The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-08-28
BILL ARp,s PHILOSOPHY.
atlanta Constitution,

ed up anG inquired WuaG all LuiS ldCAot
was about. The newspaper ventilated it
freely, and while the northern press de-
nounced the boycott, most of them de-
nounced the Lodge bill, and so it is all
right. When the devil comes at us with
torch, we must fight him with fire, but
when be puts down his weapons re will
put down ours-we are not hunting for
another fight. We are the friendliest
people on the face of the earth, but the
north can't make US trade with them by
force nor by threats. We won't even
trade with our people unless they are
civil and polite aud tote fair. Everybody
claims the right to crafty their preferen.
ces and their prejudices. You can lead a
horse to water, but you can't make him
drink. I'VE are all more or less clanish.
Nine times out of ten, Baptist will trade
at a Bsptist's Store, and 80 of the other
denominations. The lawyers stick to-
gether, and so do the doctors, and have
their fee bills like trust, and if they sue
you for professional service the whole
fraternity will swear to it. Labor unions
put trust on their wages and will strike
and boycott to enforce them. The far
mers would put trust on their
cotton if they could and make the
world pay fifteen cents q pound for it,
They are running the political machine,
and have boycotted ali other trades and
professions. They won't play with US any
more. They are playing with Zach
Hargrove, the high arch-Republican of
this district, but they wou't play with me.
There are lots of Republicans in the Al
lance, and some OF them were delegates
to the conventions that nominated our
members of the legislature aud they've
got things mixed up SO I don't know
where am nor whom I belong to. | feel
like Pm just running about loose and no
bell on. If somebody don't bell me I'll
get lost sure. Zach is q friend of mine
and told me the other day to be quiet and
raise no rumpus and everything would
work out all right. Zach has the Rome
posLofice and is running the Alliance,
but where am I? An old farmer told me
in whisper that the Democracy had
captured Zach and Palmer and whole
lot of Republicans and it was done on the
sly through the Alliance and they would
get 'em all before long, and the niggers,
too, and burst that party wide open, but
for the life of me can't tell whether the
Alliance has caught Zach or Zach caught
the Alliance. Zach says it is all right
and Livingston told me it would all be
right if we outside Democrats would be-
have, but somehow I don't understand
the machinery. I'm behaving lust aB good
as l can, but I'm not cslm and serene.
Zach winks one eye at me and says "be
quiet" and Livingston winks the other
and says "be quiet" and I am quiet, but
I don't know what have done to any
body to be left out in the cold. l don't
see how they can turn me out of my party
for nothing. One time my old darkey,
who was a Methodist and was given to
falling from grace, was oVertaken BY a
fault in the shape of bottle of whiskey
and he went to sleep on the sidewalk and
woke up in the calaboose. He sent for
me and asked him what he had been
doing, and he said "nothing-nothing at
all, Mas William-'fore God l amt"
"Well, jeff" said 1, ",hey can't put you
in here for no.hing--no, sir; they can't
do that" He frightened up for a mo.
mens and then looked round at the prison
walls end said: "But Mas William I is
in here-'fore God is" That's my FIX.
] amt done nothin', but feel like Pm
in the caaboose. writ to Jud Clemens to
help me out, but he said he couldn't, for
he was in the soup himself l writ to
Everett and he said, "be quiet" I wrote
to Stewart and be said "pray without
ceasipg" George Barnes te!egraphed me
SIS pounds Of sympathy and Grimes en-
closed me u few lines of poetry, begin
ming:
Old Grimes is dead-that good old
He planned, but God disposes,
Harris he knew, and German too,
But did not know one Moses.
1 asked farmer where he found Moses,
and he said, Sin the bullrushes." But it
don't matter where they found him. Til
bet he is q good man, for they say he has
been a school teacher for ten years and
had the biggest and best school in the
county. That's q good sign. A man who
can manage and control $50 children is
DO sardine. Hurrah for Moses. On the
whole I don't feel so very bad The
Farmers Alliance Of Louisiana has
choked off the lottery, and that's good
sign. The lawyers wouldn't do it, nor
the bankers, and Sam Jones says the
preachers wouldn't. Hurrah for the far.
mers! Old Father Haynie says they are
not going to hprt me. He lives on the
road l used to travel, and his we'll is in
the front yard, and that's good sign-he
don't hide his water. Old man Phelps
WAS the friendliest man I ever saw, and
his we'll was close to the front gate, and
had trough outside SO that you could
water your horse, and his apple orchard
was close by aud he didn't like it if you
didn't stop and drink and eat and water
your horse. Father Haynie says if l had
stuck to the farm they would have eleva-
ted me about this time. Yes, reckon
they would. They made me oyerseer Of
the public road while I was farmer.
He says if I will move back they'll elect
me constable. Thanks
But the skies are brightening-the
clouds are clearing away. If re can
make peace with the north it will beat
everything else. I won't care a cent
about party if we can have peace and be
friends. l would be willing to sleep two
in bed with Republican if he was
friendly to us. They write me all sorts
of letters from up there, and I believe
they are getting friendly. 1 got three to-.
day--one from New York Democrat,
who says we made q great mistake in
threatening the boycott, for it has de.
feated the Lodge bill with its bayonet
clause; that wo should have let them
pass it, and it would have killed the Re-
publican party SO dead it wouldn't even
have ghost.
Another letter is from an Indiana man
who says: "God bless Bill Arp. His
philosophy is cutting, but it is sound.
The force bill is an Infamous outrage and
we don't blame you for the threatened
boycott / am northern man and a
Republican, but l say God bless you.
Hit them again."
The third letter was from negro-a
colored man-and he writes just like
white folks. He writes from Markham,
Va, and says: 81 speak for myself and
my people. We desire our white friends
of the south to know that we want no
force bill thrust upon us. It will prove
our greatest curse, for it will stir up strife
and our race will be the victims. Our
true friends are the southern whites.
| There is no race problem between them