The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-09
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp Tells of the Old Know n othing Party
to Which He Belonged.
AAu,fa Constitution


and got awfully beaten and has never
been elected since to any Office by the
people, and to my opinion never will
be. 1t is just as old Abe Lincoln
said: "You may fool all the people
some Of the time, and you may fool
some Of the people all the time, but
you can t fool all the people all the
time
Now, the common people, the farm
ers and mechanics and toilers, are
generally unsuspectipg and credulous,
and when smart. shrewd politician
talks sweet and nice to them they are
inclined to believe him, but what law
yer of any pretensions or respectable
ty ever believed in the Ocala platform
or the subtreasury scheme or some
thing better?" Of course any states
man who was fit to hold Office knew
that it was utterly impractible and
would bankrupt the government to
build warehouses and advance money
on crops, but it was hobby on which
to ride into Office, and fooling the peo-
pie was of no consequence. No, [
wouldn t trust any man who would do
it or has done it.
Another way to fool the people is to
form little secret rings in every coun-
ty and divide out the county Offices
and each ring man mustget his hench
men to be at the court house on con-
ventiun day and help elect delegates
who belong to the ring. The gooo,
easy, unsuspecting people don't know
anything about it and before they
know it the whole country is commit
ted to a man the people didn't want
The men who control are smart and
they are politically unscrupulous and
all together they make a powerful
combine, and it was the knowledge
and memory Of, these methods that
provoked Colonel Gamblers letter
He wrote just what we have all been
feeling ever since General Evans' de-
feat. He expressed my sentiments
and I like it better and better at each
reading. Now lay on, MacDuf-no-
body is hurt, except some "honi soft
qui NAL y pense, which means sit is
the hit dog who yelps," or words to
that effect. 1t is no insult to those
who accepted Office under Atkinson,
for he doesn' own but one Office.
The others are public trusts in his
keeping and he has no moral right to
pay private political debts with them.
1t is his duty to select the best men
for the places regardless of what they
voted for. The Offices belong to the
people and it is a prostitution Of
power to fill them for personal ad-
vantage. But professional politicians
all do it from the president down and
this is political corruption. One day
in my indignation l remarked in
crowd eve are a nation of political
tricksters,' and an Office seeker close
by whispered, "Call no names, Bill;
call no names.
But the people are really for honest
methods and they have a standard
bearer on whose name and fame there
is no blot. Let him write again if he
wants to and let his banner have on it,
Reform in political methods and
economy in administering the govern
ment. Already there are rings
forming to defeat him, rings by the
men who control and they are desper
ately in earnest for the scepter of
their Office is departing. The issue is
plain. It is the politicians against
the people. We cwant cleaner methods
both in State and county and munici
pal elections. Augusta and Marietta
and Gainesville have recently de-
graded their townships by corruption
at the polls and like smallpox the pes
thence is spreading But We shall
see what We shall see.
The combat dcepens. On, yc brave!
The one-eyed plowboy has nothing to
take back or qualify and the people
will stand by him from Tybee to Pos
sum Trot and from Possum Trot to
Tugalo. BILL ARR.
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