The Van Buren press., 1898-05-21
PEOPLE DON'T CARE.
Ii Is the Man Who has an AK
Who Wants War.
Mischievous People Have Fun with
the DnrI1ies-Convicts Are Good
Fighters-Stephen Girard's
Secret of Success.

War is big thing-an awful thing
but our people do not seem TO be very
much concerned. They have more cnri-
osity than apprehension. The great ex-
element is at Washington, and even
there is based not upon fear of blood
or suffering, but upon the struggle be-
tween the two great political parties
which one shall get ahead and what
move is the best one to get ahead and
stay there. Whatever Mckinley does
or proposes to do the democrats must
fight it and vice versa. The success of
the party is bigger thing than war.
We have never seen congress so be-
wildered. Some are for intervention,
some for recognition, some for annexa-
ton and all for revenge. Wall street
sees nothing but the money that is in
it. Some preachers are for peace at any
price and some are bowling for war.
OF course the army and navy want a
fight, for that is their professional
business and gives a chance for promo
ton. Then there are the editors and
publishers who must appear to be at
fever heat whether they feel so or not,
for it is a harvest time for news, and
the people want the news and will buy
the papers. The farmers, too, are af-
fected and are studying what to plant
for profit, and the spectators in grain
and meat are bulling and bearing, ac-
cording to their faith
But the great masses of the American
people, the toilers and consumers, who
have nothing to gain and nothing to
lose by war, are lockers on with I'M
concern. They have no ak to grind, nor
even Ratchet, but still have feeble
hope of more work and better wages.
Down here at the south there is no
great interest except in the cities, for
our people never get any contracts or
government jobs, and don't expect any
gain from a war with Spain. If we
get customhouse here and there the
material must come from over the line,
notwithstanding the marble and the
granite are at our doors. Northern
contractors clean out our rivers and
harbors and all the profit goes away
from home.
Our mischieyous people tell the ne
groes they have got to go and do all
the ighting, for it is McKinley's war
and they all voted for him. The boys
read to them paragraphs from the
northern papers which say that north
ern soldiers would die of fever in Cuba
in a week and that only southern ne
groes can stand the climate. Lots of
them around here are fixing to hide
out and have done picked out their
eanebrake. Clarence, the drayman, is
leader, heller in elections, and he
says: 81 never vote for any war.
amt gwine to fight I amt done moth
in to nobody and nobody amt done
nothn' to me. amt mad wild nobody
and how can a man fight widout he's
mad? Mr.. Alderman and Mr.. Crawford
got me into dis scrape and dey must git
me out. Iwonder if dey is gwine to de
WARP"
Last Sunday | saw gang of negroes
standing around preacher and he was
reading the big headlines of the Con-
stitution to them. There is a large
pictorial recruiting poster in the post
office, and they stand off and look at it
with serious alarm. But they are not
going from these parts, neither are the
white people going right now. Old man
Ingram was a good fighter in the last
- he -fY naeses
and he says he wouldn't mind going IL
they would let him fight under Gen.
Lee and wear gray clothes. My friend,
Capt. Dobbs, says he will go along with
Dr. Calhoun and will skirmish around
awhile and get sick and get the doctor
to give him discharge at the end of
three months and then he will come
home and draw pension all the rest
of his life.
Well, If it has to be a war Mr.. Nc
Kinley had better turn 1t over to Gen.
Lee to fight it.
Big things are piling in on us just
now The state canvass for state Of
fcials is now going on and getting red
hot and it takes nearly all our time to
keep up with that and the war too.
Maybe we will need another war gov
ernor, and if we do Col. Chandler has
had more experience in that line than
some other folks.
Col. Renfroe could take care of the
negro convicts and march them to the
front Just like old Joe Brown did the
200 convicts in the penitentiary when
Sherman came along. Gov. Brown
went down there with wagon load of
gray clothes and made them take off
their stripes, and he gave them all guns
and had them to elect their officers and
then made them a speech and said:
Gentlemen, Fellow Citizens, Soldiers
1t doesn't follow that because you
are convicts you are not patriots. Now
is the great opportunity of your lives
to redeem yourselves and wipe off the
disgrace from yourselves and your kim
dred. The enemy is at your doors and
you must fight him-yes!
Fight till the last armed foe expires
Fight for your altafs and your fires,
God and your native land"
And they hailed their freedom with a
shout, and they marched forth like new
men. and they did fight just so, Col.
Renfroe could march the 1900 negro
convicts forth and under his lead they,
too, will fight.
Then here is the cold wintry blast
that has come over our country and
killed our fruit and vegetables and
paralyzed our hopes. Our most for
ward peaches are not killed, but our
,,ntntnes nre utterly nrnstrated. They