The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-17
BILL ARp'S LETTER.
hrp Asked to Contribute 10 a Monument
TO General Sherman.
atlanta Constitution.

4 monument to General Sherman. the
hero of the march To the sea, and
wanting me not to break the chain,
etc. will 90 as far as any rebel So
called to keep the peace and bury the
past ami be friendly: but You must
excuse nc | have lived all NY life
in the path Of that march to the sea,
and for thirty years have been strain
ing my mind to see the lcrniSm in it,
and can do it, 1t just shows how
blinded VIC 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
more. man for man. than he had sol
diers. There is where the hcroism
comes in. But VT will make fair
compromise with you. If you and
your boys will contribute - cents
each for a monument to.Ioe Johnston,
the real hero of Tie 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 brag
gring. but if you are determined to
keep it up let $ tote fair. 1t seems to
us that it requires a good deal of check
to brag about an army of near three
millions of men whipping an army Of
| three-quartcrs of a million in four
years time. woul1cnt 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 monument to all the brave sol
diers who fought on either side and
We will bury the tomahawk and say
hurrah for Americans. but we take no
stock in Tccumsch Sherman, nor any
other Sherman that is kin to him
We would if we could, but somehow
or other We can t. So you will please
excuse me for breaking the chain.
Some of these days, when this ever
lasting panic is over. we will bulld a
monument 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 Shcr-
man, the statesman, so-called, and OF
little papcr-covercd book that is
called "Coin Financial School and
is going the grand rounds on its silver
mission. 1t did not come from our
| side of the country, but it is captur-
ing the people. | don't know who is
behind it, but | do know that it is the
brightest, clcarcst and most attractive
book on the silver side that has been
placed before the American people,
| and if not answered in an effective,
convincing way will sweep this west
crn country as fires sweep the pralries:
1t will not Ito for the gold standard
folks to say, "Oh, it is all bosh and
| is paid for by the silvcritcs. The
book must be answered. Maybe 1t
can't be. | don know | cant an
| swer a position in it and | am an aver.
age man. The truth is, ! am afraid
to believe all that is in it for fear
somebody will call me a fool. | asked
Joel Chandler Harris about it yestcr-
day and what he knew about W. il:
Harvey, who wrote it. lie smiled and
said: Harvey is a silver crank, just
like am. They call me a crank, but
nobody can answer the argument on
the silver side, and hence their only
reply is that the book is a humbug-a
dcccitful snare and all that, but the
book is taking the western and south
ern 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 250. 900 copies
have already been sold. The simple
coloouial style Of questions and an
swcrs and the illustrations capture the
common people.
Now. there are il whole lot Of us
who have been reading both sides Of
the newspapers for a 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 news
papers. and if somebody don publish
a reply to it I'm afraid We will all
slide down the silver tobogean and
stay there. Coin says that the value
of all the property in the United
States is S25. 900. .0U0 900 and the in
dcbtedncss of the nation is SlI ,O00,-
600 900, and he gives all the figures
in detail. Well. if that's so, we are
busted and the appointment of Il ma
tioaal receiver is in order. lie says
the railroads alone owe 1000, ,O0O, ,OO0
to Europe and the annual interest is
$24O 900, 900. payable III gold. lie
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 de-
monctizing silver by an act passed be
tween midnight and day, when every
body was drunk or asleep. and even
General Grant said he dident know
that he had signed any such an act.
1t takes twice as much property now
to pay debt as it did five years ago,
and as We all owe nearly as much as
we don t owe. the country is about
bankrupt, and a few thousand million
aires will soon own the whole cornccrn.
This is the picture he draws, and to
read it and believe it makes man
feel like taking his double barrel shot,
gun and joining the army Of bread
| winners. The masses Of the people
are in debt and while property shrlnks,
the debts swell and takes increase
until they are a burden. The people
realize this. Not long ago sold a
piece of property for $500 that | re
fused 81. 800 for three years ago.
vas forced to sell to pay debts and
taxes. Some So-callcl statesmen say
that wheat and cotton and other things
have come down from overproduction
or from cheaper methods Of growing
and harvesting But Coin says how
about wool that has not increased in
quantity but has decreased Go per
cent in Price? How about horses
that have been .rllips in Colorado 70!
=, herd
The fact is that Coin book is either
a dangerous fallacy or an alarming
truth. Cleveland is not in it, nor the