The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-06-07
Bill Arp Before the 8ecOnstruC-
lion Committee.


Bill Arp has been before the reconstruc-
ton committee and given his opinion of
the state of southern feeling. Bill says
his testimony was suppressed, he therefore
gives the substance of it in letter to the
Metropolitan Record, an extract of which
we give below:
What do your people say upon the sub
ject of negro equality?
They say it's lie, sir-it don t exist by
nature and never can in practice Folks
were not created tree and equal. That
may be theoretical truth, but it's always
been a practical lie There's grades of
society everywhere. There's men [ give
the sidewalk 10, and there's men that give
it to he. There's men that | vote. and
men that vote me, aud the grades up, up,
step by step, from my sort to Mr.. Davis
and Mr.. Stephens, and General Lee ana
Howell Cobb, ald Ben Hill aud their sort;
for they are the highest in the nation and
then again it goes from me down, down,
down to the nggers and the republicans
and the radicals, and that's as low as they
run. There amt no equality, and you
can't make one. Wen vote the niggers
certain. I'll vote Tip and Tips head
center" He'll vote obout forty, and the
first thing you know well elect seven big,
black, greasy niggers to Congress We'll
do 1t certain. Seven Of 'em eighteen
carets strong, with African musk The
other rebel States viii do the same thing.
and you'll have about fifty of 'en to draw
seats with, and you can all stick your legs
upon your desks and swap lies and yermin
and be shampooed at the sauo shop, and
the fair sex can set together in the CALLERS
les and mix odors, and fan their scent
about proniScuous. We give you full.
benefit of your Civil Rights bill, see if we
don't. You go on-play your cards.
We are bidin our time. We are payia'
your taxes and your dnties OIL back IA,
tions for 1864, and licences, and your in
ternal revenue, and obeyin' your laws
without havin' any hand il maxim EN-.
and we are cut off from pensions, and pubs
lie lands; and you sold poor mans still
III my county the other day because he
couldn pay your tax on some peach bran
dy lie stilled for his neighbors two years
ago, and soon you'll be sellin the land for
land tax, and your tryin your best TO play
the devil generally; but you'll catch it ia
the long run. See if you don't Talk
about Fcnians. When the good men Of
the north and south all gcttogethcr they'll
walk over the track so fast that you wont
have time to get out Of the way. You'll
subside into obseurity, your children will
deny that their daddies ever belonged to
such party. Excuse me, gentlemen, but
I'm little excited. Five cents a pound
On cotton will excite any body that makes
1t. Tax On industry-on sweat and toll.
Protection tariff for Pennsylvania, and
nye cents pound tax on southern cotton
half It's average worth-and your folks
Will manage some way or other TO steal the
other half My advice to YOU is to ouit
this foolishness and begin to travel the
only road to peace.
What makes the President so popular
at the south?
Contrast. sir-contrast. The more he
amt llk; your party, the more popular he
IS. lie would treat US about right, reck>
on, If you would let him alone, but you
bedcyll so that sometimes he don't under>
stand himself. | don't think he knew for
a while whether his peace proclamation
restored the writ Of habeas corpus or not
But do you 90 on and impeach him, and
that will bring matters to focus. I'll
bet you'd be i'll Fort Delaware IN a week,
and the southern members be here in their
seats, and they'll look round at the polit-
ical wreck and ruin and plumber and stealt
age that's been going on, and they nigh
e1clalm, IN the language of the poet,
''WhO's min her, eince Tsb min c,ona9-