The Polk County Republican. (Ducktown, Tenn.) 1914-191?, 1915-11-26
AN oPENLETTER.

the people OF fOlk county lnIOuSh lOui
paper. have been prosecuted along with
my friends, Pack, Shearer. Amburn and
McBrayer. We have been arraigned be
fore the courts of Justice for false book
keeping and embezzlement of county
money. This has b, en- very humiliating
to me- have to visit the schools of OuI
county and talk to the children and en-
courage theml | love to meet friends but
all of this has put me so | did not want to
see any one until this cloud was lifted.
We have been indicated. 1t was po-
itical ring which undertook to ruin us We
said truth" would rise and so it has.
We have stood for what we thought was
right. We left our politics at home when
we went to cOurt-we tried to he Up every
part of the county.
The High schools owe their existance to
our help. At COpperhill its High school
was defeated twice in the county court
we left our station as presiding officer and
led the fight to victory and secured for the
children there the same advantage Duck
town and Benton had. am asking moth
ing for this, only it hurts us to hear of the
paper there hitting us every chance he has,
A farmer plowed up snake one cold
day and took tt to the fire and warmed it.
When it got warm and felt that it did not
need his services any longer-bit the far
mer and killed him.
When the dark hour of the Benton
High School were here stood by it. We
stood for Benton when they tried to move
the court house. All the improvements
around the court house we're made at our
suggestion. Then we were threatened
with DEATH It's hard to work for any one
for such wages.
For fifty years there have been few
who ran things about the county seat
they belong to both political parties. Be.
cause they were not allowed to stick their
shouts in the county swill barrel, they
bring on this persecution, thinking, per.
haps, they can kill our influence. How
about our successor VIM. Prince? He was
all 0 K with them until they found Out
that he did his own thinking; then they at
tackled him. Is not this now all plain to
the people.
The county books have been audited
have you heard anything crooked in my
books? They sent out the false report that
chairman's books were not audited. Why!
They accuse me Of crookedness- why
not show it up? TLey are in position
to have it done, why not go back and do it!
They lie and they know it. have been
exhonorated and now they stand discredited
in the eyes Of the people. Everybody is
convinced except one class Of people. II
is said: "Convince,a fool against his will
and he's Of the same opinion still" We
don't care to convince this class of people.
When first elected chairman they paid
me 5000 year, then raised me $500 and
later to $500, without my asking. We had
served two years on the pike committe, on
board OF health and on workhouse with
out pay except salary. We asked the court
to buy some shingles left over from cover
ing court house, and to our surprise they
gave them to me. Much has been said
about this. People have been told that
stole them.
We refused extra pay on pike commits
sion. This is now told. They want the
people to think me all crooked. We wan
to say, these gentlemen are straight SO ial
as we know. The county never had bet
OLD. .Lo., N DocL He no