Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1885-05-02

from time to time. lie knows / am way
up and that my philosophy Is also altitud-
nous. He il sparing neither pains nor
money ''to make the INDEPENDENT etc.,
ETC., etc., and therefore calls for my phil
osophy. 1t comes high, but he must have
it. .This," as William shakespeare, or
Francis Bacon, would have said
"This was sometime a''-Chestnnt.
If ideas are asr rare as the atmosphere up
here, Heaven help you, my friend!
You have observed that l am tender-foot-
ed about ascrbing the passage from
Hamlet to either Shakespeare or Lord
Bacon. This is because, 1st, Since the
discussion as to the authorship of the
plays known as Shakespeare's has recent
ly broken out, am at loss myself to
know whether it was the one or the other
who wrote them; End, l don't know which
side the INDEPENDENT is on. 1t would
grieye and pain me 70 receive note from
the able editor of that inestimable journal
saying to me that "the INDEPENDENT has
long since taken the stand that it is lmpos-
sble that Shakespeare should have writ
ten the plays, and l hope that you will
hereafter make your articles to suit, as
desire above all things that we may have
harmony in the columns devoted to the
etc, ETC., ETC., I" or rice Verso. Although,
to say truth, if the able editor should write
sdch thing i'll his own hand the chances
are that it would seem 10 an intelligent
person to be precisely the reverse. How
ever, it looks, or doubtless will look, ex-
ceedingly well-that same handwriting
filling out Il check at $50. per column Tor
the impressions" so that | presume l
ought to say nothing about it.
But the surprising thing would be to
find out, not that Lord Bacon wrote Shak-
speare's plays, but that Shakespeare hi m
self did.
/ cannot help thinking that the Balti-
more Sun is quite right in admonishing
Mr.. Evarts that if he hopes 10 become
President by reyiving sectionalism he is
mistaken. To 90 TO the root OF the matter
it Is unwise and unpatriotic to cultivate
such animosities at any time of peace.
There was doubtless an excuse for it dur
in5 the WARRIOR when am lighting aman,
the more bitterly | can persuade myself to
hate him, the harder can hit him; and,
therefore, the sooner the fight will be over.
But when the war was fairly over we
brought our Maynard brethren back into
the fold, and clothed them anew with the
rights of citizenship. We gave them the
right to hold office, amongst other things.
And Mr.. Evarts was the Attorney-General
OF an administration that especially dis
tlnguished itself by its lenieney towards
the ex-Confederates. His chief, Andrew
johnson, doubtless by his advice and with
his consent, issued pardons to unrepentant
as well as repentant, and strewed them
"thick as leaves in Vallambrosa'' all over
the South. Then came the Fourteenth
Amendment to pardon nearly everybody
else; and those whom it did not reach
have been freely pardoned by Congress
upon simple petition.
Thus did we rehabilitate these erring
ones, and that rehabilitation carried with
it and conferred upon it's objects every
right that any other American citizen has.
But when, in the course of time some
OF those pardoned ones are called upon to
take Office and serve the country to which
they have renewed their allegiance. Mr.
Evarts feels that 1t is sad and bitter
if net wicked thingl And 50 far as my
limited reading goes, the Republican
party, yearnins for Moses to lead it out
of the bondage whereuntO it has bound
itself, takes up Mr.. Evarts' wall with great
alacrity, saying "Truly, look nowl Fol
we have come upon that which shall lie az
us back into the green pastures Of govern
| ment pap"
1t puzzles me, my Christian friend, to
know what this means As you know,
! never voted any other than the Republican
ticket in all my life; but l confess l an
| perplexed at this turn matters have taken
1 ha
| publican party said "You shall have the
| right to hold officel" Now it holds up its
nands with horror that they do accept and
! hold office. Was the party insincere2 DID
1t mean that, Notwithstanding it's permits.
sion as set FORTH these men should moi
hold Office! 1t made it lawful for Messrs
Lamar and Garland to hold office. Now
one would suppose from the speech of Mr.
Evarts at thu Middlesex Club Dinner that
Nessrs. Garland and Lamar had commit
sct crime in doing this thing which Mr.
Eyarts and his party declared and pr0vid-
ed that they might lawfully dol
1t wonld have been perfectly easy for the
Republican party TO have made the law ia
provide that these men should not held of.
flee. But it did exactly the other thing.
1t is the same old thing. Mr.. Evarts is
steering the ship on the rocks which have
already knocked more than one hole In her
bottom. She would have been afloat today
instead ofin dock for repairs, if this sort OF
seamanship had been pitched overheard
long ago. Blaine was sweeping every
thing before him last fall and had eyery
prospect of election up to certain time.
Then one day an Anticipated crank rushed
into his Pullman car and said: ''For the
love of Heaven, my friend you forget
YOURSELF Look at the solid South! Have
you forgotten the war? Whoop 'em up on
the warp To which Blaine replied, ..But
the war is ever. The last shot was fired
twenty years ago." "That makes no diff
ference" cried his adviser; ''You must
make the people believe that it is not over
yet. You must fire the Northern heart.