The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-04-03
OAKLAND, Md, FRIDAY. APRIL 8. 1891.
The Georgia Cracker.


|anl we are his descendants. From
tine blended strains Of English. Salz
burger and Scoteh.Irish which came
|fo this country, and whi:h settled
|0yer the Savannah from Yamacraw
40 Petersburg there was evolved a
fcqsmopolite who left his print upon
He has carved out wnat
Gen. Toombs used 10 cali .'The State
|af afGeorgy." He grew tnbacco and
indigo. he traded with the Indian
fnr his peitry he beat back the
Spanish into Florida and Rept the
savage off his clain. He stoutiy
fought the British in the Revolution,
and under Tromp and the Treaty he
opposed old John Adams and the
gpae.nl government. He helped to
Dsiildstlse steambsat and sinvpHt the
cItton gin he reclaimed the swamps
aud dug gold out of the hills he
drilled in the militia and pulled the
gander's neck on holidays; he hated
every thing wrong aud burned up the
records of the YazOO fraud he paid
his Just debts and rounded the water
melon into perfection he led the
way 10 secession with his pike ami
furnished more troops than any
other State !; he was the first one 10
revive after the war, reclaining the
State and maxim. the best OF Il bad
bargain. He builds up his cities.
digs out his rivers and canals, leads
the Union In railway constructions
and spins more cotton than any other
Southern Commonwealth. He il
ligious, patriotic, puDiic.spirited;
believes in prayer and keeps the
powder dry-in fact he is the
brother.german to Uncle Jonathan.
He is called the Southern Yankee {;
the light of The New south. the hope
OF the ,liUn is the Georgia Cracker.
Judge LOng3treet WIote humOrUusly,
but tenderly OF him in those lncom.
parable Georgia scenes. Col. ThOmp-
son pictured him gallant and pic
turesuue, in that Understandable "cOurt-
sup of Maj. JONES'" Ready for Il
light or fOut.race. high-tUned and re
flrctiye, full of prOvinciali-m. but
never dominated by prejudice {;
hospiIabIp. helpful. tender, quaint
and true. the Georgia Cracker slauds
the peer of the Kuickerbocker on the
Hudson or the CAROLS ut the Ches.
apeakt.
The Georgia Cracker was shreWd,
but full uf urlnciple. He could cGin
money out of the sunshine and tan
riches from the fur of the gopher.
He was not melancholy or Bourbon
ish-nut full Uf the now. He didn't
watch his roof tlatch rot like the
Arkansas settler-he went to work
aud repaired it. He was willing tO
work his lands with or without
slaves. His first charter prohibited
Svridum as il b rred out rum. He
took his horn on Michaelmas with
the lordly air of Peter Stuyvesant,
and kept the pledge all the resi- oil
the year with .he stern stOicism of Il
Spartan. He W0rshiped Andrew
jackson aud yet believed in TrOup
Hesided with Joe BrOWu-"agin the
banks" He Was Il Democrat by con
vlclion-a Wing only by perversi9n
He regarded Henry Ctay's party as
an arlstOcratlc concern. He boy
cotted Lafayette for meddling viii
our institutions, ust as he snuhbel
Jay Gould when he rode through The
South in his palace car. Troup wa'
a Georgia "Cracker :" SO was Alex
ander Stephens, with his pale FACE
aud bright eyes 10 was Ben Hill
as he left the plough handles il
Jasper county to 20 to the State Uni
yersity ; so WAS Sam ThurmOnd, o
WatkinsvIlle, as he sturdiiy Ted tn,
forge with one hand and turned tn,
pages of Blackstone with the other
so are we all Georgia "Cracker-"-
descendants of Gods people e-th
p sin ye0manry OF al empire, In
thriftiest, .kindliest, most helpfu
fulks ON earth. Sherman cut "A swat
forty miles wide and 800 miles lon
right in the hearts aud homes of tn
Georgia Cracker. One hundred mil
), lions CT property WAS wiped out !
eight months. Now, the whol
S ale from Dalton to- Way cross bios
SONS like rose. Iron und coal an
granite are quarried from the base
the Kennesaw, and the railroad
which has given us Corolele an
II AmericuS and Brunswick hay
ligated the last wounds of Wa
GRANGE has not Ieapt into IuxurianC
y more swiftly than South Georg
from Dillage and devastation. Loo
what the Georgia Cracker is doing
There is 1000. 600 of him. He is
Ia n.