The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-06
PEOPLE AND POLITICS.
BY AN OBSERVER.

positions on public questions anu ti9 az
claim and applause with when they are
greeted following such changes pu1lle the
student of the homcly old virtue OF con-
sistencv. II has been said that consis-
tency Is the vice OF small minds. IL our
modern statesmen are great minds this
surely must be true. / have heard IN Our
Virginia court houses crowds madiy
cheering a man whom only few snort
months or years before, the same many
headed multitude" was ready 10 tear III
pieces. The nan that is popular one
year may be the most unpopular the
next In the whirl-a-gis or KALEIDOSCOPE
OF politics everything is readily forgotten
and forgiven; or, TO reduce IT at last 10
the old proverb. Politics makes strange
bed-felloWs.' Perhaps better eXplana-
ton Of 10 Is IN the words OF John kusAh
Truth is a pOlygOn." and that tho Wor-
thy public IS kept busy trotung around
all sides Of this polygon. As the puoHc
looks upon tine pOlygonal sides OF an
questions. they are very apt 10 over. ah'
the politician at least on some one OF us
many sides. but there Is one thing 10 oe
observed iu regard 10 AN this, that intem-
perqto partisanry rs an indication OK snail
low c-.r,irtforr The man that most
loudly denounccs his opponent is NM
self the first 90 turn, while the Almost
hrutaliy extreme man Will soon Do louhu
have not FORGOTTEN that Malone was "a
better Democrat than Ben HiIl' and yet
fri "a few short months he was leading
tho Republican forces in the South. TOD
hot debate in this State in regard %
whether Virginia should secede from the
Union or not, two men We're ON opposite
Sides one ga favor OF secession the
other opposing TO- The man 200 favor or u
denounced his opponent as traitor to
bis country. I'm less tnan year after
the war began this ardent eecessiOuist
was in the mountains of East Tennessee
acting ass "a hush-whacker ON the Union
sile while from the man who opposed
such h0t-headed proceedings the fragment
of a shell had torn o. portion OF the heroic
body while he was fighting in the froRt
ranks of the Confederate army. What "A
rebuke U.s. that incident TO the intolerant,
l0ud-shri king politicians of our day
only Few years ago ln town of TINS
State 10 was proposed 90 take the munl-
cipal government out of partisan politics
and % allow both Democrats and kepun-
leans representative in tine town council
In Democratic meeting gotten up 90
approve this arrangement certain gem
feman got up and denounced such mug
wump proceedings. and said, among other
things. that he "had rather he dog and
law the moon than such a Democrat as
a town council. Tn less than year he
was the Republican candidate for Com
gress I'm that district, and was Wh0opins
uD the negroes with all his might. and
So this Is politics. and this kind Of pe0-
pls are party leaders and have the blind
devotion OF even our best people. GOD
save the mark
General NJ. G.. Buffers brutal attemp,
TO throw dlscredi- upon the Third Nlr-
glnia Regiment as a. body. and his pun
ishment OF tho men and officers is only
another plain illustration OK the fact that
30 takes years TO build up "a name, bul
only au hour 20 lose 1t. General Butler
mad for generation. occupied d warm
spot i'm the hearts of Nirsiulan5 Ho was
accounted their very beau ideal OK cnlF-
airy, OF courtesy OF dignity and exalted
manhood. NOw, ''uO one SO poor as 10 DO
him reverence" Such Amen have deep
down ia their natures UNJUST lnloieran-,
uuaurbed weaknesses that. like some roi-
ten spol ia bridge tmbers, Will Eat last
give way. and the whole structure ol
years Wall tumble down. Butler is the
best tyne OF the South Carolina LOol
of risiocrauc politicians that were me
easy prey OF Tllman and hIs crowd. no
wonder Mr.. TMman found DO easy 90 stir
uD the people of that Commonwealth
a.4iusr suca self-suficiout ut0lelan,
a.l unfIsI characters. DO was m the
weakness ,f his onuononfs that Mr. Till
MANS cre,t s1ecre-es DE-. Ass wei ass iu
rIs own shrev,d knowledge of human ma
fgre and aggressive personality After
tas Third Regimenrs experience with
General Buter We can more readily uu-
dcrstanI how &c was that such man a.
Iumau wrested from him his seat Boo the
United States Senate. Iou mus, go 90 d.
mans house 10 lind out all about him,
and whi8 SIC have 40 sympathy with
TlImm and Tumanism, sol such leaders
as Butler made his success possible, IA
not easy.
While the principle is true that we nave
iust stqtot-that DO takes years 90 build
....,, and OBJ, ho,,r 20 loss -tae oon-
verse OK '"'3 4''7 "'-' '''1 no
takes lifetime or preparation anu
moment ot opportunity 70 make great
name The world l@ ldi4 OF Illustrations
ut TINS giln cip7 lh pAo"- "-a' o-- Oh
tne most ielea, aAl l"ii.-lit@ ones ~ '"--
OF dewey az -iiAi.1. "1 i-1.i''1 van.
lA5 tAal JIG "''' '"o
years ot waiting t-a accurate
details OK nus p''',
constant a.erthess, inc miNhl- JOG "d't"
ile practice cali 10 quarters lA1 l4- 81.
teAseul cultivation OF h-5l sense ot
DUTY ail ol't up WITHIN lle man ID i' .-
ness ana " .'', .-..s l.,,.i '..-- ~ n" '
form. 10 seemed tha. years would go