The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-04-03

is impressive ! have great respect .
for geese.
But just now We are talking about
war as though it were a sport, a irolio
aud the killing on of few Thousand
people and leaving mothers and wives
bereayCd and helpless vas Of little
consequence. We do not even express
the pity that Stonowall jackson felt
when jus. before the battle he prayed
and said. Lord help their souls-now
give them well, that was Stoncwails
way. There are nearly "a million pen.
sionora now, and We don't want any
more. There are vacant chairs enough
In our households There are three in
ours, and nobody ever thinks Of them
save the kindred 10 whom they we're
dear. ! thought We were TO have ar
bitration about these national disturb.
ances. There are but three classes of
people who want war, and they are oil
3 heartless set. These are the profess
sional soldiers-tho West Pointers and
regulars whose profession is 10 fight and
who seek glory and promotion regard
lCas Of who OF what they are fighting
for. Then there are the manuiactur.
ers, who make army supplies and ex-
peet 10 get rich like they did in the
last civil war. And last, but not least,
are the thousands of restless, heart
less, unprosperous people who say they
can't be worsted but may be bettered
by war. People talk about the can
ker Of a calm world and a long peace,
and one noted writer says that every
country ought to have a war at least
once in forty years 80 as to kill of it's
worthless population. This is cold,
hard and heartless philosophy. II we
could pick out the vagabonds and
place them to the front it might do,
but We can't. In the last war we lost
the flower of our youth, and it is
always so. The vagabonds and skull
kers and dodgers escape. It is gener-
ally a rich mans war and poor mans
fight
But now it is about time that the G..
A. r. were resembling their action
declining to play with the boys in gray
next July in New York. When the
war with old John Bull was imminent
our northern brethren we're very low
ing, and invited us to come over, and
so we fixed up for a loving reunion of
patriots in New York next summer,
and the programme was all made out
by Editor Dana. But the clouds Of
war dispersed and our brethren con-
cluded they wouldent need us, aud
broke up the meeting. But now, there
is another war imminent, and maybe
they will call us again. It's mighty
hard to keep friendly with such neigh
bors. Net long ago / was riding over
land through the country and counted
three double fences in trip of ten
miles. The neighbors wouldent neigh
Dor. They were at outs and each built
his own fence. One or the other was
a mean man. One line fence is enough
between neighbors, and when you see
two it's bad sign. But I reckon
We can stand 1t if they can. II
war does come on our boys will have
to do a right smart of the fighting and
then the pension money will drop
down this way, and maybe that's what
! the matter. We are glad to see that
8 me of that money is circulating
down this way already. That Fitz.
gerald settlement is an episode that is
as unaccountablo al it is sudden. Over
5000 people--families of pensioned
soldiers-have dropped down upon III
without warning and are building {
city in our pine wo5ds. Their pen
sion money tits said, amounts to nearly
g million dollars a year, and theil
comrades keep coming. They are
said to be good, industrious people
and sound in wind and limb and no
body can see from the outside where
the pension business comes in, bu
nevertheless they are drawing thu
money and our people are bound tt
get some of it, Six thousanC
more are on the way an
before long they will own tn
county and be voting the democrati
ticket. So let them come. I repea
it, sir, let them come, as Patrick Hen
! ry said. They have settled in tn
! best portion of Georgia. We didn'
know it until recently. The pin
;; woods have for half century been IN
der the ban. The few people who set
tied there were considered half-fed
tallow-faced, long-legged crackers VIII
raised a few poor cattle and razor
; back hogs, and lived on Eaters an
hard-shell religion. But all that wild
belt from Lincoln through Putnar
: and Houston aud Irwin and Sumte
s and Randolph and on westward int
Alabama is now known to be a mos
> fruitful and productive region, and til
5 climate perfectly delightful 1t
; like fairy tale to read what the las
s ten years have developed in tbs
= belt of country that is underlai
ii /