The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-05-07
BILL ARP IN TEXAS.
A State that will Have Fifty congressmen

Still on the war path-no-on the
path of peace, for I5lnd peace in Texas
T have now been in Texas seven weeks
and have not heard quarrel between
man and man. I have seen but one man
intoxicated 'fhavesnot seen pistol OF
a bowie knife, nor aSman with horns, nor
an impolite, uncivilized man. The
7sgas Settings has many rough joke
and hard caricature upon Texas, but, ]
have not found the reality yet. The
good manners and civility and courtesy
Of this people has surprised me. | have
mingled with them on the cars and in
the towns, at their homes, and have to
put on my best behavior to keep up with
them. They are free and easy and sin.
cere. They put on no airs, either social
or fashionable, and one family seems to
be as good as another as long as they
behave we'll. The tricks and nigh cuts
of trade are not tolerated. If man
takes an unfair advantage of another, it
is resented by the whole community,
and he had just as we'll leave it, for he is
like bank note dishonored and gone to
protest. If a new. conner thinks he can
come here and get fat off of unsuspect-
ing victims, he labors under delusion
and will soon get left, for these people
are smart zas 8ald Joe s:Bagstock says,
"they ara -deyilnM smart sMost all of
these Texans are immigrants-folks who
were hard up at home and on strain,
and so there is, or was, a common bond
between them-the bond of poverty
and SO they all go to work and stand up
to one another and woe be the man who
seeks to gain living by tricking them.
The old settlers who have made money
and gotten rich sympathize with the new
ones who come, and give them welcome
and good advice, provided they come to
work. There is no Eldorado here-no
gold minesi lying around Eloose.S Work,
work is the watchword, and work is re-.
warded. There are but few social dis
tiuctions. The barber or the livery
stable man, or the carpenter is as good
as anybody as long as he behaves him.
self properly. Of course there are cir.
cles-social circles-but they are founded
on mental and moral qualities, and not
on occupations. The barber who shaved
me at Ennis owned the hall I lectured in.
The one who shaved me at Belton was
studying law in his moments of leisure,
and both of them were recognized as
gentlemen. Everybody seems in good
humor. There is no stiff reserye-no
aristocracy. The aristocracy of Texas is
not yet formed. Well, of course there is
some in city like Dallas or Waco, but
it lives on strain even there, and most
of it is based on shoddy wealth-fortunes
made by lucky speculation. They are
always the biggest fools, the children of
people who were poor and got rich sud-
denly.
These boundless prairies are now beau
:tiful and lovely beyond description.
Dame nature, like a blushing maiden,
has put on her pantaletts and banged her
silken hair and adorned her ringlets with
the flowers of Spring and perfumed her
breath with the sweet odors of jessamin
and crabapple blossoms-one can feel
the Spring poetry even though he can
not write it. For some days past have
been in Eastern Texas where there are
trees and hills and valleys and glades
Just like they are in old Georgia. have
been on the border lines-the lines that
divides the cross timber country from the
lprairie-the lines that give the traveller
view of both at once-Hunt County
has such line and a man can take his
choice or take both if he is able and be
happy. was at. Campbell, new vii
lage Just year old. It is ten miles
east of Greenville, the County seat, and
is filling up with good, humble, earnest
people who work and mean business.
Their farms are on the prairie, but their
town is in the woods close by. They
have but lone church and it belongs to
the whole community, and is occupied
by any good Christian minister who
comes along. I heard Mr.. Cochran, of
Greenville, preach there Sunday night
and I have not heard such singing in a
.long time nor such a sermon in ten
years. 1t reminded me of the sermon
that William Writ wrote about, that was
preached in old Virginia by blind man.
Mr.. Cochran surprised and amazed and
humbled me with his earnest eloquence.
There is not saloon nor billiard table
in Campbell, and those people declare
there shall not be one. The little happy
town seems just like one family, and
half of them are from Georgia and
Alabama. There is not a man in it
worth ten thousand dollars, but they en-.
Joy life more than they enjoy money.
They are sociable and they are kind.
They haye "a. large: school building and
two excellent teachers. I had an old
friend there who was named for me in
old Gwinnett, and I stopped to see him
and had good time with his family and
with other friends. When they urged
me to give them a talk at the school
house I could not refuse, and the whole
townlcame out, men, women .ands-chil-
dren. 1t had to be in the daytime for l
was billed for Greenville that night and
so they closed their stores for an hour,
and everybody came, and the large
school room was filled to overaowing.
1t was free show and we all got happy
together. q lowed that much to Campbell
and gave it willingly for all it was worth.
Hunt County is comparatively newly
settled, for until recently it had no arail-
road. But now it is coming to the front
and rapidly. Greenville is a beautiful
town of 1000 inhabitants. When they
speak of population in this country they
do not count the negroes as we do for
there are very few to count. Negroes
are of but very little consequence in
Texas. A Mississippi man said that be.
fore he left Mississippi they were talking
of colonizing the negroes somewhere,
but his idea was to colonize the white
folks in Texas, and let the negroes have
Mississippi free. But this negro problem
will settle itself if we give it time, and
neither George w. Gable nor anybody
else can hurry it. used to feel some
concern about it, but / don't now-so let
it rip. The South is getting up out Of
the low-grounds, and:can and will take
care of herself. I see that Evarts and
Hoar, two old soreheads, have been
abusing us again in public, but we don't
care. Georgia does not care and Texas