Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1919-03-06

should be dealt with. This is no time
TO sugar-coat, play to the galleries and
engage in idle discuss ion. 1t is q time
for action. Smith county needs to go
forward instead of backward. The
editors of the Courier have no political
axes to grind, but we do have an un-
selfish interest in the welfare Of Smith
county, as it is here that we expect
to live and die.
AS is already known by some, Billy
is serving his second term as repre-
The bill to drag the office Of County
superintendent of schools into politics
is the first local measure during this
entire time that materially affected
this county. We did not think the lit
tie fish and squirrel laws passed by
him last session would do any great
damage either way. He intimateS
that the Governor influenced him to
introduce the measure to drag the
schools into politics, but this is hard
ly consistent, as Billy has voted yes
on but few of the bills advocated by
the governor. Instead of telling the
people why, and from what source
demand for a bill to drag the Office
of Smith County Superintendent into
politics came, Billy gets mad and
we expressed an opinion that the
County Court had always and could
continue to handle the matter salts
factorily. Anyway, since when has
Billy become so great that no one is
allowed to criticise his official record
When. an official gets too big to be
criticised, he is getting too big for the
Office. On the floor of the legislature,
it appears that Billy has bluffed some
of the Nashville papers; and, perhaps
if we didn't know him and believe
him to be our friend, we would not
cross him. But Billy knows that we
are not the fighting kind, so we feel
free to express our views of his off,
cial record without fear.
In his storm, Billy says: 81 did
not seek this Office, but the Office
sought me-" Then, pity the Office.
He also brings out the fact that we
never supported him in his race. We
haven't told Billy that he did not Is-
ceive our votes, but he knows that we
always prefer the man who stands
for progress rather than the man who
opposes progress in every form. Bill
ly also mentions an attorney. TIE
hatred Brother Wilson bears toward
this attorney or any other individual
is no concern of ours, and Billy knows
IT, IOO- ne uses ~ Oily W lily bV
raise some of that old dennagogic pre-.
judice that has existed In Smith conn
ty too long. He tries to get funny
with the telephone, but the matter OF
dragging the schools of Smith county
into politics is of earnest concern, and
if Billy had the interest of the bare
foot boys and girls at heart as he
should have and pretends to have, he
would deal with the question more
seriously. Billy would have placed
himself in a much better light and
would have proven his worthiness OF
the high position he holds if ne had
left off a lot of the vituperation and
demagogic stuff in his reply and, in
an intelligent way, told the people
why he thought the County Court OF
Smith County should quit selecting
the County Superintendent and allow
the Office to be dragged into politics.
| Billy, among numerous other things,
says he is going to stump this county
from one end to the other when the
| Legislature is over. We do not know
what subjects he will use in these ora
| tions, but we are willing to wager he
will not say one word in the interest
of good roads or advocate better hv-
| ing conditions for Smith Countians in
any other respect. His former tao
tics on the stump have been TO cuss
out the school teachers and every
one else trying to do things for the
/ betterment of the county.