The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-14
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp Visits Canton.---Tells About the Pros
Perity Of the People.
Atlanta Constitution.

tai planes of immense revolving
wheels that are flooded with water anc
sand. Everything there is up-to-datt
and is great improvement on the ole
methods. "Upto.datc" is now an ex
preston that is heard everywhere con.
cerning machinery. | heard it al
Ensley at the iron and steel plants
/; and [ heard it in the cotton mills OF
South Carolina. All machinery now
must be up-to- date or it will be reject
ed. The pay roll to the workmen in
this one marble plant is $500 week
and most of this is spent in Canton.
Just so it is with the gold mines not
far away. The gold mining compan-
les are making money by up-to-date
processes and Canton gets good share
of that. It is now certain that cot
ton mill is to be built right away, for
an order has been given for the looms
and spindles, all p-to-date, and as
soon as the spring opens the work of
building the mill will begin.
Mining for gold and silver is, 1
reckon, tho oldest industry in the
world Outside Of agriculture. Moses
tells US that in the garden Of Eden
there was gold. and it vas good. Gold
and silver very soon began to be q
bimetallic currency. Abraham bought
burying ground with 400 shekels of
silver that was current money with
tho merchant and it is remarkable that
q silver shekel was worth 80 cents and
a gold shekel was worth $40. That
isent very far from 16 to l. Maybe
we had better fall back on those an
cient scriptural stations Of the metals
and make ours 20 to /. They had
both silver and gold in great abun-
dance, for Zachariah saith: ''They'
heaped up silver as the dust and gold
as the mire in the Streets" And
Moses saith Abraham was rich in sill
yer and gold.
saw the cd timc-honored Canton
home of Joe Brown, the place where
he lived when, like Cincinnatus, he
was called on by committee and in
formed that he had been nominated
for governor.
Old Joe Brown made his start right
here In Canton teaching school. Years
ago | met General Ira Foster and he
said: eyes, l knew Joe's parents be-
fore he was born. They were very poor.
His Aunt Sidney did my washing
when [ was young man living in
Dahlonega. Joe cultivated little
patch of hillside land with pair Of
bull calves and every Saturday hauled
something to town to sell and take
back something TO the family. In
1889 I was riding to Canton in a bug
gy and overlook young man walking
in very muddy lane. He had
striped bag hanging over his shoulder
and looked tired. I asked him If he
would not get up and ride with me.
He looked down at his shoes and said
he was too muddy. But I insisted and
he broke off splinter from a rail aud
cleaned the worst Of the mud off and
got in. I learned from him he was
the same Joe Brown and was going to
Canton &c set something to DO. And
he did. They made him up school
and he taught it. I have kept my eye
on him for forty years and he is still a
wonder to me-
AS | surveyed the time.worn prem
ises ruminated on his eventful life.
How he rose and rose and rose again
and never fell. Everything that
Midas touched turned into gold and
just 80 every political effort that Joe
Brown made was success.
Ir~called his long controversy with
Bob Toombs and how finally he de-
nounced Toombs in the press as liar
and scoundrel and Toombs sent
friend to ask him if his church rela.
:tions would prevent him from accept
ing challenge, aud old Joe replied:
"Go tell him to try me-" aud Toombs
never sent it. / recalled the time
when Henry Grady was discussing
with Toombs the advantage or disad-
vantage Of a young man having a coll
legiate education and said: '.There
were some very great and successful
men who never had any education to
speak os. & There was. Patrick Henry
and Henry Clay and Tom Benton and
therc was Joe Brown, who was SO
poor in his youth he had to plow a
bull.
ssI>.;,,vaG n. nuij you snv ,~so;d