The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-04-18

One CT them sat down on its base.
Another said: Get up. Aren't you
afraid of that old iron man at the top!'
NO." replied the sitting one; hes
dead" But nevertheless the memory
of what he and his brave companions
did on that spot on certain 18th Of
June in the long ago will never be for
gotten Willie the earth spins around on
its axis or slides down the ecliptic. l
picked up little piece Of stone ct the
foot Of the monument and a broken
twig on the Common to take to my lit
tie boy, who was born on St Jackson's
day, as keepsakes to remind him how
American blood once REDEEMED those
spots Of earth dear to the American
heart.
After doing the Hub in a hop and
skip sort of way / went down to the
Southern Union depot, ate a dish of
genuine Boston baked beans and med
ltated upon the virtues of the sacred
Goldfish.
AS looked out upon the lean, rocky,
unprOductive fields Of Massachusetts.
Rhode Island and Connecticut and
upon the clean, well built, busy, pros:
porous, wealthy and almost innumera-
ble cities and towns / wondered how
the early settlers ever managed to
wiring subsistence out of such soil. I
confess 1t gave me higher opinion
than have hitherto entertained of the
virtues, industry, courage and fortitude
OF the pilgrims and their descendants.
Their present wealth and prosperity
can be easily accounted for. The rest
Of the country has been laid under
tribute for their benefit for more than
a century by federal tariff legislation,
but how the deuce they made shift 10
exc out living, to propagate and mul-
tiply and even to accumulate some
what Of wealth by agriculture, is a
mystery to one accustomed to the un-
speakable fertility Of the Mississippi
valley.
l honestly believe that one county in
my district produces year by year more
food for man and beast than the entire
state of Rhode Island could be made to
produce by any sort of farming and
any quantity or quality Of fertilizer. 1t
contains an area little larger than the
average county west Of tie Mississippi
and that small area "mostl.s water" as
one humOrOusly inclined Rhode Island
er told me. They manufacture every
thing in New England, but even for
that business they are inconveniently
located, being compelled to bring in
nearly all their raw materials, includ-
ing fuel, from the south or west. Why
don't the southerners and westerners
do their own manufacturing? / could
not help trying to imagine what a pop
ulous and wealthy region the Missis-
sippi valley will be when to the Won
incalculable wealth which manufacture
ing institutions will bring. On the
whole, after hasty personal ocular in
spection, my solemn conviction is that
the present New England is the most
amazing monument ever erected to hu-
man energy, intelligence, industry and
ambition.
First and last, have now been in 2G
states Of the Union. in two territories
and the District of Columbia. The
more see of our country rhe more /
thank and praise Almighty God for
giving us such home, and the more
heartily sing.
My country, tits Of thee,
Sweet land OF liberty,
Of thee sing.
The Strangest and most pleasant bit
of political information picked up on
this trip is the fact that the Rhode Is
land Democrats are as fond of William
j. Bryan as we are out west.
Outrages I'm Idaho.
The investigation which the military
affairs committee of the house is max
ing into the OutrageS committed under
martial law in Idaho is bound to help
the Democrats great deal i'm the inn
pending election. Great credit is due
to the Democrats on that committee
for holding on with bulldog tenacity
until they get at the truth. John ].
Lentz of Ohio and William Sulzer of
New York are taking the leading part
in prOdding the Republicans. Both are
good lawyers, and they can't be bull
dozed, browbeaten, terrOrized or chok-
ed off till they ascertain the truth. the
whole truth and nothing but the truth
out Of the outrageous. un-American
and brutal capers cut out there by cer-
tain persons dressed in a little brief
authority. When fully told. the tale
OF the Idaho bull pen" will rival in
CHASTITY horrors the story of the black
hole of Calcutta. which Macaulay has
made immortal.
Things were done in Idaho under
Republican misrule in the closing days
Of the nineteenth century which rival
in damnableness any of the acts per-
formed in the dark ages. Little by lit
tie, inch by inch. the Democrats of the
committee on military affairs are drag
ging the truth to the light Of day.