The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-01-07
SOMETHING OF OUR NATIONAL LIFE.

prODlem, OF pTODlemS, nave dlmOSU an
nually engaged the attention of our
statesmen, and with these problems,
they have wrought upon the people
until, at times, they have produced a
frenzied state of mind, lest this par
ticular man, who stood for some
special issue, were, or were not
triumphant at the polls.
The thing that firstgave the country
much concern was the eyer recurring
and meyer ending question CT taxation,
and our foreign relations. Just what
to permit and what to forbid in the
nations across the sea as regards their
relations with the United States, was
a rock that came near Stranding our
ship Of state before it was out of sight
of shore. The people were alarmed
and divided on these questions.
1t was said of Andrew Jackson that
he had ravished the Constitution and
proven faithless to his solemn oath Of
office in his attitude towards National
Banks. Many people sincerely believed
that the citadel Of free institutions
would soon lie crumbling in the dust,
and that Jackson would hoist himself
upon the ruins. But it was not so.
And we find all along through our
nations history that one party has
proclaimed against the other, and
propheSied all manner of evil if the
others policies were put upon the
statute books.
1t is singular, and gratifying indeed,
how those things are all adjusted,
and, as time passes, u So-called great
problems sink into inSigniticance as
compared with those which the days
bring to us.
But recently, we had political war
fare over the money question. One
element told US that if we could get
free SiIrer, prosperity would be as a
spring bursting forth from the noun
tain side scattering it's waters over
the Hill side and the valleys below:
that the fragrance of the flowers
would be laden with silver dollars
which would be waited into our pock-
cts by the gentle breeze. They told
US that the enactment of the gold
standard would be almost as a serpent
from the regions of this satanic majeS-
ty fastening his fangS in the very
heart Of the nation and that financial
thralldOm would enSue.
The advocates of the gold standard
were almost as prolific in their prOph-
ecieS of evil should free silver triumph
and in their promises of good should
gold triumph. Time has proven that
neither was wholly right. Good and
great men were arrayed on both sides
of this question, and let the people
rest assured that the government at
Washington will continue to live SO
long as good men interest themselves
in it's policies. We too frequently
magnify the evils Of a question as well
as its Importance. We fail to realize
that our political antagonist is just as
sincere and just as honest as we are,
and that the rays of the sun falls or
his side of the mountain as well as on
ours.
Just as the astronomer is constant
ly scanning the heavens in search of
new planets and to observe the move
ment of the heavenly bodies. SO we
have some people with their telescope
ever on the political sky, to magnify
the dark spots on the sun of our polit-
ical destiny.
Today, we are told that the dark
spots on the political horizon are the
trusts; and that with the present
trend Of affairs, we will soon have a
nation Of a few financial giants
and millions Of financial pygmies.
This may be SO; we confess that the
nation gives some evidence of being
sick with the trust fever. But we
believe at the proper time the right
doctor will administer some radical
treatment, hypodermically, internal
ly, externally and eternalIy, and
that the case will yield to treatment
like every other problem that has ever
confronted us.
This trust question is a pretty
broad one and too much discussion OF
it might cause us to get on the toes Of
people in Mississippi. We all trust as
much as we can and whenever the