The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-03-19
FROM THE FIRST WARD.

There is only thin partition be-
tween reason and insanity-so thin
that it often puzzles the wisest physi-
clans to prove that a patient is in his
normal condition. Again, some peo-
pie have sane moments, and can talk
politics, and reason like sages for a
time, and then become all at once ut
terly insane, without any human
cause. The fact is, We can't tell when
a man is absolutely sane, or absolute.
~ crazy. We judge him by his ac-
tions, and hundred different Judges
will render score of decisions. In my
own case, have had men congratu-
late me over some new and original
thoughts displayed in some of my
sketches in THE RECORD, and in less
than three hours have had some old
acquaintance slap me on the back and
say of that same original idea "See
here, old man, nobody but a crazy
man would grind out such blamed
nonsense, and the first thing you
know you will be pulling hair behind
the iron bars and chattering like a
monkey" Well, such diversified ex-
pressions of honest opinion put my
own judgment in doubt, and I have
spent whole days going over my past
life and threading its many incidents
through the needles eye of memory
to prove my sanity. By the time 1
have produced evidence to prove that
l have been good-sized fool all along
the brindle path of my weary pilgrim
age through life, become reconciled
to my mental condition and go off
fishing, or talking politics with some
other fools who think they are still
wiser than l am.
Everybody who knows me, knows
l am temperance man, as neither
touch, taste nor handle intoxicants.
But still / have my regular customers
who touch me for dime about once
week. l have now become what they
call an "easy mark" in fact so easy
that when see one of the gang single
me out, l just hand him dime. Oc-
asionally one of them will offer to re-
fund the cash. This, of course, 1 re-
fuse to accept, we'll knowing that upon
the next occasion, the demand will be
for at least fifty cents.
I'VE are not yet ready to say that
We shall be the next governor of New
Jersey, but we propose to do our best
to get there and shan't be discouraged
by two or three knock downs in ad-
vance. This may seem like egotism
on our part, but man without aims
and ambition might as we'll pass in
his checks.
Tariff for revenue only" How
long has it been since this familiar
Democratic doctrine was sounded
throughout the land? The laboring
men, have good reason to remember
the campaign of 1899, and all the
promises which were made then con-
corning the tariff for revenue only.
Then the Democrats preached, "The
tariff promotes fraud, fosters SNUG
Cling, enriches dishonest officials, and
bankrupts honest merchants. We de-
mand that all custom house taxation
shall be for revenue only" Well
this pledge was partially fulfilled
just sufficient to shut down all tn,
manufacturing business of the coun
try, the revenue of the country raj
short something like hundred mil
lion dollars of the expenses OF tn
government the laboring classe
wereFcrying for bread, and the SOU
house were in full blast to suppl
their hunger. The President wa
making few catches between Buz
yards Bay and Wall Street. In thii
condition we find the country at the
beginning of President Mckinley
administration. Now gentlemen, in
Guiding the editor of the Wage Work
er, will you please point out to us
some of those good old Democratic
times which we occasionally hear
spoken Of? Was it "a theory or con
dition' which confronted us?