The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-08
SARGE PLUNKETT.
A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION OF
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS,
"Reminiscences of the "Fifties," and tho Sim
ilarity of Atmospheric Conditions
Then as at che Present Time
For The Constitution.

III signs held good III Oluen times
1can't see why they should not now.
l have been studying the weather and
calculating atmospheric conditions upon the
human disposition. And have been watch
ing the Signs" and refreshing my memory
upon what the same conditions produced
at other periods. Going back into the ''hf-
ties" and dealing with that period, because
so many are yet living who remember the
times, one will be struck i'll the similarity
of that date with the present time. Old
folks in the 'liftes" were laughed at be-
cause they asserted that the signs" point
ed to war, just as l would be laughed at
were L to assert that the signs of the
present point to some great upheayal-to
war, if you please.
Take the date of 1859, and you who are
old enough, remember the atmospheric
conditions of that year and call to mind
the unsettled state of the public pulse.
The weather of 1859 caused the expression
to grow common-''did you ever see the
like of it?' This ",lid vn::.. over see the
like? grew monotonous, bur the conditions
justified the remark Great black clouds
would gather i'll the northwest while the
painting people would watch them with
bated breath, anxious to be deluged by the
floods they promised, but never Il Hood
Black and heavy. these clouds would pass
over Georgia without so much us Il
Sprinkle to cool the parchng earth, but
instead. whitening wind scorched the
vegetation and filled the elements with
shilling clouds of dust and sand. The
dry storms of 1888 can we'll be rcmem-
bered by many Georgians, and the terror
they caused could not be exaggerated.
There was not enough corn made in the
state Tor seed the next year-1StD.
The year of 1860 was ushered in under
the most excited condition of the public
mind that had ever been Witnessed Prob
lens, TOO familiar for NE to make MEN,
non here, held the political caldron at red
neat, while the distress of the times caused
the strongest to trembc for the consequent
ceS Amid the 'panicky' condition of the
year, the great northwest was drawn upon
tor supplies TO feed man and brute. West
ern corn had to be used for seed corn and
II is well to state that this was the first of
using western corn in Georgia in any way
up to that date Georgia had been self
sustaining in abundance, and has never
been entirely so since On top of the corn
failure Of 1889 came the disappointment in
the western corn as seed. This added ter
ror to the existing depression, as the corn,
which, by this time, had taken the name of
Lincoln corn began to "tassel' at knee
high
Who can say but what the anxeties of
1SJ960 had much to do with bringing on
the war that followed? The atmosphere was
out of joint peoples llvers got out OF ix'
men got desperate and were ready for any
thing for change. This "anything for a
change" is liable to take a hold on people
when the liver is tore up by depressing at
mospheric conditions and, together with the
anxieties that these conditions create, stand
Il menace to everything that IS. ana gives
the bold, bad man his opportunity TO get
there" Revolution is bred out OF the as
trcss of the masses Hungry folks are dan
gerous as well as are the folks VINO nave
too great IL load of anxiety ABOUT lhelr
financial or social standing, ana the pressure
must be relieved. When damp gloomy
east wind is blowing you can safeiy count
9,st Wind d Ii SD iyer@ tnefelorS, is
burning up vegetation in 1888 IS is IA s sGln
thnt we are to be without corn as III 1919:
ond ne the discomfort and restless spirit OF
tho masses in 1893 SO closely reSeihple t ti
DAYS of 1860 unless crosstie gets OH llie
troc, we NAV look out Tor the s'tlnc oohou
ule. o.. Of , GREAT
I have read in the newspapers Oh IL Siv''
drought in the northwest. ana in'' tho ~ sinh
4nrv tpmper of the people there Oh NY :"n
incf Of finance. The atmospheric cohul'ioli s
ara sncb as have existed prior 10 War' anu
ia ogitotpd neople are affected as gre p
nile before they fire on the lol.. 0 +bora
Sumtcr won't be in it this t1me' thousn tn
is a plenty of the east vino ,,,assas an
hIow;no over the south to give the ni''SI 90
~, n 90 1on't-care-a-cent what comes. an
1,,atcb;ng the signs" and Wouiun A. w
.'',,atb;n,, If the northwest Wouiu ~
~ drn,u On ms for her seed corn III lo'7:
If would be conditions reVels;;ua that
Main n sign of war, 10 my hl a GOOD
pi ,,1a o+ once 90 to work hunting up Ell
dry cave in the rlVer o'
ever sllp up Un rn treat lightly, this astat-
49,, oand;t;on of the country, toSe'nr, ,nd
tha sions. Many of us smut ou' ,t 60 far
rnfusnd TO see in 1860. Some WEI, WIZ all tho
MS to swear that they woulu ;.S ul1 to watch
Hood fiat was split. 1t is Wlsuon n+ ~ tba ot-
plo'' ; om's and trv to counteract 'ne az
anD he.;c conditions. This government .' -
nnndcrous and you can't ten Nnae sinn md
nav come over people under opp !.l,Ir r;chts
dnnression. Men hoWled ABOUT f It; Who
tep ne torr;tories' along in the h!'ies VIZ
III Wy -. as much prospect of having eoats
-; nav tbo moon rs they did OF ever set.inS w.
,,oSt AGITATION grows popular as ~ . 0I w.
dangerous, and agltatorS are ;,;i'r - l;sten
fonnd when the people are win,,nS g f.,,5;l;ar
ard Is = good illustration OF what aSiIa,
, t;nn will do. jenkins was oppressed, ne
, ,rn. trna+ed cruelty. and slowly, persist
ontlv he told his story till he was avenseu
If is the common talk these DAYS ~ ht,'l
d df - H. ~" onnrpssion of the people In the
first instance II
nansn for the assertion mShty siieli' !ct'
e ~ Icons on. it will soon be verified as
. u Of a great upheaval-war ana reTo-
,nt;nn This talk of oppression should DE
frnwncd down if it is without iouN3 i,1,l:
and corrected if there be foundaton. WINE
I helieye in signs, ! yet beheVe that 'leE
aro in thc nature of danger signals, ana
if is the part of wisdom to proht by tneul.
Recently the governor of great S'ate
has hardened the Haymarket anarcn!sIs
who were in prison. This PARDON Tvs
color to the idea that there has oeeh ter1 II
bic cruelty and oppression somewhere; 81
these anarchists are patriots or lus'
cause oppression cannot keep them uoWn,
but if they are bad folks they should never
receive the pardon of Il great state, l.
mention these anarchists for the reason
that it suggests very corrupt method or
politics in the state of Illinois. II so hlsh
a parsonage as the governor OF Il great stare
win prostitute his office for votes, then
this is a great big sign that the hmes
are out of joint and that we are nearing
a calamity. The same Will apply II theSG
men were convicted through preJudlce ana
chicanery. Corruption in politics is much
louder complaint throughout TINS lahd man
was the voice of jenkins as he went from
man to man showing his ear. ana 1t must
be corrected or the calamity comes upon