The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-18
BILL ARPs LETTER.
Ee Discusses Middle Men Politics
and O;hcr Things.

! C!IiS NoGElI )
thev make more money than the
manufacturers and there are twice as
many Of them. y friend Of mine re-
Gently visited a large mandatory Of
sewing machines and the superintcn-
dent told him that the prime cost Of
! tirSt-claSS machine was $500 aud
they jObbed them off at sl3. The
iooberS sold them for SD to agents.
The agents retail! them 1t 50, tof he
has to rent (; store room and keep d
horse and wagon and make repairs
free and sell On inStallmentS and
sometimes has TO take 4 machine
back for non payment. When the
original Bill Arp moved to Texas he
took his wife'S machine with him and
LETT his note behind with SO unpaid.
Shortly after that new agent was
sent here who not acquainted with
the Arp family and ne came out To
nv house and wanted me to pay the
note. l had hard work To convince
him that | was another Arp. The
note was signed William Arp, his
mark, and Cinderella Arp. her mark.
Nv wife was very Indignant that sue
shculd Dc suspected OF making her
mark.
Well. now YOU see how much money
went to the middle men after tAc
machine left the factory-S23-twice
as much as it cost 10 make it. Just
SO It is with thousands of other things
that 90 through the hands OF middle
men.
WAS Illuminating about this be
cause received a report of SEQ copies
af nv new book that Mr.. Byrd ii,d
sold The book cost s. cents to clcc.
trpytype and print and bind it anc l
was 20 have half the profits arising
tiom the sale The price was sl.25
postage paid, which was II cents.
Thirty copies had been sold here at
the book store for s37.50. The book
store kept 25 per cent. or s9.33I. Mr..
Byrd get s2S.l3 The freight and
incidental expenses amount to } cents
CODY. So the cost was IS cents and
it netted 90 cents and my half of the
difference was ,! cents on copy. The
publisher and agent or middle men
get about ali there is in a book. l
am not complaining at anybody but
myself. for Mr. Byrd told me that
the price would have to be sl.30 TO
make anything. but l wasn't Thick
Ing about agents charging so much
and | wanted the people TO have it as
cheap as possible. But it can't go on
this way The publication must
stop or the price be raised to $50
and if an agent won't sell for 25 centS
copy, he needn't, sell at au- The
books sell themselves on the counter.
But Mr.. Byrd can continue 30 sell on
mail orders for Sl.25 and 10 cents
more for postage. This will be fair
divide all around and give the poor
author about l5 cents copy.
Senator Hoar's speech at Chicago is
before me. Nothing since the war
has so cheered me and impressed me
as that beautiful speech. Why doesn't
every newspaper in the South copy it.
or that part Of it that pays such a
tribute to the Southern people. When
finished reading it woIld have
Rugged the old man. if lie bad been
near enongh. Listen-'My life politi-
ctlly has been a life Of constant strife
with the leaders Of the Southern p2o-
pie, vet as grow older, l have learned
not only to respect and esteem them,
but love the great qualities which
| belong to my countrymen OF t1e
Southern States They are noble
race. We may well take pattern from
them IN some Of the virtues that give
stength and glory to free people.
Their love CT home: their chivalEouS
respect for .woman-their courage
their delicate sense Of honor-tfeir
constancy which can abide byan opin-
ion or a purpose through adversity
and through years and generations.
And there is another thing-covetous-
ness, corruption and the low tempta-
tion of money has not yet found any
place in Southern politics.
My friends, we cannot afford to
live 10 a state OF estrangement from a
people who possess these qualities.
They are friends of ours, born of our
borning, flesh of our flesh, blood Of
our blood and if l have a right to
speak fer Massachusetts, will say.
Entreat me not to leave thee or for
sake thee, where thou goest. | will go.
Thy people shall be my people: and
toy God my God.
This is only a part Of it. l have
placed it in my scrap book along With
the admirable editorial comment OF
The Constitution.
The Senator spoke truly when said
that corruption il national politics
had not yet reached the South. II the
case had been reversed our members
would not have unscated Butler, but
with the Northern members the ends
Justify the means. Yes. | remember
from away back how the old man
fought US. My father was brought up
in his State and mother in South
Carolina and when the Senator and
were in our early manhood 1--WE we're
born in the same year) the war began
between those two States. Yes, more
than fifty years ago, and has been bit
ter and unrelenting ever since. This
is the hrsU sign Of a returning sense OF
Justice that has come from any great
man of the Old Bay State and We re-
loice that it has come from Senator
noar, the nobleSt Roman Of them all.
Its influnence.will reach from Chicago
to Boston and its generous sentiments
viii thrill every breast ia the South
land.
care nothing for Mr.. Roosevelt
nor his l1tp lpttnr am too Old 10