The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-03-13
BILL ARP ON THAT FIGHT.
lie is Not DisgIstcd With Ti11-
man for Fighting in the Sem
ate Chamber.

:, Hhdu IoI flShtluS Ill inc SCI
n ate Chamber.
II Atlanta Constitution.
. | was Illuminating about the fight.
y is common property and everybody Ia
the right TO talk about 1T. Tillman di
, wrong III Jumping over three desks t
> strike McI.aurin. About one desk wa
the limit of proprcty. Three desk
= gives man time TO cool and tha
makes it against the law TO fight. A
to the time and place, that is of n
consequence now. There was tim
in the days of Webster and Calhoun
and Tom Benton and Henry Cla,
when the United States Senate was a!
sacred almost as q church, but now ;
largo majority of its members get thci
places by conduct infinitely more dis
graceful than fighting. Bribery ant
corruption have got 50 common that {
man can't get there without using a big
pic Of money and making a lot OF
promises. OF course, do not include
our Southern Senators, for they haven't
got the money. If we had some mil
(ionaircs in Georgia, Clay and Bacon
would have TO step down and out.
And ! am not 80 disgustcd with Till
man for fighting in the Senate chamber.
He had reason to believe that his part
ner had received promises, and l rcck-
lion he had. lie certainly had great
expectations or he would not have flop
ped over to the Republicans SO sud-
denly. Politicians have TO be paid for
their votes. Tilman Is true man =,
| but he IS not great and good man.
| admire him for some traits III his
! character. He cannot be bribcd OF in
Inundated. lie darCs TO say what he
believes and he uses his pitChf0rk with
impunity. lie IS impctuous and COM
batlvc, but he is sincere and every
body admires sincere man. Sincere
is one Of the strongest and best words
i'll our language. 1t literally means
| nsealed-withOut waX-for in the
Oldcn times letters were sealed with
wax, but If 1T contained no secrets il
money. Tlllman is a bold, defiant stub
born man, but he is not great. n great
man like Webster or Calhoun would
| have said to McIaurin, "Well, sir, if
am a liar | deserve the cplthct. Ii
l am not, then you deserve it, but
shall not stoop TO give IT," | wish We
were all that great. This thing of re,
scnting the charge of lying with blow
is a strange pcrvcrsion of propricty. a
man may gain his ends by cheating
| swindling, ovcr-rcaching hypocrisy
bribery or conccaling the truth, but
you must not call him IL liar lie may
break all tho commandments but don't
call him liar, though that is not il
the Dccalogue. All that l regret
about the fight is that Spooncr did no,
! it, before McIaurin came in. l wan
somebody to whip Spooner. He was
the tcascr that brought on the ligh>
and was delighted that 1t occurred be
tween the two Carolina Senators
With his party it is no crime to shoot
down ten thousand Flllpinos, who re
fuse to give up Their country, but IT
shocks them awfully to have little
fracas III the Senate chamber.
Well, there are some great men ant
there are many good men, but great
ness and goodness arc rarely combined
Addison says it takes both to make {
man complete. Such, Tor example, az
Washington and Robert E. Lee. Jol
says great men are not always wise
and he might have added most Of then
are mean, selfish, heartlcss and ambi
tious. Lord Bacon, fol instance, Wht
took bribcs while on the bench, an(
Cromwell and Napoleon. Webstc
was a very great man and long ha
been my ideal Of greatness. lie wa
called the godlikc, but sometimes hi
human nature ovcrcamc him. And 81
with Henry Clay and Bob 'roombs
The great weakness of tho people i
idolatry. Every man who climbs higl
up where The people can see him i
either a saint or SINNER, according l.
our politics, our section, our creed
One man idolizcs the character Of Lin
} coin or Grant, another holds both o
) them in contempt.
) l suppose that thrcc-foulths Of tn
| Northern people pay homage TO tn
memory Of old John Brown for wha
= they call his good intentions, and ever
/ Northern history and cncyclopcdi
: apologies for him, ana even 50 good
: man as Mckinley excused himself f(
8 not attending The reintcrmcnt of h
bones, on the ground that the pressul
= of Official duties would not permit hi
= TO leave Washington. Most Northcl
men still dcnouncc John c.. Calhou
as the author of secession and justi
Sherman in burning Columbia. He
in Georgia this idolatry is already ta
ing shape in our silly hurrahs for 0,
candidate for Governor. But, as usua
the loudest shouters have axes TO grin
and arc diligently engaged in scttil
traps TO catch the people. But this
the shadowy side of politics and
won't ruminatc any furthor about it.
If the ground was dry enough
would work some in the garden, al
not brood over things that will 80,
pass away. thought that spring Ii;
come two weeks ago, and evclaimc
"Hail, gentle spring." But she didl
hail--she only slectcd--and they 8
that old winter is lingering in her la
The old rascal, he ought to be asham
of himself. My best relief and COZ
fort is to play with the grandchildrc
Our little girl of five has had her lit
4 feelings hurt, and is very indignant