The Atlanta constitution., 1894-05-14
SARGE PLUNKETT.
THE OLD NAN RECEIVESSALTYL LET
TIERS FROM ABROAD.
He Has Some Friends and Some Foes he
and Brown go Pcnicking and Have
Fine Time with the Young Folks.

Our friends may forget and neglect us,
but our enemies are always on the watch
tower for opportunities.
If fellow does a good thing or a smart
thing that is more than apt to be the last
of it; but just say something that gives
your enemies chance to get in Woru
against you, and see if they neglect the OPP
portunty. In all the writing and taking
of my life, and l am a powerful talkef
the praise that l have received could be
put in chigger's eye; but last week
received enough reminders of my intellect
ual feebleness and of my "seltish, contract
ed character" to have made a man with
any less cheek than myself go OH ana
hide These abuses have come from me-
| chanics and laborers of other towns than
| Atlanta and yet l received not KIND let
ter from one of Atlanta's workingmeh. J.
| have been married about sixty years, ana
| for every moon in that period or time
| 1 have had my memory refreshed ana d
| pretty full discourse upon my pedigree dish
| ed out to me at the breakfast table, never
| did escape longer than dinner any new
moon But these fellows of last week
| brought up things that | was sure not a
| soul knew of but me and Brown. The OLD
| oman has filed all the letters away and
| 1 am living in holy horror of the next
| moons coming; it will be new, tnouSh;
| am glad of that much.
Now, these writers mistaken about
| my feelings in the matter of mechanics
rushing to Atlanta to build the exposition.
| 1t is not alone the Atlanta mechanic
| wish to benefit, but / wish to save those at
| distance by my observations IN such mat
ters. The Coxey movement is one instance
| in proof of my position. That movement
would have never grown to a sensation out
| for the great number drawn to the west by
! the boom in work al the worlds S talr. When
! the fair was completed thousands We're lole
| and huddled together in such small terri
| tory that the CoXey movement went OH IKE
| a valve to the overtaxed engine. We all
| like to "boom'' our section. our state our
| county, our town, and there are those
| ready to say that such talk as mine is un-
| patriotic and that every one Shoulu De
| drawn here possible The boom IS al
very WELL but there is reaction at the
last end of it that should be avoided. At
ianta has done her part to ease over the
| hard times. This is the spirit, think, which
made the movement so popular and the rich
people so generous. Let other towns keep
| their own and provide work Tor
| them by some great pub
| lie movement-Atlanta has set an example
| which should be followed Of course. At
! lanta can do bigger things than other
| towns but every town can do something
| do your best, "here all the honor lies" and
| mercy as well. 1t is unmerciful to invite
| an influx to where it is not needed. L think
| the mechanics of Atlanta might give me a
| ''frlGnQly smile anu lONluS ldCe Oh lIli7,
| but they won't so just let the silvery moon
| roll
Brown and I met an old fellow on Deca-
| tur street yesterday and he at once laid
| down his saw and hammer and began to
| rasp us. The old fellow thinks that we are
| having too much to do with town people $
| affairs of late-he thinks we fools, and
| did not hesitate to tell us so. The old fell
| low warmed up as he pointed out to us
that the average mechanic made his g to
| $3.50 per day, while the average farmer
| could only make so cents The city doctor
| makes you ride to him, while the country
| doctor has to ride TO you through rain,
| heat and cold and after you are
| well you care about much for one as for
| Inc other. Your country preachers are
| starved while our town preachers live on
| princely salaries. There, you old cranks" ,"
said this old man in the wind up there
| is your country opportunities. Go back
! home now and quit meddling or being anX-
| ious about folks who do SO much better
| than your class" This is the way this old
mechanic talked to us, and we went home
! and away out on a lonely log we held a
| prolonged consultation and the decision ar
| rived at was that this old chap is q con-
| tractor who has taken job SO cheap that
| if the mechanics wages were raised by
! any means it would ruin him. An OVerplus
| of Workmen makes wages low and puts
| idlers upon the corners To keep the
numbers down to meet Just the demand
gives prosperous times and smiling faces.
The cheap contractor is swindle upon his
employer, for they are bound to Slight
work: a blight upon his town and a curse
to his fellow workman. is the way Brown
argues, and believe Brown is right in most
all things. Brown senced this old fellow
S before .oneH we left ths hm by nd Temarklnf KIN
he (Browm would wager a
dollar to a ginger cake that he could
show by unmiStaka kable evidence that the
countrymen were in better condition than
the town folks. Brown invited the Old
fellow to name a day that he would form
of his tWo-6O1lar-a -CaV mechanics
across the new Forsyth street bridge to
face line of common tenants that could
be brought there. Brown hacked the old
contractor, and when ne began to see him
wilt he laid it on. Brown swore that these
tWo-dOllar-a-day fellows never had
months provisions ahead in their lives and
never would. while the poorest tenants
managed to have a years provi isions III the
crib and smokehouse, good mlk COW
and a pig or two in the pen. Brown in
sisted on having these lines formed and an
inventory taken of what each line possessed
of this worlds goods, but the old fellow
gathered his tools and away he went, mutt
tering something about the pest of cranks.
The children had picnic and would have
me and Brown to go along. We mad
fine time but were not 50 important
as we have been in some piCnicS Of the
mast The reason for this in the fact
that a clever yankee from the state Of
and in good yankee style had eEerythlng
so arranged that our usefulness was
display istelf. The picnic was held close
bv the Dairy home OF Mr.. John Dorm,
who came here from the state OF New \ Ork
lust a few years ago and has turned some
| old sage fields into meadows of beauty ana
of profit Mr.. Dorm. in regular yankee
! broglle tells of the profits he received from
| raising peas on this land when he first
came. He vowed that peas were the only
| things the land would sprout at first, but
| now fine crops of anything and green mea-
| dows can be raised with ease. He has tg-
| ured on it and vows that Georgans could
| all get rich raising peas and hogs. Cotton
| cuts no figure with this shreWd fellow; he is
| crank on peas in preference. lHteen
! bushels to the acre is what he claims to
| have produced on his land. by actual meas
| urement-nO gueSSing-per acre. ana only
| plowed them one time after planting: ms
| is where he claims the advantage lies in
raising peas-it takes such little work 2
| to make them. With old planta ton the
time saved in making, pea crop and rails
| ing hogs as compared with the making ot
| cotton gives the farmer plenty of chance TO
| take his fields one at a time and make
! them as productive as the lands of New York
state. Mr.. Dorm is familiar with the cul-
ture of hops, and he is going to experiment
| on them this year for my benefit
! But it was the picnic | was telling ABOUT.
| There never was a time before that Brown
| did not receive praise for his attention 70
| the picnickerS' wants in the matter OF
| mlk-cool buttermilk Just from the spring
! This time Mr.. Dorm took the honorS from
Brown and furnished it on ice from one OF
! the cleanest and coolest cellars have
| ever seen. Mrs. Dorm is a smart and sweet