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"HERE SHALL THE PRESS. THE PEOPLE'S RIGHTS MAINTAIN; UNA WED BY INFLUENCE AND UNBRIBED BY GAIN.'
VOLUMN XXII.
MOCKSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1921.
NUMBER 4j.
The Situation At ThomaiTille.
The inquiry into the particulars
of the ghastly affair that has horri
fied the town of Thomasville is the
business of the courts, and, until
the courts have passed upon it, for
a newspaper to express an opinion
upon the merits of the case would
be the height of impropriety, Nev
ertheless a situation has arisen
which has nothing to do with the
guilt or innocence of the man in
Lexington jail, which existed, in
fact, before the murder, and which
at least one Thomasville man. Dr.
M. L. Kesler, has boldly charged
led up to the killing.
This situation is the habit, more
or less common to every communi
ty, of visiting upon the head of an
enforcing officer the odium of an
unpopular law. Cheif of Police
Taylor was venomously hated in
Thomasville., but even his bitterest
enemies admit that he was an ex
traordinarily active and energetic
officer. Certain people were skepti
cel of the sicerity of his motives, but
all admit that he was a hustle-.
Common-law crimes within his ter
ritory had become rare; satutory
offense at least unauthorized of
fenseshad become more dangerous
than they had ever been before. ;
But it was not his relentless war
fare upon criminals whose activity
was directed against persons and
property that won such hatred for
the officer. It was his equally rigor
ous enforcement of the statues reg
ulating personal conduct. The f act
that he had been sending to the
roads or to the penitentiary a con
stant succession of sneak-theives,
automobile lif fers and gun and
knife-figliters irever arouse -.against
him any dangerous section of pub
lict opinion; it was when he Jbegan
either to cut off entirely, or to
monopolize, the liquor supply, and
above all when he began to raid
private card-parties" that the storm
arose.
Nor is it difficult to explain. Cen
turies ago all men everywhere
learned to recognize crimes ageinst
the person and against property as
unquestionably crimes; but we have
never yet been able to inculcate into
all minds the idea that crimes a
gainst the statues are necessarily
crimes at all, If a man picks your
pocket, or steals your, automobile,
or sets fire to your house, you know
he is a criminal, everybody else
knows he is a criminal, and most
important of allnhe knows he is a
criminal, he has definitely and ad
mittedly stepped out of the rank of
honest men, deliberatel) and finally
listeded himself among the disrepu
table element. He has thenceforth
no claim to be relied upoir in any
thing. But a man who buys and
keeps whiskey for his own use or
who sits in occasionally in a poker
game, although he knows that he
is violating the statutes, is for from
regarding himself as a criminal. In
fact, if every man who ever violated
the prohibition law of. the v statutes
against gambling were landed be
hind the bars, business in this coun
try would be paralyzed more com
pletely than by a general strike.
At the same time, the law is the
law, and the officers charged with
the duty of enforcing it is not re
sponsible for its provisions. Noth
ing is more hypocritically unjest
than the attitude of the man who
sanctimoniously votes for air-tight
prohibition, because he is afraid of
his wife, or his -pastor, and then
villi fies the cjfficers who attempt to
enforce the lkw whichhe has sup
ported in public and violates in pri
vate. Such a course - weakens re
spect for all laws; and men who
help to break down the moral of
any organization bear the heaviest
part of the responsibility for the de
feat that will inevitably follow the
collapse of morale. ' ' -
At is a faithful tnr1irtiAt that
Kesler broueht. as he stood
Dr.
over the grave of the dead officer:
4tIt is a compound murder. Every
man who aided in weakening or
neutralizing his prosecutins of boot
leggers, etc, 'every' man who criti
cised the effort to break up Lombin
es of privileged offenders, all who
howled for his destruction because
he dared to tackle these untouched
offenders are red-handed murderers
because the bars of God."
We repeat, we are hot in position
to judge the accuracy of the doctors
beleif; but we know him well en
ough to realize that nothing on
earth could induce him to bring
such a fearful charge unless he be
lieved it with his whole soul. And
wheth it applies to the Thomasville
case or not, it certainly applies to a
good many others that have not
been brought to the attention of
the state in such a lurid light. The
increasing habit of giving lip-service
to laws which we have no intention
of respecting in private, is perhaps
the most sinister development of re
cent 'years. It may lead to any
thing; and murderous anarchy is
by no means beyond the limit of its
possibilities. Greensboro News.
Cheer Up!
Adverting to conditions estab
lished by storms, frost, low prices
and tight money, The Statesville
Landmark makes the manifestly
honest admission that these ' 'en
courage gloom," but it does not en
courage the gloomy view. On the
contrary, it contends that bad as af
fairs now seem, they have been
worse with our own people, and
whether some croakers will be in
clined to admit it, the fact remain?,
as stated by our bright spirited con
temporary, that "we have had just
as bad storms and worse; we have
had flood damage that has been
much worse, that frost damage his
been as bad or worse many times,
that the prices of farm products
Riave been lower, and that the pre
sent business depression and tight
ness of monej' isn't a drop in the
bncket" compared with what it has
been. In short, we are mighty
well off considering what. we might
be. Our conditions seems worse to
us because it is in contrast with the
flush, obnormal times the war
period. 'Ain't it so?
The Landmark defends a truth
which must be admitted, that
"we're doing mighty well to be as
well off as we are; and we are much
better off than we deservt to be
that we should give thanks instead
of putting on the long face and put
ting up the poor mouth." Char
lotte Observer.
Need For Road Work.
We do a great deal of grumbling
about the rough journey of life
when we might - be using our
strength to better advantage in
mending the road.
Never Lacks Victims.
The old-fashioned man who
sought the gas leak with a candle
noMhas a rival in the girl who
stands near an open fire while
cleaning her gloves with gasoline.
Buffalo Express, f
Preferable.
Says and exchange: "Soon now
the grass will grow again but don't
let it be under your feet." Still say
we better thus than to have it
growing over your head. Bostern,
Transcript. ...
Girl, 4 Weighs 101 Lbs.
Ethel May Poff, a four-year-old
miss, tips the beeni at 101 pounds.
Her home is in Strong City, Kans
as. ' : - ' ' '
We see that a New York sponge
company has gone into the hand of
a receiver. Must have, absorbed its
assets. Cincinnati Enquirer.
New names are being added to
our books daily. Is yours there?
An Answer To ' Heartfelt Farmer."
Editor Davie Record: Please al
low me space in your valued col
umns in behalf of the Law and Or
der League movement. I am a
member of the League at Cornat
zer. Some few weeks ago a League
was "ordanized here. Since that
time the water has been boiling
pretty high; so much so that Hearts
felt Farmer and his poor tenant
had to pop off or bust. I suppose
it is better that he popped off.. The
League is sure putting on the pres
sure. Had Mr. Heartfelt busted it
would only have been his heart for
his article shows it could not have
been his head, for if the gray mat
ter in his head, if according to his
letter was dynamite, it would not
be sufficient to blow the cap off a
peanut. So much for the head. It
seems too, that his heart began to
get sick of his letter down toward
the bottom and he got so nervous
he couldn't sign his name, and I
don't blame his poor heart not to
let. him! However, his article has
been right amusing, but hasn't giv
en any information. Everybody
around the burg knows Heartfelt
and his poor tenant, so the letter
didn't' bring any news. " But may:
be some of The Record readers
would be glad to know more about
the great reformer. He is a fine
fellow to go to church and sit out
under the shade of the trees on the
Sabbath day and tell the boys how-
mean ths preacher is, and how peo
ple ought to do while the man of
God is in the house trying to break
the bread, of life to mankind. He
is also a practical farmer. Not sti
much that he likes to work him
self, tor iis js a total abstafnerlfi
the thing you call hard work; but
he sure don't fail to get his paper
and get in the shade; roar out at
the children while they help poor
tenant cut the suckers from his to
bacco that was blooming like a
flower garden. He does not ob
ject to his good wifs doing any
kind of hard- work while he reads
and tells people how mean his
neighbors are. Of course he don't
drink. He says the kind they make
now just makes a man sick and
mean, and I feel sure he knows
what he is saying from experience,
and a selfish fellow don't want to
drink a thing he knows will make
him sick enough to send for Doc.
He is also a firm believer in the
people's rights, that is, if a boot
legger sells our , boys sugarhead
liquor enough to cause them to
commit all kinds of crime from
murder down,- he has a citizen's
right to do so, and that he would
not give him any trouble but would
help him out. He has demonstra
ted his stand in helping out in" re
cent months; The bootlegger and
the fellows who hide their deeds
know where to go when they have
to furnish bonds. But he is migh
tily opposed to drinking aid rais
ing sand at the church, and he is
obliged to stay outside and, keep
order. He is also opposed to these
mean people around Cornatcer hold
ing these League meetings in the
church, for the church is the place
to preach the gospel, and his letter
infers that the gospel has nothing
to say about the objects the Law
and Order League -stands for." That
is,' he knows; a better way than
those scriptures touching on tem
pef ance, ;moxality and obedience to
the laws that exist. Doubtless he
has seen John Barleycorn and got
a deeper vision of the Sacred Book.
We now come to Poor Tenant who
has been having a very hard" time.
Since, leaving the jshuck spreader
folks about two years ago with
something over $200 in cash and
out of debt. He did well until last
fall when the surplus gave out and
the tobacco -suckers didn't bring
much, he found himself casting a
bout for a bacen hog. He was at
that time the owner of a knotty pig
worth around 10c. Being a gocd
trader he managed to get the pig
off on another tenant who now lives
near the writer, by giving 50c. and
part of a day's work in exchange
for a good porker. The writer had
the privilege of knowing something
about the knotty pig at sausage
making time. He was some sau
sage pig. But that was good trad
ing as poor tenant was several dol
lars to the good, and charity will
take care of the other fellow thru
these mean League folks. He had
a perfect legal right to cheat the
old fellow out of his hog, and you
know Heartfelt would say he had a
moral right to do anything under
the sun. No limit to a man's rights.
?o much for the great fellows who
tried to set on the fence, but are
sliding off on the liquor side. " The
League, will spot them all before
many moons. Press on, good peo
ple, the lawless element is feeling
the pressure of your efforts. The
success of our civilization depends
upon the people who are standing
for law anil order without fear or
favor. Let us make Davie county
a decent place in which to rear our
boys and girls. The laws are on
the statute books. Lend a helping
hand to our officers they need our
help. I have been reared in this
county and know her ways from a
boy. I have her interes;'at heart.
I expect to spend the remaidder of
my short stay in life all I can in
tjie betterment of humanity. We
have the best government on the
top side of the green earth today,
and I feel, that the last drop of
Caucasian blood that flows through
my veins is not too much to give
to -maintain it. -
Yours for Law and Order, and
not ashamed to sign.
A. V. SMITH.
Cornatzer, N. C.
One Reason People Are Careful
Buyers.
Greensboro Record.
Women who bought spring suits
at 75 to $80 from Chicago clothiers
returned them with the excuse that
they had been given notice of exor
bitant increases in rents, according
to' the Chicago correspondent of a
trade paper. Their husbands advis
ed them to Iniy cheaper suits until
they had paid the rent.
That is the things that hurt busi
ness most. People have less to spend
because they have to pay more for
shelter, shelter in many cases being
the biggest single item in a family's
expense. It has to be paid while
other things can go, or cheaoer
things and fewer of them be bought.
The exorbitant landlord hurts ev
erything; his activities being so
widespread that they do not stop
at injury of .the victim who pays
him rent.
So far from showing a disposition
to come down a little, like every
body else is willing to do, "he goes
steadily up. No matter what hap
pens he stays on the crest just as
long as he is permitted to ride it and
the only thing that will send him
down to a reasonable basis is more
houses.
Business men in the business of
selling goods will help themselves
in proportion as they help to . get
houses built. When it does not
take more tor rent than for any
thing else, women will have money
to spend in shops, men. They dis
like to have to economize on food
and clothing and house furnishings
and the semi-luxuries but the ty
rant who overchages for four walls
and a roof will not permit anything
but economy. They. have no choice.
Until die is squelched "readjust
ment" is going to be hard. There
is only one way to squelch him.
The question is now what the
country's coming to but when it's4
coming, to. Evansville Courier.
EFIRO'S
April Silk Sale.
Winston-Salem, N. C.
$2.18 YARD
For $3.00 40-Inch Silk Crepe, Especially Suitable for
Men's Shirts and Washable Skirts, in White,
Elesh and Black.
$1.75 YARD
For $2.50 Value Striped Crepe de Chine Shirting and
Shirt Waist Material. These are to be had
in all colors mentionable.
$1.59 YARD
For $2.00 Quality Wash Dress Satin. Shades. Tan
gerine, Turquois, Peacock, Pink, Jade, Green
Navy and Maize.
$1.50 Quality Wash Satin in White and all colors.
Specially priced at
$1.29 YARD
SILK PONGEE.
Extra Quality Imported Pongees, $2.50 Values. For
this sale 98c. $1.29, $1.48.
A Phenomenal Saturday's Business
Comes to This Store of "Go Getters"
Last Fall almost any clothing
store could "sit down and watch the
trade flow in."
This Spring it's the "go get
ters" who are selling the clothes
you should have seen the army of
suit boxes that left here Saturday.
If you could have opened and
peered into each, you would have
quickly understood why this addit
ional business came here.
The reason is plain.
We are figuring our profits piti
fully low we are going after busi
ness with an aggression that cannot
AW
be denied and we are getting it
Seefus this week evety man is
on his toes ready to serve you and
save - you the embarrassment of pay
ing too much or receiving too little.
JBoyles Brothers. Comfy
Trade St.; Winston-Salem, N. C.
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