Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-10-24
ARP ON OLD HISTORY
Barlow Philosopher Goes Back to Ju:
Illus Caesar.
HE THEN TOUCHES ON JACKSON.
Into Political Events of the Psst the
Writer Drops and Recounts Inter-
esting Occurrences.

mans in Julia Caestr's day-and was
akin to that other one, vac v.Ctis. -
woe unto the conquered. In 1881. when
General Jackson was sweeping the fed
and removing from federal Office every
whig who had been appointed. Will
liam l.. Marcy. who was in the United
States senate defended him In = great
speech and promulgated that maxim.
To the victors belong the spoils.
Marcy was very brilliant statesman
but a very bitter partisan. 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 max
i'm just as far as he was allowed to. He
detested the whig party and defined an
old line whig to be "a cOnceited gen
tleman who took drink when he
pleased and never voted the democrat
ic 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 fiftynine years and jined the
same Baptist church the year we was
married and every year since then |
have voted the democratic ticket II s
politics was good part Of his relig-
ion. | remember when the alienation
between wings and democrats was
lutte as bitter for many years as it
has been between 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 it was mani
tested in various ways that the
wings felt they were better
then the democrats, for they were gem
orally wealthy and educated and own
ed slaves Out of 165 students in our
state university in 1845, 120 of them
were sons of wings. l am still a demo-
crat, and my father was before me,
but | have always respected the grand
old whig party Of the south, and la.
mented its disruption. | still remember
with pride and admiration the names
of Toombs, Stephens, Ben Hill, Jen
kins, DR.. Miller, Crawford, Barr.en, TIE
Hulls and Holts and Underwoods and
Doughterys. for I know them all per-
sOnally and heard tn EN- on the stump
and in the forum. But the disruption
had to come both in church and state.
The wings could not any longer stand
the company they were in-northern
wings became republicans and affiliated
with abolitionists in their political
platforms. They precipiated the
civil wal. and from that was
born plunder and corruption. l
do not mean to say that all
democratic are patriotic and honest
nor that all republicans are unpril-
cipled and dis honest. When our unso-
phisticated preacher. Ed Axson, said
to Judge Underwood that he c3u'd rot
believe Tweed was guilty Of stealing
all that money in New York city, f,r
Tweed was a democrat, the judge sm;l-
ed and said: My dear sir, you are tCo
innocent and unsuspeCting to live in
this wicked world. | am twice as o!d as
you are end my observation has been
that it is within the range of pOss BIZ
tty for a democrat to steal But what
[ do say is that the democratic party
has more conscience and is less greedy
than the republicans. Shortly after the
war a Dutchman in Chattanooga kilel
his fat shote and hung it up in the back
yard to cool during the night-neXt
morning he was Mortified 10 find that
one half Of the hog was gone. He ran
around wild and was very much excite
and declared that some mean old s in
kim democrat had carried off one-haf
of his beautiful shOte. What makes
you think he was a demOcrat?'
neighbor asked. Ivy, of course he VS.
4 democrat-of course he vas-for a
republican would have stole de whole
hog"
That's it exactly. They want it all.
But now is the time for a great rafor-
nation. Martin Luther brought one n
the church and | believe that ROose-
welt will bring one to the management
OF our national affairs. He knows Of
the corruption and he's determined 70
purge it. He will appoint good men to
office regardless of their political p7in-
ciples. He will not be governed by
that maxim Of Marcy's. He is N ardent
believer in civil service reform. Gen
eral Grant had the law passed in 1872
to stop the public plunder, but he
couldn't enforce 1t and it became IA
dead letter. In 1876 and 1880 both pr
ties pretended to favor its revival ami
they put it as a plank in their p a.
forms. In 1883 congress passed
present vigorous law on the subje I,
but party pressure evaGe5 it as much
as possible and that unchrstian, Tn
civilized maxim Of ito the v:rtors be-
long the spoils'' still prevails. The
civil service reform does not apply to
all the little offices, but is pretended
to be enforced in the important on :.
Thirty thousand railway postal cletEs
are subject to it and the law is more
rigiily enforced in the postal depart
ment than any other. Now VIC hope IN |
have right to expect that M. RoO:e-
velt will see to it that no o5jeCt.onaDla
postmaster shall be appointed IN any
town north or south. The pOstOfflc7 is
Rmphatically the peoples ofich. 1t
ought really to be an elective off &c
every town and village. 1t is close akin
o home and home affairs and TIE sac
red and secret things Of our homes
Men. women and children have
share in it and no one but a kind
hearted. accommodating man or wO-
man Of good. respectable social st2nt-
ing in the community should ne aH-
pointed. There is an eternal fitn:ss o.
hines that cannot be disre garde1 with
mprnity and no broadm!nd2d man
wesld appoint a negro as postmaster
at Athen. or Augusta or any white
mans town. Why not try one OF Can
ton. Ohio. or Dayton. or any otner clL-
tured city of the north? Why Insult ouI
people with such federal officials. They
say that VIZ are all brethren now. but
as the poet says:
Il know that you say that you love ne.
But Why did you kick me downstairs?'
Nov Eust think of it-and ponder It
an opportunity for Mr.. Roose-
velt to win to him many millions 81
good people who have been long esq
ranged. He can DO this and not strain
pig reDuelicanIsn' What q great tang
: