The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-01-05
parents for their offspring. su
ments are unknoup

piihg.
! ments are unknown among the pes
, of European monarchies
Then, too, most of them. if onG
small way, were land owners "a stu
tending greatly to allay the dangerou
ousy between labor and capital.
Aside from this, their regular uua1
occupation tended 10 Tranquility Of
J and disposition to Gsten Nisnasse
when addressed in public. If. ina
harangue to popular audience irt;zz. =
our large cities, there be introa
appeal to passion or prejudice, the hes
begin to yawn. But on hundred 4
sions have addressed, and heard az
address, to crowds of hard working
grouped under the forest shade. calm
liberate arguments, lightened now and Z
it may be, by few homely anecdote
point-arguments which were listenel
with Indian quietude and courtesy.
with eyes riveted on the speaker,
sober applause or laughter, now and d
but no sigh of WEAKNESS, and not
boisterous token of dissent. Such 81
of men, unlettered and not given to-
picion, may, for the time, be stirred
demagogical sophistry or misled by e
hood as to facts, but they can be steal
and guided in the end by a logical apF
to reason and common sense. They
furnish, with rare exceptions, no incef d.
material that may be fired in the eyr;t
an intestine rebellion against ~
order.
Despite Macaulay's forebodings the
feel assured that, in case of any such nat
al crisis, We may securely fall back on
inhabitants of rural districts as far
efficient antagonists of anarchy than
military force which despot ever brou
together. l speak here of the West
North. The Southern element is M
dangerous one to deal with, complicat
as it is with aristocratic trendiugs 4
antipathy af races.
HABITS OF THE PEOPLE. sFl
Among these people there were II
serious crimes. During forty years I'd
dence among them l never locked an on:
side door nor barred window, often leava.
plate or other vaiuables wholly expose
yet no thief ever entered my premise
Another class of offens es were very ind
quent, THOSE which invade the domesn
circle. E!opements did not occur. In ouI
village or surrounding neighborhood d
not recall a single instance of violence
caused by marital jealousy, nor, during
my long term of residence, more than tire,
or four cases of illegitimacy.
But every medal has its reverse. Two
thirds of the crimes and offenses which di
occur in what was then frontier countr
had their origin in vice which prevaile
to lamentable acknowledgements
is vice which has since materially d
minished, and at this day is disreputabls
in those times it was shameless. TIL
drunkard was indulgently spoken of as
good fellow, or excused as nobodv's enem
but his own. If he kept out of lawles
brawls he did not lose caste among hi
fellows.
At political gatherings and on election
days, drinking was the rule, and tina
habitually, TO certain extent, at the ex
pense of the candidate. The chances O
success were small in the case of any as
pirant for office if he acted on his convic
ton that such a custom was more honore,
in the breach than in the observance. Hi
conduct would ue ascrlueu 70 prInCIpie
but was sure to be set down as proof of
pharisaica! pride, or else of mean parsi
mony that grudged few dollars to be spen
in hospitable entertainment of friends.
Our family was brought up in the strict
est principles of temperance, from which
none of its members, so far as know, has
ever been tempted to deviate, in his OWL
person. l wish were able to add that, al
candidate for seat in the Legislature,
was as scrupulous in the case of others as in
NY oWu. lCtudiutu
by the sophistry of Squire Wade and his
friends when they sought to persuade me
that there would be the same amount Of
liquor drank whether | paid for part of il
Or not. But when they added, what was
probably true, that if held out l should
lose my election, did what ] have otter
cd L lx-,
leading political friends might act for mt
in the premises, and of course paying the
bills when presented. have no apology
sor this, and can only plead, in. mitigatinr
If censure, that l sought office in thoss
lays, no5 for aggrandzement, but because
had some favorite reforms which hoped
20 aid in carrying out:
THE BEGINNING OF A REFORM.
Some weeks before | accepted Squire
Wade's invitation, an incident occurred in
our little village of New Harmony, fitted
70 stir in any generous mind sympathy and
Indignation. Two worthless young fellows
rom Kentucky who had recently married
sisters, the daugh tiers of well to do farm
n of that State, bringing their brides to
;he village, persuaded them, on the plea OF
economy, to occupy a cabin about mile
n the country until, as they said, Wabash
BOAT should pass 5y,-the girls leaving be-
1ind them five or six ponderous boxes con-
aiming numerous substantial articles of
home manufacture, bed and table linen,
dwellings, coverlets, blankets and the like,
ogether with large stock of domestic
clothing: all as We afterward learned, the
product of years of industry and saving,
such as thriving farmers daughters, IN
hose days, were wont to lay by as mar
,iage portion. Next day the scoundrels,
opening their wives boxes, sold off at
auction every article they contained, and
.bsconded with the money the night fol-
owing, leaving the poor girls desolute and
penniless in their solitary cabin.
l ascertained next morning that the sale
lad taken place entirely without the knowl-
edge or consent of the victims, and | still
'emember the hot impulse that prompted
ne to get together a posse, mounted and
armed, and 60 in pursuit of the villains;
put no magistrate would grant us writ
or their arrest. How could he? | found
hat by the law of Indiana, the property