Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-19
SOUTHERN RIOONSHINERS.
A Rgged MOuntaineerss Ideas In Re-
gard to the future Of His People.

From the Atlantic Monthly for January
These mouutaineers are a race of aristocrats
They despise the lie of towns and cities and
think the inhabitants of such places much in
ferior to themselves in wisdom character and
happiness. They are all republicans i'm politics
l asked the leaders in the mountains how they
could support the political party which makes
and executes all the laws and carries on all the
prosecutions against them: but they said Jest
so; yes, we know: but that makes no differ
ence. We know lot O. them big men s got
the Gov ment now an runs it for what they can
steal. But we've always voted aein them fine
chaps down thar in the towns. an we ALWAYS
she'll" Both the moOnshners and the business
men in the towns said that the continued man
facture of whiskey in violation of the laws was
partly feature of the old warfare of the noun
talneers against the civilization and the neoule
of the towns. Yet in many instances this caste
feeling seemed to be an abstract or general idea
rather than a personal feeling as the relations
between individuals belonging to these two
opposite classes are often very kindly. RDt
whenever there is any display Of the patronizing
spirit, or feeling of class superiority il is on the
slide OF the noun ,aineerS
was soon informed Of the meaning and orr
gin OF the old mans saying, I'D orta know fur
Eve sarved my time" He was one of the first
men ever convicted and punished under the
revenue laws in that part of the country and he
mad really served his time in northern pani-
Tertiary. On his way home he had been in New
1ork and Philadelphia and had acquired some
definite if not entirely correct ideas regarding
northern civilization. Neither he nor any of his
class felt that there was any degradation or dis
grace involved in their punishment for crime
against the revenue laws. They did not regard
themselves as criminals, but appeared to accent
the resulting hardships part Of the fortunes
OF war. They seemed to feel no personal
hatred against officers who had arrested them
without unnecessary harshnesS or insult They
oiten used the expression II amt n0thin' agin
hlm tie only done his duty" But their de-
testation of 1.-The retOrmer" as their phrase is.
is most intense, and their thirst for revenge is
not eXtinguishable by time
asked the old man if the unlawful distillinc
would always be kept up. No" he said. lit
won't last long But the Gov'ment will never
put it-own. But this hyur country all ago
IN to Change. Its a-goin to be mos! eyerlast-
ln'ly improved We see. | sha'n't never be i'm
proved; I'm too old. But the old WAYS is
a-comin' to an end. They's men a-Fuyn up
railroads built directly hither an yam. more'n'n
40 anybody any good. They'll cut off the woods
for fuel an lumber, an they'll be mines an
quarries up hyur. they say. An they'll be
mean, dirty little towns laid out all about
Then instid O. people drinkin a little healthy
Whlskey, as we've always DONE they'll he forty
times as much miser'ble p'ison stuff sold
an drunk, an whoever drinks it ii begin
10 steal an lie. / reckon they'll be some
mighty fine houses built som eres along thisriyer.
an they'll put big scientific locks on to their
doors. an thieves II come up from Cincinnalter
an Chat 'noOg, an break into EN- They amt
never been lock on to door i'm these noun
talns. But they gon to be the all-tiredest
improvements about hyur. an | s'pose eur peo-
pie III larn to steal too; hat to- to keep up an
live. An they'll be some o. them city women
nyur reckon, from them big places with their
fine feathers. and their dresses a-draggin' on to
the ground, an they'll be. the devil to pay
among our young men. That's what they call
civ'lyzation aint it. stranger? l tell We. this
countryll soon be improvin' like hell. but |
shant live to see much Of it. reckon. I've
pretty nigh about sarved my time: but eff YOU
come around hyur in about twenty years.
mebbe yeH remember what I've said, Our
folks is been hyur nigh on to hundred wears,
an no man nd ever say that one of the name
I, u he, or that anybody ever needed help an
didn't get it from the FoIiambes: but they II be
more enterprise arter while, reckon, an We'll
all be a-cuttin' one another's throats."