The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-14
BILL ARP TALKS.
HITTING THE NAIL on THE HEAD
THE HONEST TRUTH.
What ssBiu Arp" has to say on the Sit
uation.

| udCiOn.
Hon. Patrick Walsh, Auguyta ClronicIc
DEAR S1R-I have just received
your circular letter, inviting answer
to q few questions concerning Presi
dent Cleveland's mode of administer
ing the Government. / read SIr
Randall's letters from Washington
every day, always with pleasure, anc
of late with absorbing interest, for i
looks like there is trouble in tht
camp and I am seeking to learn who
is to blame for it. 1t seems now tha
there is little or nothing in polite:
save offices and spoils, and the ques
tion is, Who shall ill the one anC
be filed by the other? l thought
that question was settled long ago al
the polls and that all Of us would &C
into Office or get something outside
and be happy. 1 think that Mr.
Cleveland is great and good man
but he misunderstood the boys when
he heard them shouting, Turn the
raScalS out, and now he has been
thirteen months hunting for the "ras'
cals' and hearing evidence on both
sides; and the way he is progressing
it will take him thirteen years to get
through. Well, that is kind and
charitable view to take. It is q hard
duty to turn 8 good, honest man out
of Office when the office is his chief
support. But time about is fair
play and fair play is jewel and
twenty-five years of ''inns' ought to
satisfy any reasonable party or parti,
san, whether offensive or defensive.
I believe that our boys would enter
into q solemn covenant, right now,
that if they were allowed to stay in
Tor the next twenty-five years they
would all step down and out
and give up the lease and make
no claim for bettermenCS. Personally.
I will do that and give security.
Now, if there were any great national
questions that divided the parties
questions like the tariff or the Blair
bill, or the silver business or the
Mormons, or the heather Chinee-
there might be room for party con.
tention for control of the Govern
ment. But the parties are split up
and mixed on all these, and there is
but one single issue on which the
boys can form straight line, and
that is the offices. Mr.. Cleveland
was elected en- that single issue {:
Turn the rascals out" by which we
meant turn them all out. Not that
every mothers son was rascal, but
the honest ones were scarce and in
bad company and under bad control,
and had to play shut mouth and be
accessories after the fact like re.
ceiver of stolen goods. The leaders
said if you love me you must love
my dog, and the dog said if you love
me you must love my master; and so
VIC punched the whole concern to-
gether and called them all rascals.
But suppose there are no rascals and
all are honest and capable and de-
serving. How long is man to hold an
office, public Office that belongs to
the people ? Is not twenty-five years
long enough when there are dozen
outsiders who want .it2 Why, we
Democrats here of the Solid South
won't let a Democrat stay in half
that long. Rotation is the word.
Rotate. If there are ten pigs and
only five tests let them suck time
about. That is reason enough.
I used to have some grand ITO
plan ideas about reform, and I
thought that may be the good men
Of the whole country could get
together and make new party that
wouldn't steal, and they could be
elected and run the machine on the
pure and honest principles Of our
forefathers, but I have abandoned
such hopes. The public treasury is
a thing to be plundered, and it will
always be plundered. The machine
could easily be run on two hundred
millions, but it takes five. The other
three hundred millions are for mar.
gin, and there is power Of public
land to be stolen yet. SO I want Mr.
Cleveland to give our boys a chance
give it to them quick, lest this long
delay shall bring their gray hairs in
sorrow to the grave. Hope deferred
maketh the heart sick. Reform is q
good word, but in politics it don't
mean anything-not q darned thing.
A few years ago I sent a boy to An
napolis to stand an examination for
q place. There were 40 candidates
and only 25 to be taken. The boy
was smart, very smart, and thorough
ly prepared, but he was q Democrat