The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-06-11
REUBEN SAW 1T.

SAW 1T.
zone reason | like your paper" writes
RRUBEN, " is because you have no poll
tics. I undertand that you are Indepen-
dent-and not neutral. By that l under
stand it, you are free to discuss any man
or any measure. That is the kind of
stuff which will win, too, because it gives
you a wider scope. If you see republi-
can ~rottenness you can swipe EN- and if
you see democratic Inconsistencies you
can swipe EN- also.
"But what struck me about the Min
neapolis convention were the reports
about the liquor and the cursing and the
swearing. l saw it stated that Sunday a
week ago there was no more observation
of the day than would have been seen in
mining camp. Yet the fellows making
the noise were supposedly the represen-
tative men Of the country; they were
there fighting for HARRISON, a Presby-
terrain, and for BLAINE and for all the
fellows who wanted Office.
IL was ii ICP uJdI uluDh III q CSula
mob. And yet we preach about our
great country, its morals and all this.
Was it not a sublime and wonderful
spectacle to see thousands Of men with
hats on and hats off-yelling and shout
ing and cursing and fighting on the Sab
bath day, and all because a man was to
be nominated in the hope of being
elected to the office of president of the
United States-the highest and most
important office which the people can
give? Was it not a pretty sight to see
men betting money on the result? And
was it not a most disgraceful thing?
How will it read in history a hundred
wears from now to know that a national
convention was a national debauch and
that men who had been long friends be-
came estranged and remained lifelong
enemies because they could not agree
upon the same politician? And is it not
a sad commentary upon the honesty
of a people to know that men betray
their public trusts in the hope Of a little
individual gain?
Il am of the opinion that politics is
the most vicious and degrading thing in
existence. 1t is something that goes
hand in hand with Dishonesty. 1t con-
sorts with drunkards and it makes drunk
ards it robs ambition and leaves wrecks
behind it it enters the household and
steals husbands and sons and sends them
adrift to land in disgrace somewhere. 1t
is the spokesman after spoils-it is the
hope of obtaining money from the people
for no real services performed. Politics
never recognizes ability. The brainy
man goes down in a whirlpool Of ex-
element and a piece of drift wood is
placed where the brains belong.
"They may talk about their whiskey
being the Red Eye of the Uniyerse-but
politics is more fatal--it is a more dan
gerous foe to home and society. Its field
is not large-but where it touches its
blight is death.
look at GRANTS history.
From obscurity to the greatest general
in times of war-tO the office Of chief
magistrate twice in times of peace.
Friends professed by the score-friends
real to be counted on your fingers. Money
and cumberland then after those years
of triumphal power-received by the
crowned heads of all the wOrld-his name
in every home-to dieupon Mt. McGregor
penniless and in utter misery and total
despair. Heart broken-racked by dis
ease-scoundrelly bank cashiers adding
disgrace to all of it and attempting to
heap dishonor upon the man once so
great-but why repeat it all? Yet poll
tics brought him down to the level of the
politician and he consorted with them.
Look at TwEED-the despoiler of the
millions of New 1ork's treasury-all that
wealth and power could command was
his-and finally dying in Ludlow street
Jail with no attendant save LUXE, the
black a~ttendant-the only friend left him
out of the thousands who one were fiat
tered to take his hand
And REUBEN asked when the election
took place produced his bottle and swal-
lowed some rye whiskey and was put in
the guard house for twenty days.
COUNTRY ROAD REFORM.
In a letter to the Chicago News Mr..
GLEN S~TUDEhAKER writes as follows of
country road making a subject of en-
crossing interest just now ut is not
difficult to convince people of the allur-
ing advantages of good roads. 1t is a
task, however, to make the farmer feel
that the indirect benefits of a good road
are sufficient TO compensate him for the
outlay of $500 or 81 900 or more required
to meet his assessments for a macadam
road along the quarter or half mile of
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