor. In the meantime the
crooks are trying to wriggle their crooked way to Office, but
There was a crooked man,
And he went a crooked mile"
But he didn't get any further. The crook wants to be in Office so
that he may get some pie. This is natural for he is hungry, but we
is limited to his crooked mile. He has gone his mile and his jour
ney is ended.
Its a long, long way to T,pperary."