The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1896-01-06
PLUNKETT ON WAR
The Old Man Glad Of a Chance To
Fuss with England.
WANTS SOMEBODY TO "CUSS"
Wars Brought on To Thin Out the
People-But War Is mighty
Bad Thing"
For The Constitution.

For The Constitution.
Everybody is for war. It is nothing more than
/ what everybody has expected that war should
come The d-nocratic party is split as bad as it
was i'm 1861 do not know if it is tariff silver,
or third party or too much production, or TOO
many people; but, anyhow, people are not sur
prised and a great number invite the coming Of
a war.
There is no great patriotic upheaval-folks Just
! don't care: anything for a changer anything 70
relieve the pressure
Brown and me have been reading mp on the
Crusaders OF olden times. 1t strikes us that these
crusades were instituted to thin out the popula-
tion, and they done it.
Millions went upon these crusadeS AT diii'r'hJ
periods and hut few that went ever returned.
Thus the population of Europe was thinned from
time TO time before the discovery oil America
When America was discovered the crusades
ceased They were no longer necessary to the
thinning of Eurupes popula tion, instead they
dumped their surplus over here.
At last America can stand TO more and the cruz
sadas viii have 90 be revived, or else some other
plan of thinning TIE people must be found. Brown
i. sweirs that ugland can always De depended upon
i'm taking care of rs own lie tells me that he has
been WATCHING through q long life, and he has
never seen % prospect Of Ch1u@ir~ the channel 81
trade from England and Eu.iishmen but what
there was some devilwent sure to arise.
vicl, took squirt. and looked IL She was going
20 rcvolutiouiza commerce through that port.
Brown told me then that the Eruns wick people
had better mind and sure enough, just as the
boom got at It's hest am epidemic OF yellow fever
broke ont there, and Brunswick has not been
heard of since.
Brown believes that the English Will DO any
tliue 20 hold the Telns d: commerce, hut do not
believe that they would sow tGa seeds Il an cpi
Icmic tor such 90 purpose. ont they ri-Ht raise
war Go such au end, and 10 may be there are peo-
pie in this country that would help them.
am right glad that we have again something to
abuse. IL had got 50 that We had nobody nor moth
in.. that we could cuss. We had exhausted the
yankee and the north. Long ago had quit spell
ing negro with two s.r's," the Cbiree and dago
and everything else had outgrown all our abuse,
and it was pretty hard to gct mp my interest
a'u glad 20 have something TO abuse if it is
England, bur can warn the yonng that war IS
bad thing and there is mighty few easy places.
know fellow that tried every branch of the
servc, IN the confederacy for an easy place, and
died in disgust and blaming himself for being a
fool after all his changes.
When the war first broke ont this fellow joined
the cavalry, got him an easy riding horse and
prancea around through Tennessee drinking but
ternib as only She cavalry could drink, tin he got
SO big and fat that t was misery for him 10 RICE
and SO nothing would do but what he must make
a change tie got transfer from the cavalry ser
vice 90 that of heavy artillery and went TO she
coast and lay around savannah. eating oysters
and fish TIL hc got fatter than ever and lazier than
ever
Az savannah this fellow had what soldier
would call nothing to 40. but he began To kick on
throwing Jap breastworks aud lifting At heavy
guns, and got worse and worse as the weather got
hotter, SIN at last lie done nothing but him
sell for leaving the cavalry.
lie felt sure there WAS some easy branch of ser
vice and he felt determined % find that branch,
To this end DE went % wori, after another trans
fer. Ie -at trlu tie red a. tEc flying artillery. nd
went on ms way 20 Virginia in great gee over
having escaped the labor of his last command.
About one week with the army os Virginia con-
WINGED the gentleman that he WAS the greatest
fool iu al. tho roniederacy. Tie pulled his own
hair. srited his teeth, ana jumped up and down
IN his frenzy
Whom the seven days fight around Richmond
was over. TINS gentleman went ont ona Iog and
calmly spent day ia cussing himself but the fool
went right 10 work for another change. He felt
sure that Doe could never Doe worsted now, and set
70 work to get M the infantry.
There are none but an old soldier that could en-
Joy the joke of going to che infantry FOR an easy
place. Ny TREND was long Iu finding out what
being iu the infantry meant, and wor Is could not
be found 20 DO Justice 20 what Ire thought of him
self So itis wlsh way; there no easy place, and
the young generation had bette. govern themselves
accordingly.
j. lis mighty nice to look upon pictures and see
the horses a-rcarng. the flags a. waving and the
brave rushing. but You may look 40 an the pic~
lures of the world and know nothing Of war
Tho tar is now thar a war wouId De short. they
sand the war IN lsG1 would De short. We can whip
England before breakfasts perhaps we can, but
We were mistaken in matter like this once and
u ought % make as very careful. II is very fine
to listen 20 speeches oil tie orators and step to the
sound ol martial music. but 1t teaches nothing of
war nor OF war matters
Fighting is not all of war. though 10 is a plenty
TO satisfy me and Brown. Nou can march a man
and perish man TIL he would take fighting as a
dessert There are many things in war that the
youthful mind never thought 81.
so first q fellow was mighty proud and his peo-
pie were proud 90 see him Oft In the last war hut
IL got mighty serious. Thore are mary vet livin.
who can remember the p1r,IgEs after we hat
q" oEc 90 the seriousness of the affair. and many
axe Yet living Chat can remember the sorrow that
bowed down 400 the south when tho soldiers BEGAN
t. rctgTu at5er the war was over. There were
many, many that never did return. and loved ones
Wopt an along the WAY; mothers. sisters. wives
ana children watched the roads the soldiers re-
turned and knew that theirs could never RETURN
In this connection could ten many a story, but
one IN particular has fingered IN my memory and
will bear repeating here,
Charlie Holland was one Of the first and ono of
the proudest TO leave our settlement in 1861 lie
left good wife and sweet little girl and a boy NJ
home. They wed on the river and done the best
they could, without ErumbiinE till the war was
over We Viii deal here with the return time
enough none can ten the sorrow OF this little
family an through the dari, period.
When This little family learned that the war was
over their whole taik was of the fathers return
Every morning they We're up bright and early and
the mother with mCther's pride, would dress
and fN the children to receive their father.
All through the day these little children would
sit ont the fence and watch up the road for the
coming OF the soldier. When away i'm the dis
lance they would see a soldier coming. they would
Clap their hands and call their mother.
This generation may nos know that railroads
were not in use after the war, and that the big
roads were lined with soldiers returning to their
homes aloot. SO il was, and so this little family
waited and watched for father and husband, till
the numbers returning began 70 grow less.
As the line of travellers grew thinner till there
was only now and then ono, weaker than the 9th