St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-05-15
'MUDSILH' HAMMOND.
Ex-Governor of South Carolina
Who Said Cotton Is King"

AFT, OF, the Ding1ey RiIi-i,he PhiI0Go-
phcr sees Prophecy in the
Speech Of the Carolinian
in 1S5S.
In my last letter said that I did nca
know who first said cotton is king .
This admission Of my ignorance seems
20 have surprised and awakened some
of my Carolina friends and now know
from many sources that ex-Gov. Ham
uiond said it in a speech in the United
States senate in 1858, during the debate
on the admission Of Kansas. it was a
great speech, for he was great man.
1t was states rights speech such as
Calhoun might have made, and in it he
said: No, sir, you dare not make war
on cotton-cotton is king. Until late
ly the Bank of England was king, but
last fall she tried to put the screws
upon our cotton crop and was utterly
sanquished-cotton is king That
speech gave much offense at the north
and won for him the title of "Mudsill
Hammond" for in it he said: I'm all
social systems there must be class to
do the drudgery of life-a class requir-
ing but low order of intellect and but
little skill. This class must have vigor,
docility and fidelity. Such class you
must have or you would not have that
other and higher class which leads
progress, refinement and civilization.
This inferior class constitutes the very
mudsills of society and of government
and you might as we'll attempt to build
i house in the air as to build except
upon the mudsills. Fortunately for the
south she has a race adapted to that
purpose. We shall call them slaves-a
word discarded by ears polite, but you
have a similar class at the north. Yes,
you have tit is there, it is every
where, it is eternal
I remember how the northern press
scarified him for his mudsill speech. but
he spoke the truth and it is still the
truth. and more so, for the mudsills are
more numerous now in proportion to
the population. Almost everybody in
this region is a mudsill and if that Ding
ley tariff bill becomes law the masses
will all be mudsills for the privileged
and protected classes. The common
people of a nation can never prosper un-
der protective tariff until a man can
lift himself up by the straps on his
boots. Only the protected will prosper
and they are but small class compared
with the unprotected. Even Mr.. Atkin-
son, the Boston statesman, says the
Dingley bill will prove burden on the
people and bring in but little revenue.
But did not intend to branch off on
this tariff question, though it is an
alarming and serious one to the south
ern people, for we manufacture moth
ing to speak of. Everything in this
room where I am writing came from
the north. / have been working in my
garden all day with northern tools and
even the wheelbarrow has the stamp of
"Grand Rapids" upon it. didn't use
to be a mudsill, hut am now and my
hands are SO cramped by digging and
forking the ground that | can hardly
hold the pen in my fingers.
But Senator Hammond did not use
that word in any invidious sense. He
did not mean to sling mud at anybody.
Tie had built a mill on his farm and
knew that it was necessary for the
mudsill to be sunk deep down below
the water and quicksand or else the
floods would wash fhe mill away. Pro-
lection props win not protect the mill
unless the foundation is laid deep and
strong, and it is the toll and sweat of
labor that makes our food and cloth
ing. Labor is the mudsill-the founda-
ton of society and government. Ex-
tinguish labor for year or half a Tear
or even month and the Gou1ds and
Astors and Vanderbilts would perish.
We are told that there is never A weeks
supply of food in New York and those
millionaires couldn't ride and wouldn't
walk to the west after it. I am mighty
sorry for these rich and helpless peo-
pie. Just let the trains stop running
and the cooks quit cooking and all the
butchers and bakers shops be closed
for lack of supplies and all the horses
get cut of food. what would become Of
the millionaires in New York city,
They would be as helpless as a painted
ship upon a painted ocean. They would
be like Mr.. Rouss. who says he will give
any man 81 ,000,O 900 who will restore his
sight. The mudsills must not be dis
honored, for they are the only class
who are fulfilling destiny, for the Lord
said to the man: BY the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread" Yes I am
a mudsill right now, and if it is a curse
it brings a blessing with it. I work
hard at manual labor and get all over
in a sweat of perspiration, as Cobe says.
and / feel proud Of my day s work, and
Mrs. Arp gets off her matronly dignity
end walks out to see what have done
and condeseends few remarks of ap-
probation. That satisfies me till next
fore breakfast-work makes me forget
to brood over little troubles and it
gives me good appetite and my food
digests and sleep better and snore less
md don't cry out with the nightmare.
It is blessed privilege to be 1nudsili,
a horny-handed SON of toll, for it Sc
cures good health and brings man
nearer to Lis Creator, for he was made
cut of dirt and unto dirt he must re-
turn. Adam worked in garden and 50
do I. Eve stepped around and smiled
on Adam while he toiled and SO does
Mrs. Arp smile on me. So let the tariff
roll on. It won't affect what I raise III
my garden. / reckon.Bill Arp, ii At
lanta Constitution
Fish Die OF Exhaustion.
It may not be generally known that
J. !. Z 4 II