The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-20
ARP WRITES ON WAR.
Says the People do not Appear to be
Much Concerned.
Atlanta Constitution.

~ a. 10 q us Ch'HS 'ii avn Ui ehAHO
but our people do not seem to be
very much concerned They have
more curiosity than apprehension.
The great excitement is at Washing
ton, and even there it is based not
upon fear or blood or suffering, but
upon the struggle between 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 bewildered.
Some are for Intervention, some for
recognition, some for annexation 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 chance for pro-
motion. Then there are the editors
ard publishers who must appear to be
at fever heat whether they feel so or
not, for it is harvest time for news
and the people want the news and
will buy the papers. The farmers,
too, are affected and are studying what
to plant for profit. and the spectators
in grain and meat are bulling and
bearing, according to their faith
But the great masses Of the Amcri-
can people, the toilcrs and consumers,
who have nothing to gain and nothing
to lose by war, are lockers on with
unconcern. They have no axe to
grind, nor even a hatchet, 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 war with
Spain. If we get custom house 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
the profit goes away from home.
Our mischieyous people tell the
negroes they have got to so and do all
the fighting, 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
eru soldiers would die Of fcverin Cuba
in week and that only Southern
negroes can stand the climate. Lots
Of them around here are fixing to hide
out and have done picked out their
canebrake. Clarence, the drayman, is
a leader, a heeler in elections, and he
says II never vote for any war. [
amt gwine to fight. [ amt done
nothin to nobody and nobody ain t
done nothin' to me. amt mad wid
nobody and how can man fight with
out he's mad. Mr.. Akerman and Mr..
Crawford got me into dis scrapc and
dey must git me out. I wonder if dey
is gwine to de war.
Last Sunday | saw a gang Of ne
groes standing around preacher and
he was reading the big headlines Of
the Constitution to them. There is
large pictorial recruiting poster in the
postoAice 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 good fighter in
the last war and seemed to like the
business and he says he wouldn't
mind going if they will let him fight
under General Lee and wear gray
clothes. My friend, Captain Dobbs,
says he will go along with DR.. Cal
houn 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 war Mr. Nc
Kinley had better turn it over to Gen
eralIee to fight it.
Big things are piling in on US just
now. The State canvass for State
officials is now going on and getting
red hot and it takes nearly all our time
tc keep up with that and the war too.
Maybe we will need another war gov
crnor and if we DO Colonel Candler has
had more experience in that line than
some other folks.