The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-09-23
Two "Anarchists"- Jefferson
and Lincoln.

Do you think that the great Thon2-
as Jefferson was "bloody Turk" or
raving anarchist? If he lived now
and wrote as he did in the long ago
the venal, false, lying New York
press would howl him down and
damn him incontinently Did you
ever read the great statesman's
"Notes on Virginia p He wrote
then very like Mr.. Bryan speaks
now he wrote as a patriot, as a
statesman, as political philosopher.
But how the truculent, treacherous
northern gold press would defame
and denounce him if he wrote in
1896, as he wrote seventy.fve
years or more ago. The vicious,
famboyant. believing Cockrans
would split the very welkin with
their names and expletives. Jefer-
son would be led to the slaughter
rhetorlcally, if not actually. Now
read what the illustrious Virginian
statesman and father Of all genuine
democracy wrote:
"Those who labor in the earth are
the chosen people of God, if He
ever had a chosen people, whose
hearts He had made Ris.peculiar de-
post for substantial and genuine vir.
tue" Again, he says Corruption
of morals in the mass of cultivators
is a phenomenon of which no age
nor nation has furnished an example.
Corruption is the mark set on those
| who, not looking up to Heaven, to
their own soil and industry, as does
the husbandmen, for their subsist-
ence, depend for it on causa1ties and
caprice of customers. Generally
speaking, the proportion which the
aggregate of the other classes of
citizens bears in any state to that Of
its husbandmen. is the proportion of
it's unsound to it's healthy parts, and
is good enough barometer whereby
to measure its degree Of corrup-
| ton"
How the skunks and scoundrels
would pummel and bespatter the
great southern political oracle and
seer if he were now in the flesh.
And then there is that other arar.
chist, another great southern born
statesman, the lamented Lincoln-a
wise, pure, presciest citizen who
loved his native land Read this:
Labor is prior to and i"depend
ent of capital Capital is oa'y the
fruit Of labor and could nev~' have
existed if labor had not first ex;.r.-.:
(Applause Labor is the superior
Of capital and deserves much higher
consideration.
"No men living are more worthy
to be trusted than those who toll up
from poverty, none less inclined to
take or touch aught which they have
not honestly earned Let them be.
ware of surrendering political pow.
er which they already possess,
which, if surrendered, will sure
ly be used to close the door
of advancement against such es
them and to fix new disabilities and
burdens upon them till all Of liberty
shall be lost
Lincon's head was wise and his
heart was right. Of him, as Leigh
Hunt wrote in his immortal "Abou
Ben ADAM It might be truly affirm.
ed by himself speaking to others
"Write me then
, ; As one who loves hI, fellow men,
We must take another extract from
Lincoln's opinions Not long before
his most untimely taking off, he
gave expression to solemn views that
were prophetic and most impressive.
He said
1--WE may congratulate ourselves
that the cruel war is nearing its
close 1t has cost vast amount of
treasure and blood 1t has been. in
deed, a trying hour for the republic
| but see in the near future crisis
approaching that unnerves me and
causes nae to tremb!e for the safety
of my country As q result Of the,
war, corporations have beer en-
throned, and an era of corruption &c
hioh nlaces will follow. and the
money power of the country will en-
deavcr to prolong its reign by work
ing upon the prejudices- Of the peo-
pie until ali wealth is aggregated aud
the republic destroyed | feel at this
moment more anxiety for the safety
Of my country than ever before, even
in the midst Of war God grant that
my suspicious may prove ground.