The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-03-11

N,Opy yIISHl, 1JUi, Dy 1He 1OHotltulAOL.t
| was Illuminating about the fight. 1t
is common property and everybody has
the right to talk about it. Tillman did
wrong in jumping over three desks 20
strike McLaurln. About one desk was
the limit of propriety. Three desks gives
a man time to cool and that makes it
against the law to fight. AS to the time
and place, that is of no consequence
row. There was a time in the days Of
Webster and Calhoun and Tom Benton
and Henry Clay when the United States
Senate was as sacred almost as church,
but now a large majority Of its members
get their places by conduct infinitely
more Gisgraceful than fighting. Bribery
and corruption have got so common that
a man can't get there without using a
big pile Of money and making 2 lot Of
promises. OF course, / do not include
our Southern Senators, for they haven't
got the money. If we had some mil
lOnaires in Georeia Clay and Bacon
would have to step down and out And
I am not so disguised with TillInan for
fighting in .he Senate chamber. He had
reason to believe that his partner had
received promises, and [ reckon he had.
He certainly had great expectations or
he would not have flopped over to the
Republicans so suddenly. Politicians
have to be paid for their votes Till
man is true man, but he is not a great
and good man / admire him for some
traits in his character. He 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 ad
mres sincere man. Sincere is one
of the strongest and best words in our
language 1t literally means unsealed-
without wax-for IN the olden times let
ters were sealed with wax, but if it con
tanned no secrets it was not sealed at all,
for wax cost money. Tillman is bold
defiant stubborn man, but he is not
great. great man like Webster or CAL
houn would have said to McLaurin
"We1I, sir. if I am a liar, [ deserve the
epithet. If / am not, then you deserve
it. but I shall not stoop to give it, [
wish We were all that great. This thing
of resonting the charge of lying with a
blow is a strange perVerson Of proprie-
ty A man may gain his ends by cheat
ing swindling, ching Hypocrisy
bribery or concealing the truth, but YOU
must not call him liar.
He may break all the commandments
but don't call him a liar. though that is
not in the Decalogue. All that / regret
about the fight is that Spooner did not
call Tillman liar and get mauled for it
before McLaurin came in. I Want some
body to whip Spooner. He was the
teaser that brought en- the fight and was
delighted that it occurred between the
\,
it IS no crime to shoot down ten thou
sand Filipnos, who refuse to give up
their country but it shocks them awful
" to have q little fracas in the Senate
Chamber.
Well, there are some great men and
there are many good men, but greatness
and goodness are rarely combined. 4Ad-
olson says it takes both to make a man
| complete. Such, for example, Wash
ington and Robert f. Lee. Job says
great mon are not always wise and he
might have added most of them are
mean, selfish, heartless and ambitious
Lord Bacon, for instance, who took
| bribcs While on the bench and Cromwell
and Napoleon. Webster was a very
| great man and long has been my ideal
| of greatness. He was called the Godlile,
came him. And so with Henry Clay and
| Bob Toombs One great wea kness of the
| people is idolatry. Partisan or sectional
| or religious idolatry. Every man who
| climbs up where the people can see
| him is either a saint or. sinner, ac
cording to our politics, our section, our
creed. One man idolizes the character Of
| Lincoln or Of Grant, another holds both
| n in rat /
three fourths CT the Northern people pay
homage to the memory of old John
| Brown for what they call his good in
| tcntions and every Northern history and
encyclopedia apolcgizes for him, and
| even so good q man as Mckinley e.
cIsed himself for not attending the re-
/ interment Of his bones, on the ground
that the pressure of official duties would
not permit him leave Washington
/ Most Northern men still denounce John
| &. Calhoun as the author of secession
| and justify Sherman in burning Col
| umbia Here in Georgia this idolatfy
| is already taking shape in our silly
/ hurrahs for our candidate for Governor
But, as usual, the loudest shouters have
| axes to grind and are diligently engaged
in setting traps to catch the people But
4
| | won't Tumnate any further about It.
| If tho ground was dry enough | would
| work some in the garden. and not brood
| over things that viii soon pass away L
! thought that spring had come two weeks
| ago, and | exclaimed, Hail, gentle
| spring" But she didn't hail-shc only
| sleeted-and they say that old winter IS
| lingering in her lap-the old rascal lie
| ought to be ashamed Of himself. My best
/ relief and comfort is to play with
/ the grandchldren- Our little girl OF
| has had her little feelings hurt and
| is very indignant at what her COUSIN
i VIII said. She told me about 1t:
/ Grandpa, | told Cousin Will that When
/ he got to be man and / got to be
| young lady, he must marry me, and
| what do you think he said?' Il don
f, know What did he say?' why, ne