The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-22
SARGE PLUNKETT.
THE Old MAN WRITES UPON THE
SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY.
The Young Men Will Save It-He Is Hope1ui
of the Times, and Thinks a Better Day
is Dawning-A Few Suggestions.

I have been watching the young men
closely, and ! feel very hopeful, as do
many other old folks.
We older people have been too much
married to sentiment and too much bound
down by our preiudices A ''sold south
was Il sentiment, as was a solid north,
and for forty years that idea has mothered
the friction necessary to the development
of statesmen 1t is well for these sentl-
nlents to abound mS stimulate to
country'S love--even SECTIONAL loVe-Dut
when such sentiments are warped into the
creation of prejudices to shape the politics
of Il great government it is time to halt
and consider. The older generation could
not consider. They smarted under the sting
cf 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 govern
ment to suit their own ambitions. | think
[ can see change from this. | have been
an advocate for Il 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 strfeS and important enough
to keep the people eternally yigilant we will
rious craftsmanship.
These young men will find plenty of
''probicms for instance. Right
now the silver question is Il 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 | that the mig
ger is QUE lost mis- Importance, as 1t were,
and now | hope we will let him rest and
seek his level. There still goes on some
little harpiEg about the race and it makes
them smile for they have ever invited agi-
tation as the thing to give them undue
Importance. The negro must behave or
hang If we were entirely sincere about
the negro leaving this country he would
90 The truth is that the negro is wanted
here by the people who own the lands.
His humility makes hlm tavorlte la
borer. and all our tourishes to the contrary
cannot conceal it.
But / don't 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
show of the bad quality that ulster be
designated the bloody shirt" They discuss
questions without reference to sectional
lines, without the quality of sectional hate,
free from the application 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 responsibility,
is what We have been needing. An an
tagonsm vigorously but gentlemanly, is
what these young men are TO bring us,
and with it all will develop men like Geor-
gia has boosted of in the past The SIM
pie claim of I'm democrat. or I'm a
republican, az the case may be, will play
no part in the matter of responsibility or
of brains. A liberality must come and will
come, which allows every man right TO
his opinions and to party affiliations of
his own choosing without beng vllllfled or
bulld0Zed.
But | must not get too big into politics.
| like other things better. i is just the
season now for folks to rent land for an
other year. and [ would like it if | could
pursuade some of the poor people of the
towns to stir themselves in this direction.
! mentioned the Importance Of unloading
the towns a year ugo The cry OF hard
times and the men who are idle i'll every
town proves the correctness of what L
then stated. and | now state again
that the towns must be unloaded,
the flow of population must turn back 10
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 re-
main 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 depor-
able condition of many poor people III the
towns. The south is bad enough in -hlS
respect, but it is in much better condltlon
than the north. The mayor of Chicago
gives an alarming account of the outlook
for that great city. These poor folks III
Chicago should hustle out to the country
and go to work. This Is the solution oil the
problem" the relief to be had, and it
might save many hangings. TINS IS PLAIN
talk but the situation demands plain talk
America is not ready to test the experiment
of communism, folks must make their
bread by the sweat of their brow, ana now
is the time of year to make arrangements
Quit waiting for something TO ,urn up,
dismiss your fond delusion OF seeing bet
ter times in the bye-and-bye, or III 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 III connection with the demorallZcd
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 ut
terances of the mayor of Chicago points
to, might look as if | was changing my
base" as to organizations III general.
am not. | am on record as having sad
that the day would come when justice ana
moderation would direct these unions
that hand in hand the honest workman
and the capitalist would go together, c9un-
sci together. and so justly arrange thelI
differences that together they would stand
as bulwark against dangerous agltators
and communism. believe 5hat we are
approaching the hopeful period when pro
nrietors and workmen will meet together
In these union halls and settle all differ
ences and protect all interests; When It
,o,.>o, 70 that then | am hopeful OF seeing
trades union hall on every hill in Gcor
sia and dotting the whole country over.
September is most here. Every month
with an r." in it the rabbits are good to
eat | expect to fatten, for there are mil
lions in the fields around me. The grapes
are rinening along the hedgerows and Mr.
'Possum will soon be rackns by the l'& 1t
waters and | sigh for the people of the
towns when I think of this: Come out
from the towns and help us dig 'taters and
drink 'Simmon beer.
PIITNKETT.