The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-10-30
BILL ARP,
a Colored Orator Who is Doing Some
Good.
atlanta Constitution.

City negro preaching through this region
and be knows how to preach and what tC
preach. His name is Shields. He is q
born orator, and could make some of oul
candidates for Office ashamed of them
selves. He breaches in the Church OF
out of it. BE comes missionary to tell
the negroes the truth and give them good
advice. He preached in the street of oul
town last Saturday, and had quite gath.
ering of colored people to hear him tell
how the northern people treated their
race; how they were shut out from all
trades and occupations but the lowest
how the white mechanics wouldn't en-
ploy them nor work With them how the
colored BARRIERS had all been boycotted
and run out of that country; how the ho.
tells that used to have them as walters had
substituted foreigners. "Your best
friends are down here" said he, "and it
is your duty to tie on to them and keep
their good ll,by honest good work and
respectful department. Until you are
able to stand alone you will have to lean
upon somebody, and the southern People
have proved themselves your friends.
They have given you work and wages all
the time. Isee white and colored car
penters and masors working together on
esame buildingsin every southern town.
I see colored draymen, colored porters,
colored BARRIERS all about. Up north they
will call you MIR. Johnson or Mr.. Jackson,
but that is about all. Down here they
call you Tom and Dick and Bob, but that
is not all. They will befriend you and
protect you. Now let me advise you to
keep out of politics. Some of you have
been voting and voting ever since the
war, and generally you have been voting
right against your southern friends, but
it has never done you any good. I don't
advise you to be Democrats nor Repub-
licans, but al ways vote for the man who
stands fairest in good works; vote for the
man who has the respect of the communi-
ty in which he lives; vote for the man
that good men vote, for. You have no
time to devota to politics. Work, work,
work and save your money, and before
anybody knows it buy you lot and build
you little house and own it, and plant
trees and vines around it, and you will
feel more like somebody than you ever
did before. / am proud to know that 80
many of you are doing that around Car
tersvilie."
That preacher is doing good, aud he
ought to be employed to travel all over
the State and talk that way. A thought;
full gentleman remarked to day that
Shields had more sense than half the
members of the American congress, and
was doing infinitely more good. believe
that the day is near at hand when the
southern negroes will feel identified with
the whites in everything, including poll
tics, and then there will be no further
discussion of the race problem. Even
now it is rare to find one who proposes to
vote for Major Hargrove, the Republican
candidate for congress, whereas he used
to hold them solid.
Great changes are going on, both north
and south. National politics is changing
base, and finding new centers. The tariff
will divide the two great parties in the
next election. Mckinley or no McKiu-
ley will be the battle cry, and both sides
will End adherents above and below the
line. The tendency of this will be to
wipe out the line and destroy sectionalism.
Then the war will be over and national
fraternity be restored. What glorious
picture! "Let us have peace" said
General Grant, but he died without see
ing it.
This reminds me Of q story that was
told me not long ago about Mr.. Richards
dream. Mr.. Richards is genial genius
who superinteuds the waterworks in At
lanta. he visited Boston as a delegate
to the great waterworks convention where
the superintendent and engineers of the
craft had gathered from every respectable
city in the union. 1t vas about the time
that Mr.. Cleveland restored the rebel
flags and Fairchild and Foraker and
company raised such howl about it.
The president had them taken back and
put away in the old garret. The bloody
shirt was raised all over the north, and
all the Republican papers screeched
amazing, especially those in Boston.
Nevertheless, Boston gave banquet to
the watermen, and after the ladies had
retired the gentlemen were called on for
speeches and talks and stories. By and
by Mr.. Richards was called upon to say
something for Georgia, for Atlanta, or for
the south generally. He is very mod
est man and tried to excuse himself, but
as they pressed him, he said he was not
feeling well and had strange dream that
night that troubled him, and lie would be
glad if some Joseph could be found who
would interpret it.
Ofcourse they clamored for his dream
and he said +: II dreamed that I was
dead, and had found my way to the gate
of heaven, and there was arrested by the
guards aud asked for credentials. In
my confusion I examined my pockets and
found late copy Of the Atlanta C0nstitu.
ton. The guards we're dressed in blue
uniforms, and, to my surprise, had guns
in their hands They looked at my paper
and threw it aside with contempt. l tried
again, and found the New York Tribune,
which seemed to nollify their displeasure,
and they gave me permission to 90 in and
look around awhile, and I was put in
charge of another soldier in blue with
instructions to show me through heaven,
aud bring me back in an hour, for I was
a suspect. The place was beautiful be-
yond all conception. and I forgot myself
in delirium of joy and wcnder at what
I saw. Everything and everybody was
dressed in blue. There were thousands
and thousands of them frolicking and
sporting, and I observed that the favorite
game was football, which was played with
skulls. I suppose they we're the skulls of
lost sinners, but my guide informed me
they we're the skulls of the rebels that
were killed in the war. For the first time
I began to realize that rebellion was the
objectionable sin, and that ], too, was
among the lost. Suddenly I heard the
booming of cannon and the terrific ex-
plosion of musketry in the distance, and
my guide, seeing my alarm, told me that
it was only sham battle; that it was a
favorite sport to fight over the great bat.
ties such as Gettysburg and Petersburg.
and Vicksburg, and Fort Donelaon. |
inquired whether they ever fought over
the battles of Manassas and Chickamauga
and Charlottesville and Gaines Mill.
He replied that he thought not-he did
not remember any such battles. Strange
10 heWildered turned to nv guide and