The Tupelo journal., 1917-12-21
Keeping the Whirluind

Just after the spanhhAmerican ar Richmond Pearson Hobon saw
behind the guns. If his warning had been needed, 50 far IS preparedness
is concerned, it wouldn't matter to US now whether those guns were manned
But Hobson wa made the butt Of rdicue. We laughed at the hero
81 the Merrimac and boosted of or splendid isolation"
Now it turns out that instead of splendid isolation" W have beautiful
example of ~ own fatheadedne@.
and the iron works This may be termed inelegant English, but W e r not
50 much 81. concerned NC nrs n with \ staay Of = En s1trie : pres oaraye.f from ! posi-
ton into which we have been placed by a lot of wooden-heads posing as
statesmen.
before the shearer, and the shearing seems to have been pretty good.
We have listened to a verbal outpouring of rot about free speech" and
personal liberty and other buncombe, and allowed numbskuls to usurp
places of authority that should have been occupied by men with brains.
If you were to go to Borneo, capture a wild mar ana orng MN 70
America, he would need to hear only one political speech to know tina we
"G For the men who did the srapping, the Civil War ended at Appomat-
tox; for the mn who seek office, it is like Tennyson's brook-it goes o
If both the Democratic and Republican parties had been smashed to
smthereens 40 years ago, this nation would not now be facing a crisis sec
ond only to that of 1916.
There ae principles of truth in both parties that will live to the last
syllable of recorded time; and there is enough error and buncombe in each
to condemn it in the minds of mn who think and vote according to the
For some men it is enough . know that a principle is advocated by
Democratic or Republican leaders; they never stop to consider tn propo
In every national or state election there is a paramount issue7-and
the paramount issue" is generally a vehicle used by the seltcentered poll
The sun total of knowledge possessed by party leaders, both Demo-
cratic and Republican, in the last half century seems to be Civil War history
They have memorized that from Sumter to Appomattox. They can carry
you to the Wilderness, to Gettysburg, to Shiloh and every other battle field
If the candidate is unburdening himself of a monologue south of the
Ohio River, he will tell you how his father, his uncles and his aunts fit
bled and died" to lick the damned Yankees"
If the candidate is trying to get ms snout IN the eed o1 a
northern state, he poses a a reincarnation of Lincoln and Grant combined
and seeks to leave the impression that his forebears saved the Union and
a plague IN both their houses!
There probably IA some excuse for the "yaner dog brand of De-
mocracy in the south during the first few years after the Civil War; but
The slogan of mo black heels on white necks" ws all right 40 years
ago; it is now a dead issue. The south today has n o more to fear from
negro domination than it has to fear from the late AkOond of Swat
There will always be-and there should be-two dominant parties
Where party remains in indsputable control of affairs for M great
length Of time corruption and decay is the inevitable tab result. Philadelphia
However, it is about time for the voters Of this nation to line up under
new standards. The Stars and Bars Clearing not n STAIN have been
FOLDED and forever laid away Every true American will bare his head to
the Stars and Stripes.
There is but on issue before the American people today and that
issue is Observation-Disclosures
If you will take the trouble to review congressional history for the
last quarter of a century you will find that our alleged statesmen have
supported or opposed proposed legislation according to whether n not it
emanated from a Democratic n Republican source
in any Republican doctrine, and the average Republican is vel ready to
show his curses o anything conceived in the brain of a Democrat
With a few notable exceptions, Congress is today composed of rotten
timber. We have ourselves to blame for that. We have been lulled to
sleep by rechals of ancient history and frightened into submission by
bugaboos fashioned by scheming hands and dangled before our eyes as
paramount issues
We are trying to do in a few months what should have been a finished
all RIGHT when the skies are clear. but mighty DANGEROUS he1msmen on a
choopy sea The pinch has come, and they are found wanting. Some Of
them ar like a dub in the prize tring-dazed and helpless under the blows
of his adversary, hanging o N in hope that the clang of the gong will save
him from a knockout.
We have sent hundreds of thousands of u boys to military camps
They are eager to fight, but they can't lick the Huns with broomsticks.
The summer has passed, the haze of autumn has lifted, the SHOWS of
u soldiers warm
Somebody has Numbered. Congress is now investigating: Congress
spends about three-foutrhs OF It's time investigating. The head IT one
department bames another; he will probably pass it Of to somebody ele
and he'll slip it to the next in line, and 81 j.
We haven't got time for investigations. If the head of ne department
has fallen down lin his work, kick him out. If he can't deliver the goods,
get a man who al It doesn't matter whether he is a Democrat or a.
Republican, a prohibhionist or a ditiner-f he car make good, put him O
the job.
We re going to win this val but before a peace pact is signed we
i will know that we've been in a fight We ire not going to win this war
because of some of the men in charge, but in spite of them.
Not because he is a Democrat mot because he is a southerner, but be
cause he is a man, W e thank God for Woodrow Wilson. He is the one
bright star of hope that seems fixed, while all around is chaos. Behind him
are a few men of brains and purpose
They are going to win out, but first they must sharpen the * and
carry off a few basketful of officials heads
HIS Going IL be rough sledding bt we'll come thronoh Ta,s threw