The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-08-09
BILL ARP
Makes Some Suggestions on tho Finan'
ciat Situation.
atlanta Constitution.

atlanta Constit,tt;on.
Now is the time for everybody to
show their charity and their good will.
Let us all divide out and help one
another. The papers all say that there
| is plenty of money, and the banks
that have suspended have got plenty
Of assets and if confidence could
be restored everything would become
calm and serene again. Well, let US
al! take on confidence and divide out
with one another. A man told me
that he knew of one man in Atlanta
who had shifted all his money into
gold, and had 10000 of it locked up
| in private drawer in one of the banks,
and there were lots. of men who had
| from $4,000 to $4,000 locked up in
| the same way, and they were waiting
| to see what Congress was going to do
| with silver. That is all wrong. That
gold ought to be turned loose. want
| a little of it right now. Let us come
to a divide until this trouble is over.
When the war was over and everybody
was as poor as Lazarus there were a
few here and there who had, notes on
their neighbors. The stay law had
prevented them from collecting, but
when that law played out we poor fel-
lows who owed little ante-bellum
money were suddenly invited to pay it
and it took us years and years to do
it. We were pursued and pursued.
My friend Bill Fort told me that it
was an outrage, and it was. All our
substance destroyed and now these
debts to hang over US world without
end and so Fort tried to get up town
meeting and pass resolutions to have
a big bonfire in the middle Of the
street and let everybody who had
note or a debt on anybody be called
upon. to come forward like patriots and
cast the note or the debt into the fire
and then let us all take new start in
the world. I thought it was splen-
did idea, and when we began to agitate
it was discovered that nobody was in
favor Of it except those who owed the
money. Patriotism is one thing and
money is another. They are no kin.
But now it seems to me is agood time
for everybody to come to reasonable
divide. I will divide with anybody
who will divide with me, though | am
in Jim Perkins fix right now. Jim
never had any money to speak OF, but
he always held his head up like gen.
tleman. One day poor countryman
who knew Jim and looked up to him
took him aside and begged him for a
loan of S. until harvest. Jim seemed
very much distressed and told the
poor fellow that he didn't have that
much in the world. Then the poor
fellow lowered his sights and asked for
So, and Jim said he didn't have that
much. "Well, let me have ST. said
he and Jim said: "Jack, l hate to ac-
knowledge it., but TIL swear before
high heaven I haven't had a dollar in
month. No, I haven't had dog-on
cent.
The times are awful hard, but if we
will all come to divide nobody will
suffer. It's no time to be drawing on
man through bank when the bank
wouldn' t lend you cent. Banks were
established to help the people in just
such times, and Atlanta brags on her
banks, but you can't borrow dollar
through the front door. They say
there is back door or ground floor
somewhere, but 1 couldn't find it. I
was willing to take silver, but they did
not have it, [ reckon. / don't like
for anybody to draw on me through a
bank. What has the bank got to do with
man when they won't help him lap
over or bridge over the bloody chasm.
Here I am without dollar and can t
buy chicken OF pay the preacher and
ever and anon get a love letter through
the mail saying they have drawn upon
me through the bank for that little
account that has been running so long.
Well, as the boy said to the molasses,
"just let her run" I'm in strain
Just now. It is the first time in ff-
teen years that I didn't have a dollar
in my pocket or somewhere within
reach. I cant feel like o gentleman.
I don't 90 down town. I'm waiting for
something to happen. Tried to sell
some literature, but they smiled and
said they were not dealing in luxuries
now-at least they were not paying
cash, but would give me a duebill.
"What can I do with .it?" said I.
"Keep it," they said, ''until things
turn loose again. So I took it for
better or for worse, and I will divide
it with anybody who is as bad off as [
am. Let us all divide. Now is the
time a man wants an ofice-a salary
that comes in every month. Now is
the time that these Office holders
ought to come to a divide. IF every
man had an Office what glorious world
it would be. Great piles Of money to
come pouring in to every family. That
is the way it is up north. Every other
man you meet in the road has got an
Office or pension. Illinois gets sl2,-
900, 900 for pensions this year, and
then there are the ofice-holders be-
sides and the grab at the Worlds Fair
and we poor miserable sinners down
south not only get nothing, but have
to help pay it all. If Mr.. Cleveland
had been little bigger around his
waist he would have given our boys all
the Offices as set-off. There are
bowels of mercies and bowels of COM
passion according to scripture and Mr..
Cleveland ought to have them and help
our people out. | see that the Boston
Herald has figured it up and says that
the south has paid to the north $780,
900, 600 on the pension account, and
that it is likely to run on for half a
century longer. Don't it make your
blood boil this hot weather to think
about it? Here I am without dollar
and can't buy a chicken and company
is coming next week and l owe the
butcher and the baker and the preach
er and my taxes are coming on, and
yet in the face of all these l hear the
same old call for more pension money.
Nearly every man and woman north of
the line stands around the public
treasury with their mouths open like
young birds in a nest and say to the
paternal government: Daddy, drop