The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-08-28
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
TIE SAGE OF BAIsTOW TAKES A
LIVELY INTEREST IN POLITICS.
Says Bryan Must b" Elected or Ike
VIII stop Talking.

1ioN iuHuy Nuil iNltaSIlC IL pOntICS.
Only n few years ago the nliiauco was
iii full blast and had its star chamber
with its signs and grips and pass words,
and no lawyer or doctor or preacher
need apply. 1t rolled into Office
few leaders and schemers and then
went into a state of innocuous desuc-
tude, rs Mr.. Cleveland would say.
But it dident stay dead. In it's dying
agonies it gives birth to child that
bad more sense than it's daddy and
they named it populist or the peoples
party and invited US nil in. The star
chamber was abolished. The goat was
dehorned and turned out to grass The
big warehouse scheme was abandoned.
The railroads and telegraphs were al-
lowed to run on awhile longer on their
own hook, but they held on to the free
silver plank with q stubbornness that
was born of desperation. BY and by the
southern and western democrats began
to cry out for free silver and they
cried 80 loud and so strong that they
carried Chicago t-y storm and took the
fort like cyclone had struck it. Then
came tho populists at st. Louis and
with great good sense and liberality
said what is the difference between us;
let us be brethren. You have stolen
our platform, but we can all stand on
it. You take the head and we will take
the tail and together we will bury these
goldbugs 80 deep the hand of resurrec.
tion will never reach them. But the
democrats had already attached a tail
OF their own and now tho head has two
tails that are wagged by different par
ties and it's very annoying, for there
is no law or constitution that allows
but one. And there is the republican
party, and before long there will be
goldbug democratic party, and so il
this tail question is not settled the
populists will put up an electoral
ticket of their own with Bryan and
Watson electors and it will take four
electoral tickets to settle the great
question of the next president and
vice president. That means Mckinley
and Hobart, it seems to me, for the re-
publicans always stick to their party.
But 1 reckon the general managers
know mora about this than I do and
will arrange about ;Ee details. hope
SO, for if Bryan is not elected shall
do like Evan Howell snid, ct will take
to the woods" or will do like Iago
said, II will never speak word more;"
that is to ray, political word. When
the late war began heard p preacher
say in the pulpit that if the Lord suf-
fered the yankees to defeat us he
would never again believe in special
providence. don't say that, but
have superstitious faith in Bryan's
election and shall go to bed sick if he
is not. believe he was raised up to
purify and reform national politics.
But was Illuminating about these
populists in our state affairs. It hasent
been 30 very long since Tom Watson
sold his law books and burnt the bridge
behind him because his party said that
lawyers were not fitten to hold Office
or go to heaven and were not fitten to
get fitten. But now Tom has picked
up Seab Wright, a lawyer in full
practice, and is grooming hir, for the
governors chair. Besides that, Seab
has the misfortune of being rich, which
was another objectionable sin. But
now Seab dident have to sell his law
books like an idiot, nor take his wife's
money out of n national bank. The
iun OF the whole business is that the
populists took dem ocrnt for presi-
lent and now have consclipted demo-
crat for governor. Senb Wright never
joined them until after he was nomi-
mated, in fact, don't know whether
no has joined them yet or not, nor
how long he will work in the harness.
For several years he hascnt been
considered subdued working demo-
crat. He wasont well broke and had
to bc watched, for sometimes ho
oucked like broncho. But this is in
ais favor, for I never admire demo-
,rat who would go it bind and never
iick Mt the pop of the party whip.
otatehouse rings ana courthouse rings
laTo sometimes to be nrokcn up and
t takes n man OF nerve to do it. But
t IS funny to sec tho populists hunting
around in tho bushes !or standard
bearer. And they found good one.
| like Seab-cvcryb does. He was
:aised in my town and went to school
With my boys and wanted 10 marry i'm
10 my nanny connecIIou ana cal me
uucI". and Scab says everybody was
willing but the girl, and she made
mistake and said no when she meant
yes, but he dident know it ut the time
and he lost her. But he called me Uncle
Bill the other day 20 show his affection.
He dosent want this mentioned at all,
for such things sometimes interfere
with domestic felicity.
Seab is smart, bright, handsome,
eIoquent-another boy orator who will
make the "wclcomc ring" az popu-
list said in the convention. They
wanted him bad or they wouldn't have
let him bring his plank in with him.
Soab carries that prohibition plank