Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-04-23
BROKE THE CHAIN.
Arp Asked to Contribute to a Monu-
ment to Gen. Sherman.
But Says He Cannot Compiy-states His
Reasons for Refusing to Do so-But
William IL willing to Chip 10 for
shaft to Gen. Johnston.

icbtof dSkluR LOT 20 Genus 10 neip Duiiu
. monument to Gen. Sherman, the hero
OF the march to the sea, and wanting
me to send three other names and warn
ing mo not to break the chain, etc.
will go as far as any rebel so-called to
keep the peace and bury tho past and
be friendly; but you must excuse me.
have lived all my life in the path OF that
march to the sea, and for thirty years
have been straining my mind to SOC the
heroism in 1t, and can't do 1t yet. 1t
just shows how blinded we poor mortals
are. All the heroism / SEQ is in the
retreat Of Joe Johnston, who, with 4o,-
600 men, resisted that march Of Sher-
man with three times that number and
killed more, man for man, than he bad
soldiers. There is where the heroism
comes in. But we will make fair COM
promise with you. II you and your
boys will contribute 25 cents each for .
monument to Joe Johnston, the real
hero OF the march to the sea, we will
let you build one to Sherman and say
nothing about it. We thought that the
time was about out for Dragging, but II
you are determined to keep 1t up let's
tote fair. Itseems to US that it requires
a good deal Of cheek to brag about an
army of near three millions OF men
whipping an army Of three-quarters OF
a million in four years time. wouldn't
mention it II were you. We are very
tired of all this ridiculous gush about
the Grand Army of the Republic,
especially when you know or ought to
know that you have on the pension rolls
more men than we had in our army
during the war. You can't knock the
truth out with monuments. We will
help you build monument to all the
brave soldiers who fought on either
side and we will bury the tomahawk
and say hurrah for Americans, but we
take no stock in Tecumseh Sherman,
nor any other Sherman that is kin to
him. We would If we could, but some
how or other we can't. So you will
please excuse me for breaking the chain.
Some of these days, when this everlast-
ing panic is over, we will build monu-
ment to old Joe Johnston that will tell
the truth and commemorate the heroism
Of that march to the sea.
This reminds me OF old John Sherman,
the statesman, so-called, and OF little
paper-covered book that is called Coins
Financial School" that is going the grand
rounds on its silver mission. 1t did not
come from our side of the country, but
it is capturing the people. l don't know
who is behind it. but l do know that it is
the bright test. clearest and most attrac-
tive book on the silver side that has
been placed before the American peo-
ple, and If not answered in an effective,
convincing way will sweep this western
country as fires sweep the prairies. 1t
will not do for the gold standard folks
to say, "Oh, it is all bosh and is paid
for by the silverites." The book must
be answered. Maybe it can't be.
don't know. can't answer a position
in 1t and am an average man. The
truth is, l am afraid to believe all that
Is in it for fear somebody will call me q
fool. / asked Joel Chandler Harris
about it yesterday and what he knew
about w. H. Harvey, who wrote it. He
smiled and said: Harvey is . silver
crank, just like l am. They call me .
crank, but nobody can answer tho argu-
ment on the silver side, and hence
their only reply is that the book is a
humbug-a deceitful snare and all that,
but the book is taking the western and
southern country. They cannot print
them as fas. as they are called for. You
will fnd them on all the railroads. but
IS yet they have not got in the book
stores. 1t is said that 250,000 copies
have already been sold. The simple
colloquial style of illustrations capture
the common people"
Now, there are a whole lot OF US who
have been reading both sides ef the
newspapers for year or SO, and we have
got all mixed up and come to the con.
clusion that nobody knows much about
1t. But this little book has told us more
than all the newspapers, and ii some
body don't publish reply to it I'm
afraid We will all slide down tho silver
toboggan and stay there. Coin says
that the value Of all the property in
the United States is S25, 900, 900, 900 and
the Indebtedness of the nation is SIT,
900, OOo. 900, and he gives all the figures
In detail. Well, il that's so, we are
busted. and the appointment of . ma
tional receiver is in order. He says the
railroads alone owe 5000. 000, 900 to
Europe, and the annual interest is
e240, 600, 900, payable in gold. He says
that every kind OF property has been
shrinking in value since the crime OF
1878 that old John Sherman was the
author of-the crime Of demonetizing
silver by an act passed between mid
night and day. when everybody was
drunk or asleep, and even Gen. Grant
said he didn't know that he had signed
any such an act. It takes twice as much
property now to pay debt - it did i've
years ago. and as we own nearly as much
IS we don't owe, the country Is about
bankrupt, and few thousand million
aires will soon own the whole concern.
This 10 the picture he draws, and to
read it and believe IL makes . man feel
like taking his double-bsrrel shotgun
and joining the army Of bread winners.
The masses of the people are In debt
and while property shrinks, the debts
swell and taxes increase until they are
. burden. The people realize tsis. Not
long ago sold piece OF property for
$50 that refused 81, 500 for three years