The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-08-07
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
He Names Over a Number of Questions
That are Agitating.
atlanta Constitution.


atlanta Constitution.
It takes long time for big things
to settle down so that we may get the
truth and the facts. was ruminat-
ing about this in connection with the
great battle of Manassas that was
fought thirty-four years ago last Sun
day. This is one time that the day
of the week and the day of the month
corresponded with the anniversary OF
that battle. Thirty-four years have
passed and this generation is just be-
ginning to understand what the war
was about. Northern histories have
been so partial and one-sided that the
young folks have been surprised and
astonished that our people fought so
hard and so long with SO little to fight
for. But the truth is gradually dawn
ing upon the nation. Southern his
tories have been written and introduc-
ed in Southern schools and our chill
dren are becoming our defenders. |
see that Mrs. Susan Pendleton Lee,
the gifted daughter of General Pcndle-
ton, has written a history of the Uni
ted States, and has without reserve
told the story of the late civil war,
and the United Confederate Veterans,
in their great meeting at Houston,
have as fearlessly indorsed it. In
few years more the South will be vim
dicated, but it takes long time.
Eighty years have passed since Ma
poleon figured in Europe and even now
historians differ widely about events
and motives concerning him. Mar
shall Ney was shot in 1915 or he died
in North Carolina in 1845, nobody
knows which.
For several years we have been
waiting for the truth about the Ha-
waiian Islands, but it has not yet been
written from non-partisan stand
point. Conservative people don t
know what to believe. The mission
aries used to tell us that the Sand
wich islanders were cannibals fifty
years ago, but had all become Chris
tians and had schools and churches
like we have. Later accounts say
that political schemers and unprinci-
pied scoundrels from our country have
plundered that unhappy land and re-
duced those natives to beggars and
subiection. And now we read that
another set are arming vessels to drive
the first set out under pretense of
helping the natives. I wonder what
are the facts in the case?
And what about Cuba +? Who
knows? The prevailing idea is that
Spain is tyrant and has got those
Cubans by the throat and they want
to govern themselves and set up
Republican form of government like
ours. But knowing man, who has
been there, told me that those Gu
bans were mostly negroes Of the most
degraded kind and were not fit to gov
ern themselves and all this rumpus
was being raised bya few flibuster-
ing Americans, who want to capture
the island and divide out the Offices
and get rich off the sugar plantations
that the Spaniards are cultivating.
There was big fuss raised and lots
Of sympathy extended about an editor
whom the Spaniards had confined in
Moro castle, but Homer Reed says he
found out the other day that the
editor was coal-black coon who had
been very scandalous in his paper.
And so the question comes up, "Is
Cuba worth helping p
David wrote, II said in mine haste
all men are liars and the old Scotch
preacher took that for his text and
remarked: "Ah, David, David, if ye
had lived till now ye might have said
it at your leisure, me mon.
Are we nation of liars Read
the papers and say Who knows
what to believe? While I was in
Florida the other day I read from the
New York Recorder an awful account
about Tavares being attacked, by rat
tlesnakes and the people had to turn
out with guns and rocks and thrash
poles and they killed over 400 in the
streets one Sunday morning and in
two days had killed over thousand
and the people were terror-stricken.
The article went into many details and
told about woman who put her infant
child in tub while she was washing
in another tub, and big rattler got
his head over the edge of the tub and
she had to kill him with her battling
stick. I asked Tavares man about
it and he was amazed. "Why," said
he, cit is liza lie without any
foundation. Some lyingreporter made
it up for a sensation. And not long
after l read that there was yellow
fever in Tampa and the people were
flying from the city / was in Tampa
that very day and knew it was lie.
Of course the paper took it all back
the next day and said itwas mistake,
but there is no telling the damage
that such mistakes do. If a reporter
who is running around for news gets
up lie for a sensation he should be
turned off lnstantcr.
And here is the silver question that
has been the subject of more e1ager-
alton than will ever be forgiven in the
day of judgment elimination
and slander and suppression of the
truth. And nothing is yet settled
about it. Who knows what is best !?
When we see such statesmen as Nor
gan and Vest and Harris and Daniel
and George and Blackburn and Crisp
and Black and McLaurin and a host
of others on one side and as many
notable men on the other side, what
right has common man to jump up
and swear that he knows all about it
and that those who don't think with
him arc fools. But I reckon the next
election will settle it, and [ wish it
was over, for the people are getting
mighty tired of the whole business.
And there is another question that
comes up periodically and has recently
come up again. Does education les
sen crime Some philanthropists arc
getting concerned about this, and well
they may, for the statistics of every
State in the Union establish the fact