Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1902-03-22
ARP'S EXAMINATIONS.
Tells What he Thinks of the Till
man-McLaurin Fracas.
Says Senior south Carolina Senator
Is True Man, But Neither Great
Nor GOOd-SOme schOOltime
Reflections.

I was Eliminating about the fight.
1t is common property and every
body has the right to talk about it.
Tillman did wrong in jumping over
three desks to strike McLaurin.
About one desk was the limit of pro-
priety. Three desks gives a man
time to cool and that makes II
against the law to fight. As to
the time and place, that is of no
consequence now. There was time
in the days of Webster and Calhoun
and Tom Benton and Henry Clay
when the United States senate was
as sacred almost as a church, but
now a large majority of its mem
bers got their places by conduct in
finitely more disgraceful than fight
ing. Bribery and corruption have got
so common that man can't get
there without using a big pile of
money and making lot of prom
Uses. OF course, l do not include our
southern senators, for they haven't
got the money. If we had some mil
lionaires in Georgia, Clay and Bacon
would have to step down and out.
And l am not so Disguised with Till
man for fighting in the senate cham
Der. He had reason to believe that
his partner had received promises,
and l reckon he had. He certainly
had great expectations or he would
not have hoped over to the repub-
licans so suddenly. Politicians have
to be paid for their votes. Tillman
is true man, but he is not great
and good man. I admire him for
some traits in his character. lie
cannot be bribed or inundated. He
dares to say what he believes and he
uses his pitchfork with impunity. He
is impetuous and combative, but he
is sincere, and everybody admires
sincere man. Sincere is one of the
strongest and best words in our Ian
guage. 1t literally means unsealeo
without wax-for in the olden times
letters were sealed with wax, but il
it contained no secrets it was not
sealed at all, for wax cost money
Tillman is a bold, defiant, stubborn
man, but he is not great. A great
man like Webster or Calhoun would
have said to McLaurin: "Well, sir, i
l am liar, l deserve the epithet. /
I am not, then you deserve it, but
shall not stoop to give it." / wisl
we were all that great. This thing
of resenting the charge of lying will
blow is a strange perversion o
propriety. A man may gain his end
by cheating, swindling, over-reach
ing, hypocricy, bribery or concealinl
the truth, but you must not call hin
a liar.
He may break all the command
ments, but don't call him a liar
though that is not in the Decalogue
All I regret about the fight is tina
Spooner did not call Tillman liza
and get mauled for it before McLau
rim came in. / want somebody t.
whip Spooner. He was the tease
that brought on the fight and wa
delighted that it occurred betweet
the two South Carolina senators
With his party it is no crime to shoe
down 10000 Filipinos, who refuse t
give up their country, but it shock
them awfully to have little fraca
in the senate chamber.
"Well there are some great me
and there are many good men, bu
greatness and goodness are rarel
combined Addison says it take
both these to make man complete
Such, for example, as Washingto
and Robert e. Lee. Job says grea
men are not always wise and h
might have added most of them ar
mean, selfish, heartless and amb
tious. Lord Bacon, for instance, VIII
took brides while on the bench, an
Cromwell and Napoleon. Webste
was very great man, and long ha
been my ideal of greatness. He wa
called the Godlilke, but sometimes h
human nature overcame him. An
so with Henry Clay and Bob Toomb
The great weakness of the people
idolatry. Partisan or sectional or r
ligious idolatry. Every man WI
climbs high up where the people ca
see him is either a saint or a SHINE
according to our politics, our sectio
our creed. One man idolizes Il
character of Lincoln, or of Grant, a
other holds both of them in co
tempt. l suppose that three-fourtl
of the northern people pay homal
to the memory of old John Brow
for what they call his good int
tions, and every northern history al
encyclopedia apologies for him, al
even so good man as Mckinley e
cused himself for not attending Il
refinement of his bones on Il
ground that the pressure of offici
duties would not permit him
leave Washington. Most northe
men still denounce John c. Calho,
as the author of secession and il
: tify Sherman in burning Columb
J Here in Georgia this idolatry is
: ready taking shape in our silly hi
\ rahs for our candidate for govern'
4 But, as usual, the loudest shoute
! have axes to grind and are diligel
ly engaged in setting traps to cat
4 the people. But this is the shado7
J side of politics and 1 won't rumins
any further about it.
If the ground was dry enough
would work some in the garden, a
not brood over things that will so
\ pass away. thought that spri
had come two weeks ago, and 1
claimed: Hail, gentle spring" I
she didn't hail-she only sleetet
= and they say that old winter is