The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-01

pretty much all at once. This is the rub OF the
matter Major-the people have IA Constitu-
tion"--and all laws and regulations must
agree with it or they Amt good for nothing
the people send their agents to Congress to
make or alter the Constitution--and any man
in or out Of Congress who brings in petition
asking the peoples agents TO grant things con-
trary to the Constitution, are doing an nniaiu-
fui act, and il they are ignorant, I'D teach EN-
what the law is, and il arter the first offence,
they repeated it, I'D make EN- feel it. lfsome-
thing OF this kind amt done-Congress will
have nothing else TO do but cackle over all the
whims that old grannys all about the country
will be sending ina man South has just as
good right TO petition Congress to pass laws
to stop my raising Punkins as have to stop
his raising Cotton-and on the score Of OPP
preston and slavery, and all that nonsense
there is nothing in tive are all slaves, to
the necessity Of earning an honest living, and
all necessity to irork is an erii but it is an evil
like boards and toe-naiis, we are born to-
some have to work at one calling and some at
another-and some work is harder than an
other-some 60 down under the airth and dig
coal and iron and copper and lead and gold
and silyer-and some on the face of the alrth
dig, plough and hoe, and chop woodland
tint last kind of work, tits plagy tuff in winter
away of in the woods, with snow up to your
knees and your dinner lroze as hard as brick
bat, land some go on the great deep in
storms and tempests, and don't know what it
is to have dry jacket on for weeks together
and no wife and children to sit round fire
with every eyening-and some pick cotton
and have this advantage over all the rest, and
that is when they get sick and old they are
taken care Of without going begging or be
thrust into poor house or prison--some
folks are by natur dependent on others and
lean on EN- like bean vines to polls.
Now suppose some old women should get
notion TO petition Congress- against letting
folks dig away down in the airth arter Coal and
Iron, and so forth, and say that man wasn't
born like a acoodchuck to live in the airth-
and then again to stop folks from risking their
precious lives at sea. as though they were born
with fins like fish, how then, and what would
be the end ontl Can any man tell what
would be the state Of things if any of these
whims was to be acted on only for one year
just for the trial ont And then agir, has
any one turned over the matter to see what
would be the condition of things if abolition"
should take root-kick up bobery down
South, and let only one crop Of cotton go UNI
pick'd- folks abroad don't think much Of this
matter, but look at it pretty much as we do at
the Chinese, and carelessly talk Of abolition
as matter Of moon shine. England sends
her abolititionists here to keep 'en suppose
from deviltry at home-possibly if their mad
schemes were only for one season to prosper
here, storm would howl over England worse
than universal cholera morbus. Cut off
one of our crops Of cotton only-and then let
the Queen or her Ministers attempt to tell the
thousands of spinners and weavers of England
that they and their families must submit to 60
hungry and unemployed, on account OF the
great and glorious cause Of abohtion-and if
they remain content and hungry, why then no
harm will come from that point-but if on the
contrary, they don't understand the doctrine
land some folks do say that some of John
Bulls family get cross and ugly when hun
gry, why then there will be trouble and such
trouble as amt cooled by sage or catnip tea
and for one wash my hands Gn't-and say
"let well alone" ..-a
EN- tell what it is Major" says the Dea-
con, we have now ben working along pretty
prosperously for fifty years under Constitu-
tt"H lhdt has hCpe, 10 az 'oSouS' " noPPJ
family, and any man who attempts to disturb
any matter or thing guaranteed and secured
by that Constitution, amt got any more Pa
triotism in him than rotten punkin-and all
petitions to Congress. asking things contrary
to the Constitution, are jist as bad as for a
man to ask another mans agent to do what
he knows he has no right to do under the
power Of attorney he holds from his principal
that's Lar, Major" says the Deacon, land
[ don't know" says he, if it amt Gospel
too"
l and Uncle Sam have been thinking over
this matter and upon the hull we come to the
notion that the Deacon's doctrine is about
right, and we hope you will not disregard it.
Your friend and fellow citizen,
j. DowNING, Major,
Downingvile Militia, I'd Brigade.