The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-02-19
BILL ARP.
Observation-Disclosures

That's what the Romans said when the
GreciaNs brought them presents. BE
ware Of the Greeks when they come
with gifts" l suspected Mark Hanna
when be introduced that bill He is a
Greek and he is from Ohio. Beware.
But he made bad break. He was try
ing to get ahead Of Teddy, and failed.
Bring in another horse. Mark. We
were willing for your folks to pension
our old darkies, but your bill would
have salirated half the population,
and included the 10000 you stole
from US before the war. Our old ne
groes are the best we have got.
They are still humble and trusty.
Ny wife bought three shuck foot mats
from one yesterday and got another to
put split bottom in chair. We
would rejoice to see these old negroes
handle some pension money. An old
woman got S24 yesterday for her hus-
bands service, and asked her what he
done, and she said he kept the Off
GERS OF his company in chickens all
the way from Chattanooga to Savan-
nah. Our old cook, Aunt Ann, said the
colored people were powerful fond of
chicken, too, and if her old man could
not get a chicken any other way, he
wo9lQ go to town and buy one.
But it locks now like Teddy's hand
has busted on the race problem. He
can't solve it. The north is worse puz-
Zled over it than ever, and Secretary
Root has spoken out in meeting and
says that social equality and office
holding has to be abandoned. Bishop
Turner declares that the whole pro-
lem is in more unsettled condition
than it has been in thirty years and
they must be sent back to Africa. That
is all right, but We want those who
brought them here to be made to take
and sell it out for enough money to
build one ship, and name 1t the Jolly
Bachelor which was the first slave
ship that brought them here. Load it
down with cargo Of bucks and buck
esses under thirty years Of age. When
Turner begins to ship 'em from this
part Of the country we want to pick
'em. There are about fifty trifliDg
vagabonds hanging around this town
and we can't kill 'em OF with small
pox or anything else. Two Of our doc
tors went to the nisger school to vac
cinate 'em and took the police and
locked the doors, but the coons all
jumped out of the windows and some
ran under the house and some ran
home and some hid in hollow log Or
behind fences and the doctor did not
get half Of them. But we are getting
along fairly we'll with our negroes, our
household servants, the cook and
washer women and their children.
They were all brought up here and
vaccinated. Negroes in daily contact
with their white employees give no
trouble. They are respectful and In
dustrious. They do not want to go to
Africa and they are not going. 1t is
this restless floating population that
we want to get rid Of. There are young
white men not much better, and the
Philippines just suits them exactly.
But l am easy now, getting better
except On rainy days when the east
wind prevails-the same old east wind
that one of Jobs friends complained
about when he said, Should wise
man fill his belly with the east wino
/ am getting stronger in my under
pins. Not long ago they were swollen
so badly that away in the dead hours
of the night, while l was noddng in
ny chair, got up to see what time 1t
was: lost my perpendicular and my
legs gave way and l fell in the fire
with the chair on top Of me. My wife
heard the racket and jumped from her
bed and pulled me out. l did not get
burned, but bruised up my shoulder
where I struck the CRATE. And last
night while | was suffering in the abb
dominal regions she got hot water
bag and placed it where 1t could DO
most good and l went off to sleep and
slept the sleep of the just until break
fast time, when ell OF a sudden the bag
burst and the hot water scalded me
amazing before I could wake up. l
balloed for help and broke up the
breakfast, for they all came running
and had to strip off my garments and
change the sheets and everything, and
had liked to have skinned me as clean
as hog, for the water was still as hot
as fire. And so between fire and hot
water consider myself an injured per-
son, but my wife thinks the scalding
did me good and increased the alacrity
of my movements.
But am still calm and serene again
and enjoying the good reading sent me
by my good friends, Or. J. Win Jones
and T. X. Oglesby. Both books are
mastery vindications Of the South and
between these two men feel like am
poised between the pillars Of Hercules.
Every truth is double plated and every
riyet clinched. Then there is my good
old friend, DR.. Ward, Of Winona, Miss,
who stands in the breach and defends
us from all assaults. We have not had
since the war so much good Southern
literature as We have now. There are
George C. Smith and DR.. Massey and
Jim Galloway and Wallace Putnam
Reid, who are full Of memories OF the
good old times and the good old peo-
ple. How sweetly did DR.. Massey's
sketch Of Judge William c. Bowson
carry me back to my college days when
his boys, Oscar and Edgar, were my