The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-16
BILL ARP,S LETTER.
Bill has no Patiance With tile Tramping
Commouwealers.
Atlanta Constitution.

There was time when every State
had law furnishing vagrancy and it
said that any man who was found
going about in idlcness and had no
visible means of support should be
deemed a vagrant, and on conviction
should be imprisoned and put to labor.
[ don't think that law has ever been
repealed in Georgia, but it is dead
letter and I reckon it ought to be in
these hard times. There are now
thousands who are idle and have no
means of support visible or invisible.
Most of them are willing to work, but
can't get work to do. Nevertheless
this Coxey army is nothing but an
army Of tramps, an excursion Of will
ing vagrants who would rather plum
der than work. We have no patience
with them-no consideration for them.
If any of them have families, where
are they and who is supporting them
while the head Of the house is bowling
over the country ? If they have no
families, why don't they scatter over
the west or the South and work for
their victuals and clothes on the farms
or in the mines or on the railroads
rather than to beg or to rob or inti-
midate for living Most Of them are
like tho organ grinder who stops under
your window and grinds out his
horrid music until the lady of the
house throws him a nickel and says:
"Please pass on" "Na, na," he
replies. "Me pass on for two nickels," /"
and he grinds away until she throws
him another. The good people along
the route of this army are alarmed at
their presence and give them bread
and meat to 90 on. So do the towns
and cities. They are looked upon as
dangerous and they are. Governor
Mckinley showed the right pluck
when he scattered the vagrants
who stole the train at Mt. Sterling.
There has got to be an example made
of somebody, even if it takes Gatling
guns to do it. If this kind of thing is
to go on we had better change the re-
public to monarchy at once and be
done with it. If the people can't
govern the people we will have to
have standing army Of half million
men like Germany has and England
and France and quarter troops all over
the country to preserve the peace and
protect private property. These strik
ers are not much better, for they won't
work themselves nor let anybody else
take their places. 1t is all a spirit of
anarchy and violence and lawlessness.
There are demagogues who lead them
and encourage them and seek to array
the poor against the rich-the laborer
against the capitalist-and ride into
Office or power on the dissensions and
suferings of the people.
Now, with all this devilish spirit on
the one hand, there is on the other a
reckless, ruinous Congress that sits
there and laughs at their own jokes
and quarrels and talks and prints their
speeches and draws their pay and
tramps over the country when they
feel like it. A late correspondent
says the average daily number of alb.
sentees in the house is seventy, and
hence it frequently takes several days
to get quorum. The cost of a scs-
sion is said to be half million day
and the people have it to pay: When
will this outrage cease =? When will
they pass tariff bill ? 1t does not
matter much what kind Of bill it is
so they pass one. Capital is waiting
or Congress, and labor is waiting on
capital. Millions are lying idle that
would be invested in manufactures or
in mines or railroads, if it was known
what the tariff was. An Ohio man
fears to build woolen mill because
he doesent know whether he can COM
pete with foreign mills or not. Just
so with the shoe man and the paper
mill man and the clothing man and
the nail makers and hundred other
things that the tariff affects. There
is just as much money in the land as
there ever was, and all the silver bills
and bank tax bills will do no good
until the tariff bill is passed and the
money turned loose and the wheels of
industry begin to move. l heard a
man say, "there ought to be more
money per capita" !" Well, suppose
there was. How am I to get my share
of it unless I work for it, and how am
[ to work unless somebody employs
me, and who will employ me until
CONGRESS fixes the tariff Z? But is it
possible that Brice and others are
speculating on sugar stock and keep
ing the tariff on sugar in an uncertain
state while they are trading in it ? 1t
is openly charged that they are, and
that is why the tariff bill can't pass.
They want it to trade on. May the
good Lord deliver us tell you what
is the fact-when the people rumiuate
over all these things they have a tired
feeling akin to despair. meet good
old-time Democrats all over the coun-
try, and there is no enthusiasm, no
confidence, and if there was any other
respectable party they would join it.
I have heard them say they we're now
willing for the Republicans to take
the government and run it, as it would
be better than all this wrangling and
delay-all this long uncertainty, all
this marching to Washington. The
Democracy has had the President and
the House and the Senate for two
years and done nothing for relief.
How much longer will Congress abuse
our patience =? Whom shall we trust
Whom shall we elect to Congress the
next time ? Tie old set are already
setting their traps and putting bait @ on
the triggers. TO get back is the big
thing. There is not enough difference
in the two great parties to give the
people much concern. The pending
tariff bill, with all of its amendments
is no better than the Mckinley bill.
It's tweedlc-dum and tweedle-dee, but
the people want it settled SO that capi-
tai can 60 to work.
Machine politics Why, it is openly
charged that right here at home in
Georgia, the State Of Toombs and
Stephens and Ben Hill and johnson
and Cobb and jenkins, whose illus
trious examples are still fresh and
green in our memories, there is a