The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-04-14
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp on the DingIey Bill.
atlanta Consultation.

atlanta Constitution.
In my last letter I said that I did
not know who first said "cotton is
king" This admission of my igno-
rance seems to have surprised and
awakened some of my Carolina friends
and now I know from many sources
that Ex-Governor Hammond said it in
a speech in the United States Senate
in 1858, during the debate on the ad,
mission of Kansas. 1t was great
speech, for he was great man. It
was States right speech, such as Cal
hou1 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
vanquished-cotton is king" That
speech gave much ofrense at the north
and won for him the title of 'Mudsill
Hammond" for in it he said: "In all
socia, systems there must be class
to do the drudgery Of life-a class re-
ouiring but a low order of intellect
and skill. This class must have Wig
or, docility and fidelity. Such class
you must have or you would not have
that other and higher class which
leads progress, refinement and civili-
cation. This inferior class constitutes
the very mudsills of society and gov
ernment, and you might as we'll at
tempt to build a house in the air as to
build except upon the mudsills. For
tunately for the South, she has race
adapted to that purpose. We call
them slaves-a word discarded by ears
polite, but you have similar class at
the North. Yes, you have tit is
there, it is everywhere, it is eternal. y
remember how the Northern press
scariGed him for his mudsill speech,
but he spoke the truth and It is still
the truth, and more so for the mud
sills are more numerous now in pro-
portion to the population. Almost
everybody in this region is a
mudsill, and if that Dingley tariff
bill becomes law the masses will all
become mudsi]ls for the privileged
and protected classes. The common
people of nation can never prosper
under protective tariff until a man
can lift himself up by the straps on
his boots. Only the protected will
prosper, and they are but'a small class
compared with the unprotected. Even
Mr.. Atkinson, the Boston Statesman,
says the Dingley bill will prove bur-
den 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
Southern people, for we manufacture
nothing to speak of. Everything in
this room where am writing came
from the North. I have been work
ing in IN, garden all day with North
crn tools, and even the wheelbarrow
has the stamp of "Grand Rapids up
on it. | didn't use a mudsill, but |
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:
He had built 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 the mill away. Pro
lection props will 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 foun-
dation of society and government.
Extinguish labor for a year or half
year or even month and the Goulds
and Astors and Vanderbilts would
perish. We are told that there is new
er a week supply of focdin New York
and those millionaires couldn't ride and
wouldn' t walk to the West after it. l
am mighty sorry for these rich and
helpless people. Just let the trains
stop running and the cooks quit cook
ing and all the butcher and bakers
shops be closed for the lack of sup
plies, and the horses get out Of food,
what would become of the millonaires
in New York City? They would be
az henless as PAINTED ship upon a
painted ocean. They would be like
MIR. Rouss, who SAYS he will give any
man a million dollars who will restore
his sight. The mudsills must not be
dishonored, for they are the only class
who are fulfilling destiny,for the Lord
said to man, 'by the sweat Of thy
face shall thou eat bread" Yes, l
am a mudsill right now, and if it is a
curse it brings blessing with it. |
work hard at manual labor and get all
over in sweat of perspiration, as
Cobe says, and I feel proud of my
days work, and Mrs. Arp gets off her
matronly dignity and walks out to see
what I have done, and condesceuds a
few remarks of appreciation. That
satisfies me till next morning, when l
work some more before breakfast
work makes me forget to brood over
little troubles and it gives me good
appetite and my food digests and l
sleep better and snore less and don't
cry out with the nightmare. It is a
blessed privilege to be a mudsill, a
horny-handed son Of toll, for it Sc
cures good health and brings man
nearer to his Creator, for he was made
out of dirt and unto dirt he must re-
turn. Adam worked in garden, and
so do 1. Eve stepped around and smiled
on Adam while he toiled and so does
Mrs. Arp smile on me. So let the
tariff roll on. 1t won't affect what |
raise in my garden, reckon.
BILL ARP.
How he Tells the Time.
IL L l.