The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-19
CONTINUED from Preceding Paoo.)


ance and incompetence of such
labor as is left. You complain that a
half sick, uneducated, poverty
and Intellectual population gives the
county a bad name and hurts your
business, and it does. But when 1 try
to remedy these conditions with my
fool activities your influence hampers
me at every turn. And why? Never
mind answering. III tell you why. Be-
cause you're penpy-wise and pound
foolish, because you are the heaviest
taxpayer and begrudge the few dol
lars these improvements would add to
your tax bill, because you draw fat
dividends from crooked commission
houses and fatten yourself on the need
Of others and because you are adding
to your nasty pile the dirty money
that comes TO the hacker of Tom
hearings lawless trade!"
stop right there" shouted the
furious money lender, who had all
along been vainly trying to register
his protest but had been swept aside
by the torrent OF words and the
furious indignation of this modern
Elijah. "Stop!" he repeated. You
call me a criminal"
We'll, isn't that the word? You
rob the very land you have robbed
others to get and cut down your own
profits by doing it. You imprison be-
hind mud roads against their will
hundreds OF souls who are yearnins
for freedom to go and come and to see
their fellow men. and you increase
your own cost Of hauling and limit
your own business by so doing. You
drive labor away by blocking progress
and you corrupt what's left You
SANDER the county and wonder why
you never get top prices for your
products. You are to blame for the
impression that no good thing can
come out of this Nazareth. You hurt
others but yourself most of all, and
now you talk of my fool activities.
have given you a chance to help undo
some Of the harm you have done. Now
I am going to do it myself. Good
day."
The cold, hard old reprobate was
Visiby shaken, but made no reply.
White with anger he sat down and
gszed rigidly off into space. deliberately
pretending to ignore his accuser. but
Ills thin, small mouth became thinner
and smaller and spamodic clenching
and and unclenching of fists betrayed
the fighter eager to strike.
After we had started away in
Blunts car I ventured a gentle ex-
postulation over what seemed to me a
costly At of temper. This man could
have helped the church SO wonder
fully if handled with tact But this
unaccountable clergyman explained
that it was not fit of temper. Every
community, he went on, has some dis
ease; sometimes it is diffused and one
can afford the time for gentler meth
DDS, sometimes it comes to a head In
one person or a group Of persons as in
this case. I'VE have an acute and
malignant attack of Adrian Rudolph
and there is no time for soothing
syrup. The poison is spreading toe
rapidly. Symptoms indicate an opera
ton and / am about to operate"
We drew up in a cloud of dust at
the Dec postoffice and T. B. jumped
cuL ana hurried INTO tne blOTe. lucre
was suspicious shutting as if some
thing were being hastily concealed. AS
l entered the store at the heels of my
friend, the atmosphere left me in no
doubt as 10 what was being concealed
Tom Nearing" began Blunt at
once, do you realize how much harm
you are doing to this whole county by
the sneaking business you are con-
oucting?"
'Whatcha mean, snealin' business
the post Office department amt what
It might be these days. but I never
heard II was sneakin'!"
All. comedy. as live! But I'm
here TO ask you II you intend to STOP
selling rotgut to these poor tmbeciles
here"
Il don't sell whiskey an I've said
ia bust the man wide open that says
do"
We'll / say you do and stand here
waiting to be busted wide open!"