Mexico weekly ledger., 1914-10-29
From Dr.. J. B. Hawkins.
Mexico, No, Oct 9th, 1914.
VIII Won be so induleent as TO civ

US q little space in your excellent
paper, that we may chronicle a
few "reminiscences and give a hur-
ried review Of our experience, as it
reeurs TO us, after many decades
have past. Read between the lines
and see if you can't clearly inter-
pref the meaning of all this politi-
cal agitation-whst is the real mean
ing and intent of it all. Let us see.
Go back with us TO the SOS, 40's
and SOS Of Che antebellum days
when the political parties under the
various names were as numerous as
the number is today. These were in
opposition to the Democratic party,
the Federal party, Free Soil Party,
Know Nothing party, the Wing Par
ty and many others, all elsiming TO
be the party Of the people. About
1854, all these socalled parties mon
grelized and called themselves the
Republican party, and in go, elect
ed Abe Lincoln as President. Keep
your finger on the spot, and listen.
Thirty-five years before Abe Line
oln, in August 1862, issued his Eman
.ipation Proclamation, Horace Gree
ley, Wendell Phillips, Harriet Beech
er Stowe, Henry Ward BeNcher, vii
liam Seward and Charles Summer,
with others of the same intent and
purpose, met in Washington, in Con-
vention, and after much time spent
discussing pro and con to the best
plans of accomplishing the emanci-
patton Of the slaves, for that was the
only object in their minds, they ad-
journed without agreeing on any
special plan, when Charles Sumner
uttered these immortal words, Gen
tlemen, Agitate! Agitate!" and this
agitating resulted in the most cruel,
devastating and bloody war, lasting
four and a half years. lea-ing in its
wake carnage, poverty, distribution,
costing the lives of thousands of old
men and boys-widows and orphans
left to struggle for, and to eek out
a scanty living through all these in
~tervening years. 1t has taken more
than fifty years to reconstruct this
ruined country, At the close of the
war, General Grant said, Let us
have peace" but the Shibboleth of
"Agitate" was kept up by The cry of
carpet baggers. Office seekers
swarmed to the South as. numerous
as the frogs of Egypt to get the
votes of the newly en~franchised re-
groes and many OF them succeeded.
Owing to the disturbance between
the different political factions that
kept the whole South in such an un-
settled state of affairs, that it has
taken at least forty years to econ-
struct and establish business on a
firm and satisfactory basis and now
fellow-citizens, we have just reach
ed the gist Of the whole matter and
the man or woman Of ordinary intel
ligenee that cannot see the skeleton
in the closet or the negro in the wood
pile is dull of comprehension and a
hopeless student Of History. We see
the wreck of the Republicans bob
bling up under different names of
Progressive Republican party, Bull
Moose Party, Single Tax party, Tenn
perance and Local Option. Last, but,
not least, Woman's Suffrage party,
and again, what is the excitement?
The whole country, from Maine to
Louisiana, and from the Lakes to the
Gulf, is being visited by every spe-
cies OF public speakers. Thu little old
wrinkled cronies and averaged spin
sters, all the way from Old England
via New England, 10 catch the cue
and on to the Show Me State of Mis-
souri,, have come to instruct the citi-
! zens Of the wild, woody West, how,
when and what for to vote, and like
the Witch of Endor would say to her
patients, Cape, Sinner, and swal-
; low and ask no questions and we
have heard it said by many of our
Democratic voters that some of the
Representatives from the South and
even Missouri, with their households,
have joined to crusade, for Woman's
Suffrage. Don't forget that it has
been the effort of some of the East
ern and Northern Congressman and
Senators to reduce the number of
Representatives, from the Southern
States. Don't forget, if you give the
ballot to the two millions of negro
women of the South, you will have no
further trouble to reduce the number
Of the Representatives in Congress
from the now Democratic States. A
man is naturally stupid who can't
read the handwriting on the wall,
where the hydro-headed monster Of
politics is crawling through to reap
the reward for his labors. an old SEN
sible Irish woman, a few days since,
gave us a few solid chunks of Wom-
ans Philosophy. She said the most
untidy and neglected kitchens and
homes in the limit of her acquaint-
anee were presided over by the Suf-
frage Women, whose hands have new
er been calloused by the use Of the
broom handle. Good old sister, come
again.
Most respectfully,
j. B. HAWKINS.