The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-09-06
SARGE PLUNKETT.
The Old Man Writes Upon tho Situation OF
tho Country.
atlanta Constitution.


I have been watching the young
men closely, and I feel very hopeful,
as do many other folks.
We older people have been too much
married to sentiment and too much
bound down by our prejudices. A
"solid South was a sentiment, as
was "solid North and for forty
years that idea has mothered the fric-
tion necessary to the development Of
statesmen. It is we'll for these senti-
ments to abound as stimulators to a
country love-even sectional love-
but when such sentiments are warped
into the creation Of prejudice to shape
the politics of great government it
is time to halt and consider. The
older generation could not consider.
They smarted under the sting of dead
issues and associated their section
with the sweet memories Of dead
heroes, all Of which made it easy for
politicians to hold them solid" and
run the government to suit their own
ambitions. think can see change
from this. I have been an advocate
for a "split" for years, and why should
I not throw up my hat now that |
think it is approaching. The young
men will clash, the friction will
brighten, and with questions broad
enough to keep down local strifes and
important enough to keep the people
eternally vigilant we will steer back
into good government and glorious
craftsmanship.
These young men will find plenty Of
"problems' ms''-fnance, for instance.
Right now the silver question is a
good one, and it is so much healthier
than the "nigger" that am ready to
throw up my hat as the fight proceeds,
so glad am I that the "nigger' is out,
lost his Importance, as it were, and
now hope we will let him rest and
seek his level. There still goes on
some little harping about the race and
it makes them smile for they have
ever invited agitation as the thing to
give them undue Importance. The
negro must behave or hang. II we
were entirely sincere about the negro
leaving this country he would go:
The trut.- S that the negro is wanted
here by the people who own the lands.
His humility makes him favorlte la
borer, and all our fourishes to the
contrary cannot conceal it.
But DOM want to get away from
the discussion Of the young men.
They are our hope for the future.
Already they show a willingness to
discuss issues without a show Of the
bad quality that ulster be designated
''the bloody shirt. They discuss
questions without reference to sec.
tional lines, without the quality of
sectional hate, free from the applica-
tion of vile epithets to whomsoever
may disagree. They are ushering in
period when argument will take the
place of abuse and buster will not be
taken as sense. May the good Lord
help them on.
A division Of brains and respecta-
bility, is what we have been needing.
An antagonism vigorously but gentle
manly, is what these young men are
to bring us, and with it all will develop
men like Georgia has boasted of in the
past. The simple claim Of "I'm a
a Democrat" +" or "I'm Republican"
as the case may be, will play no part
in the matter Of respectability or of
brains. A liberality must come and
will come, which allows every man a
right to his opinions and to party
affiliations Of his own choosing with
out being villifed or bulldozed.
But must not get too big into poll
tics. I like other things better. 1T
is Just the season now for folks to
rent land for another year, and l
would like it if I could persuade some
of the poor people of the towns to stir
themselves in this direction. | men
toned the Importance Of unloading
the towns a year ago. The cry Of
hard times and the men who are ;dle
in every town proves the correctness
of what I then stated, and | now state
again that the towns must be unload
ed, the flow of population must turn
back to the country and right now is
the time to seek out your home for
next year. Next year will still be
hard. 1t is always to remain hard till
more people get to making bread and
raising meat. There are ten men in
the cities for every job of work, and
you had better make arrangements.
Don't wait till the Niger gets all
the best.
Thousands can testify as to the
deplorable condition Of many poor
people in the towns. The South is
bad enough in this respect, but it is
in much better condition than the
North. The Mayor Of Chicago gives
an alarming account of the outlook
for that great city. These poor folks
in Chicago should hustle out to the
country and 90 to work. This is the
solution of the problem the relief
to be had, and it might save many
hangings. This is plain talk, but the
situation demands plain talk. Amer
lea is not ready to test the experiment
Of communism, folks must make their
bread by the sweat of their brow, and
now is the time Of year to make
arrangements. Quit waiting for some
thing to turn up, dismiss your fond
delusion of seeing better times in the
byc-and-byc, or in having better times
otherwise than by reducing the supply
to the meet of demands.
1t might appear as going out of my.
way to mention the organizations OF
trades unions in connection with the
demoralizcd condition of the Northern
cities. For me to say that [ consider
the trades unions as the safety valves
of the prevention of anything like the
conditions which the utterances OF
the Mayor of Chicago points to, might
look as if l was changing my base"
as to organizations in general. l am
not. I am on record as having said
that the day would come when justice
and moderation would so direct these
unions that hand in hand the honest
workman and the capitalist would go