The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-16
HE BROKE THE CHAIN.
Bill Arp Will Not Help Build Mon
ument to General Tecumseh Sher

HE BROKE THE CHAIN.
Bill Arp Will Not Help Build a Mon
ument to General Tecumseh Sher
man.
Mr.. Slickman-Sir: received your
letter asking for rs cents to help build
monument to General Sherman, the
wanting me to send three other names
and warming me not to break the
chain, etc. I will go as far as an rebel
so-called to keep the peace and bury
the past aud be friendly but you must
excuse me. l have lived all my life
in the path of that march to the sea,
and for thirty years have been strain
ing my mindo to see the heroism In it,
and l can't do it, 1t just shows how
blinded we poor mortals are. All the
heroism see Is in the retreat of Joe
Johnston, who, with 10000 men, re-
sisted that march OF Sherman with
three times that number and killed
moro, man for man, than he had sol
diers. There is where the heroisul
comes In. But we will make fair
compromise with you. II you and
your boys will contribute % cents each
for monument to Joe Johnston, the
real hero OF the march to the sea, we
say nothing about it. We thought
that the time was about out for brag-
ging, but IL you are determined to
keep 1t up let's tote fair. It seems to
US that it requires agood deal of cheek
to brag about an army of near three
millions of men whipping an army of
OF three-quarters of a million in -four
years time. | wouldn't mention it. If /
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 q monument to all the brave SOL
diers who fought on either side and we
will bury the tomahawk and say hur-
rah for Americans, but we take no
stock In Tecumseh Sherman, nor any
other Sherman that is kin to him. We
would IL we could, but somehow or
other we can't. So you will please ex-
cuse me for breaking the chain. Some
of these days, when this everlasting
panic is over, we will build monu-
ment to old Joe Johnston that will tell
the truth and commemorate the hero
ism of that march to the sea.
This reminds me of old John Sher-
man, the statesman, so-calle6, and of q
little paper-cOvered book that Is called
Coins Financial School" and Is 90
ing the grand rounds on its silver mis-
sion. 1t did not come from our side of
the country, but it is capturing the
people. / don't know who is behind it,
but do know that it Is the brightest,
clearest and most attractive book on
the silver side that has been placed
before the American people, and il
not answered in an effective, convinc-
Ing way will sweep this Western coun-
try as fires sweep the praries 1t will
not do tor the gold standard folks to
say, ooh, 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 q position in it
and am an average man. The truth
is, am afraid to believe all that Is in
1t for fear somebody will call me fool
asked Joe Chandler Harris about it
yesterday and what he knew about w.
Fl. Harvey, who wrote 1t. He smiled
and said: Harvey is silver crank,
just like am. They call me crank,
but nobody can answer the argument
on the silver side, and hence their
only reply is that the book is hum
bug-a deceitful snare and all that,
but the book Is taking the Western
and Southern country. They cannot
print them as fast as they are called
for. You will find them on all the
railroads, but as yet they have not got
in the book stores. 1t is said that 25O,-
600 copies have already been sold. The
simple colloquial style OF questions
and answers and the illustration. cap
ture the common people,"
Now, there are a whole lot of us who
have been reading both sides of tho
newspapers for year or so, and we
have got all mixed up and come to
the conclusion that nobody knows
much about it. But this little book
has told us more than all the newspa-
pers, and II somebody don't publish a
reply to it I'm afraid we will all slide
down the silver toboggan and stay
there. Coin says that the value of all
the property in the United Stats is
$25, 900, 900, 600 and the indebtedness OF
the nation IL $17 100000, 900, and he
gives all the figures in detail. Well,
If that's so, we are busted and the ap-
poiptment of q national receiver is in
order. He says the railroads alone
owe $4,000, 100000 to Europe and tho
annual interest Ia $240, 600, 900, payable
in gold. He says that every kind of
property has been shrinking In value
since the crime of 1873 that old John
Sherman was the author Of. The
crime OF demonetizing silver by an act
passed between midnight and day,
when everybody was drunk or asleep
and even General Grant said he didn't
know that he had signed any such an
act. 1t takes twice as inuch property
now TO pay q debt as 1t did five years
ago, and as we all owe nearly % much
as We don't owe, the country is about
bankrupt, and few thousand million
aires will own the whole concern. This
is tho picture he draws, and to read II
aud believe 1t makes u man feel like
taking his double barrel shotgun and
joining the army OF bread winners
The masses of the people are In deb,
and while property shrinks, the debts
| swell and taxes increase until they arc
q burden. The people realize this
| Not long ago sold @ piece OF property
for $500 that refused 81 500 for three
years ago. | was forced to sell to pay
| debts and taxes. Some so-called states
men say the wheat and other thtng
| have come down from overproductior
or from cheaper methods OF CROWNS
and harvesting. But Coin says how
about wool that has not Increased Il
quantity, but has decreased 60 PEI
cent. In price? How about horse
that have boen selling In Colorado 10
50 q head
The fact Is that Coins book 10 eitbe
q dannarana fallno.t o1. ..aa- nI1.n ~. lx.I