The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1901-11-01
BILL APPS LETTER.
Political Events of the Past En-
cages Barlow Mans Attention.
EXPECTS GOOD THINGS OF ROOSEVELT
William saysi Now 10 . Propitious
Time For q Political Reforma-
ton and csmentine Of Ma
tionaI Friendship.

ton and cementine Of Ma
tlonaI Friendship.
TO the victors belong the spoils."
This was an old war maxim of the Ro-
mans In Julius Caesars day-and was
akin to that other one, vac victis,"
woe unto the conquered. In 1881. when
General Jackson was sweeping the
field and removing from federal ofice
everything whig who had been ap-
pointed, William L. Marcy, who was in
the United States senate, defended
him In a great speech and promulga-
ted that maxim, ITO the victors belong
the spoils." Marcy was a very bril-
liant statesman, but a very bitter par.
tisan. He was governor of New York
three terms, judge of the supreme
court, secretary Of war under Polk.
secretary Of state under Pierce, and
he used this maxim just as far as he
was allowed to. he detested the whig
party and defined an old line whig to
be "a conceited gentleman who took a
drink when he pleased and never voted
the democratic ticket" This reminds
me of an old man met in Arkansas.
who said to me. Mr.. Arp. I'm gwine
onto so years old-me and my old
oman have lived together flfty-nine
years and jined the same Baptist
church the year we was married and
every year since then have voted the
democratic ticket" His politics was
good part of his religion. I remem-
Der when the alienation between the
wings and democrats was quite as bit
ter for many years as 1t has been be-
tween republicans and democrats at
the south-social equality even In
small towns was strained by politics.
This alienation got into the churches
and colleges. There was no outward
breach of good manners, but 1t was
manifested in various ways that the
wings felt they were better than the
democrats. for they were generally
wealthy and educated and owned
slaves. Out of 165 students in our
state university In 1S45, $50 Of them
were sons Of wings l am still dem
ocrat. and my father was before me-
but l have always respected the grand
old whig party of the south, and la
merted Its disruption. l still remem-
Der with pride and admiration the
names of Toombs. Stephens. Ben Hill.
Jenkins, DIR. Miller, Crawford. Berrien.
the Hulls and Hollis and Underwoods
and Doughertys. for l knew them all
personally and heard them on the
stump and in the forum But the dis
rupt,on had come both in church
and state. The wings could not any
longer stand the company they were
in-northern wings became republi.
cans and afiliated with abolitionists
In their political platforms. They pre-
cipitated the civil war, and from that
was born plumber and corruption l
do not mean to say that all democrats
are patriotic and honest-nor that all
republicans are unprincipled and dis
honest. When our unsophisticated
preacher. Ed Arson. said to Judge Un-
derwood that he could not believe
Tweed was guilty Of stealing all that
money in New York city. for Tweed
was q democrat. the judge smiled and
said: MY dear sir. you are too limo
cent and unsuspecting to live in this
wicked world. am twice as old rs
you are and my observation has been
that it is within the range Of posi-
bility for q democrat to steal" But
what do say 10 that the democratic
party has more conscience and Is less
greedy than the republicans. Shortly
after the war q Dutchman in Chatta-
nooga killed his Eat shote and hung 1.
up in the back yard to cool during the
night. next morning he was horrihed
to find that one half Of the hog was
gone. He ran around Wild and was
very much excited and declared that
some mean old stinkin' democrat had
carried OF one-half Of his beautiful
shote. what makes you think he was
. democrat?" a neighbor asked. IVY.
Of course he vas . dimocrat-of course
he vas-for q republican would hat
stole de whole hog"
That's it exactly. They want 1t all.
But now is the time for q great reform
alton. Martin Luther brought one In
the church and l believe that Roose-
welt viii bring one to the management
Of our national Affairs He knows Of
the corruption and has determined to
purge 1t He will appoint good men
to ONCE. regardless Of their political
principles. He win not be governed
By that maxim of Marcy's. He IL an
ardent believer In civil service re-
form. General Grant had the Law pass
ed In 1874 to step the public plumber.
but he couldn't enforce II and 1t be-
came = dead letter. In 1876 and 1880
both parties pretended to favor its re-
vival and they put II a. plank In
their platforms. In 1883 congress pass