The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-08-10
THOUGHTS OF
A FISHERMAN
By Uncle Ike Walton

When a fellow gets into a bad
humor. it's time to quit talking,
and specially writing. That's why
7 have not been heard from for
some time. The reason / got mao
is this: The county welfare agent,
or director of relief, or whatever
you call him met me gong down
the road with my pole one day,
and he says:
Uncle Ike. want to make some
easy money!"
Il never saw any," said.
well" he said," if you will let
your corn-field lie out this year,
the government will pay you for
it."
Il heard about that tomfool,.
cry" | said, "but l think will
keep out of it."
"Why, Uncle Ike, it is the pol
icy Of the party this year, and
always thought you were a good
Democrat"
"Wen, / am" l replied, "but
that don't make me a fool all the
time"
But he kept on at me, until l
consented, against my better
judgment. | let my best field lie
out. on a promise Of about five
dollars an acre.
Not long after that, along
comes the purchasing agent Of
the CCC camp, and he asked me
if l didn't want to sell him some
roasting ears when they came IN.
He said he would contract to take
all l could furnish at 15c dozen
at the roadside. AS that meant
about a dollar and a half a
bushel of the kind of corn | raise,
II closed the bargain. But | had
, only half as much land as gen
orally. Then | calculated that l
had lost 20 dollars an acre on my
best field. Then l read about the
drouth in the west; and then
about the hail in this section;
then about killing little pigs and
their mothers; and | got madden
and madden. Then | told Sam
about it. Sam told me the story
of General Grant and his secre-
tary. It's old, but maybe some
of you folks have not heard it.
Grants secretary told the pres
ident that the Democrats were
making hot campaign, and
things were looking shaky for the
old generals second race. But
the president said:
Don't worry, my SOP; you can
always depend on the Democrats
to play the D.F. at the right time
for u.s."
When they come around telling
your uncle Ike that he must lose
money, and let the country
starve, and play the idiot gen
orally because it's the policy of
the party, Pm going to tell them
to go where the woodbine twin
eth, and it's hotter than F.D.R.
found it in Minnesota yesterday,
and Pm going to see if | can't
get some sense into the party. OF
if not, I'll just be ready to live
under Republican rule like I used
to for most of my life. That's
why l got too mad to talk or
write for quite a while. It's time
for some horse-sense in this coun-
try anyhow. Those IVA fellows
are always talking about more
horsepower; what we need is
more horse-sense.- What'll they do
with all that extra power if they
stop the farmers from planting,
and the miners from digging, and
the fishermen from fishing, and
the boys from counting because,
they are typewriting in bureaus,
and the preachers from preaching
because they don't want them to
tell the truth about the AL
mighty's Furnishing wickedness in
destroying crops, and leave only
the doctors ard the bureaucrats
and the undertakers on the job?
A lot of horsepower they will
sell then. If it hadn't been for
Sallie's good influence over me /
think I'd a got my gun: but | am
in a good humor now because
Eds got back and seen with his
place. i
Yet however futile our efforts
here seem TO be, we should re-