The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1894-11-22
BILL ARP
Grows Philosophic Over the Political
Situation.
We Have Faced Defeat Before and We Are
Not Unprepared to Meet IL Now.
Tho Sun win Continue to
Rise As of Old.

States of North America can stand it, so
can and so can you. 1t is not as bad as
war or pestilence or famine; not SO bad
as cyclone or fire or sickness or death
or taxes. And yet we are liable to all
these. IL we have health and strength
and food and raiment we ought to be
thankful and happy. Tho truth is our
people care less about this Republican
victory than they have about any since
the war. heard an old-time Democrat
say today: II don't care a darn. Our
party is not fit to run tho government
nohow. Now let the Yanks take it and
run it till kingdom come" Another one
said: 1--WE swept our State in the face
OF scent cotton, but up North, where
they have no cotton, they cleaned us up
like an avalanche. How's that?"
And now the quarrel still goes on in
the Democratic press. Who did it? Who
is to be held responsible for the inglo-
rious defeat? Both factions are crying:
81 told you SO, and tho people are tired.
What is the uso Of trying to find out
how the wagon came to turn over while
dad is under the hay. Let's get him
out and drive on. 1t reminds me of
Judge underwood's old darby, who
walked up and found himself in the Gala
boose. He sent for MARS John" and
declared he hadn't dun nufn-nufn at
all" well, Jack, they can't put you
in here for that There is no law to
punish man for doing nothing" Jack
frightened up for moment: "You say
dey can't, Mars John" mo, SIR" said
the judge, "no, sir, they can't do it,"
But, Mars John, day has done done it,
and | is here right now-'fore God is"
Well we d mocrats are all in for it
now, and I'm not going to bed about it.
There is not mucn difference between
the two parties nohow. There is no
dividing line on principle. There are
thousands of protection Democrats down
South, especially in Alabama and Ten
ncssee. They say protection has en-
riched the North, and now let the South
go to manufacturing and get rich too.
On the silver question our people are as
much divided as the Republicans. Some
want to take silver straight, and some
to dash it with gold, and nobody but
the fools know which is right So, after
all, there is but one settled, well-fnad,
line, and that is office, spoils, patronage.
But few OF us have any interest in that,
SO let the ofiiceholders and ofiiceseekers
howl and weep. I'm not going to shed
many tears. There are five Repu blicans
in this town who are right now rumin-
ating about our little postofiice for two
years hence, and they are all clever men
and good citizens, but only one can get
it. Then, there are two or three reve-
nue. officers and three or four clerkships
at Washington, and that is all that our
whole county of three thousand voters
gets out of national politics, SO let the
procession proceed. AS Cobe says, tits
all optionary with me-
Federal politics is not of so much con-
sequence to us as our State politics. AS
long as the negro is here we want
Solid South, united people The Pop
ulist party has done more to disturb
harmony and engender discord at the
South than all other causes. If it had
been conceived on good principles and
with good intent to reform corrupt
methods thousands OF good men would
have joined it, but it has pandered to
the prejudices OF the laboring classes
and arrayed them against their more
fortunate neighbors. 1t has fostered
and encouraged desire for paternalism
and made promises to the negro that it
never intended to perform. 1t is aston
ishing that men who pass as gentlemen
at homo should so far degrade their in
stincts, their consciences as to carry the
banner of such a party. | would rather
be Republican ten times over than
Populist, and yet know some good men
who have joined that party and profess
TO believe in it's absurd and ridiculous
platform. There is but one explanation
Of this strange anomaly and that is just
what a clever Populist said when asked
him il he really believed in that plat
form. Platforms" said he, amount
to nothing. 1t is what a man does that
we Judge him by-not what he says he
will do. We propose to reform and
cCouOhiHo ahu pub mOuOpOllob
The old parties are utterly corrupt, as
you will admit, and it is time to have
new deal" That is sensible, and If
they had that for platform and had
left out all their foolishness and had
put forward men who were not trick
sters and dcmagogues there was great
opportunity to build up a third party
that would have held the balance of
power in national politics and have
checked the corrupt methods of the
State Democracy. Even as it is, they
have been a terror to machine politics
in Georgia and thereby have done some
good, but with their professed princi-
pies of paternalism and the moral OBJ
liquity OF their leaders, woe be unto
Georgia il they ever get into power.
Tho people admire the boldness of an
independent, but lament the foolish
ness of a Populist. DR.. FELTON, didn't
mean to BIO one, and be is not one now.
1t is very hard for an Old Line Wing
like him to be Democrat and we sym.