Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-09-05
A Voice from Salt River.
HEAD OF SALT RIVER, July IS, 1874!

Dear Mr.. Richie: can't keep from writing
to you no longer. | must say we are getting
most out of patience up here in this Salt River
territory; and are beginning to feel a good deal
disappointed to think Gineral Taylor is holding
on to the Presidency so long. | was in hopes,
after you concluded to stay down there to
Washington and fight the battle out, that you
would a routed him out by this time, and gin
our party a chance to come back agin. Not
that I've got anything agin Gincral TAYLOR: and
! don't say but what he's a clever sort OF a
man enough; and fout well in Mexico; and |
don't know but he and the folks around him is
carrying on the Government all smooth and
regular. But all that's nothin' to the pint
The whole nub of the argument is they've got
our places, and we want 'em. This Salt River
country is a tiresome place to stay in. And
we've been waiting here now a number of
months, hoping you would upset the whole
apple cart ofthe Administration, and give us all
a fair chance to pick up the fruit, But we've
been disappointed. ldOnt see as you are any
nearer getting Gineral Taylor out of office
than you was three months ago. We've had a
the matter over, and some of our friends are
quite out with you about it, and fling out about
your being old, and lost your spunk, and don't
fight with the grit you used to.
| took your part strong, and told 'em twas no
SIGH d thing; if you was older than you used to
be, you was tutf as a pitch-nott yet, and had as
much grit in you as ever, and only wanted
rousin to make you fight like a tiger. They
finally agreed if | would write to you and stir
you up, so as to make you come down upon
the Administration hot and heavy, as though
you mean to do something, they'd be patient Il
little longer. But if not, they'd kick the Union
over and take up another organ for the party
| askd EN- how they thought they could better
themselves by that, and where shey thought
they could find an organ to be compared to the
Union?
"Why," says Bill Jones, says he, swell take
the Salt River Herald"
"But," says |, "you know the Salt River
Herald can't hold a candle to the Union for res
pectability."
q don't care for that says he, "the Herald
is a smarter paper; it can tell two lies to the
\ Unions one, week in and week out, and put a
] sting in the tail of every one of 'em."
"Well, | amt agoing to brag," says |, "about
the Unions talents for hatchin fbs, but there's
one thing you ought to remember, the Herald's
truths are alpays wauering whilst the Unions
.fbs are ARRAYS weU stood TO-; and you know, ac-
cording to the old sayin, which is considered
worth the most"
think I rather got ahead Of Bill in the ar
gument here, for he couldn't answer me a word.
And now, my dear Mr.. Richie, you see what Il
pickle we are in, and | hope you will spunk up
and put your best foot forward; go at the Ad-
ministration in earnest; take hold of 'em like a
catamount, and give 'em sich a clawing that
they'll be glad to clear out in a hurry, and let
our party come in and have the rights again
that have so justly belonged to us this twenty
years. Now, | don't want to find fault nor
complain; you know it amt my mater. But I
must say | think you have been quite too tame
a long back, and too mealy-mouthed, as if you
was afraid to speak out yonr mind. The fact
earnest. He's the head of the Administration,
and you know if W e can cut the head off the
critters dead. But you must give harder blows
what you have used considerable smart words
towards him; | don't deny but what you've call
ed him "a dolt," and "a cheat and IA granny"
and "a tool" and "a mere cypher," and "a dis
grace to the country" and "an imbecile, igno-
rant tyrant," and "a whitened sepulchre,'' and
ga man who is disgracing himself" and "a frac-
ton of a man" and IAN eighth part of the
Cabinet" and "the fly upon q coach Wheel and
va butcher" and "a Nero" and "a Moloch," and
ga Cyclops," and SIGH like. But all this don't
amount to nothin. It's only jest nudgin a man
in the ribs with your elbow, when you ought to
up fist and knock him head over heels. If YOU
really mean to do any thing, it won't do to stand
mincin words in this soft kind of way. You
must put the blows ON with a sledge hammer.
Instead of calling him a dolt, you should call
him a natural born fool. Instead of allowing
him to be an eighth part of a man, you should
swear right up and down, THAT is, if YOU ever
do swear that there isn't a particle Of the hair
or hide of a man about him. Talk I'D in that
kind of way, and our party would begin to take
courage, and feel as if there was some hopes for
'em yet.
There's one thing that's very important, and
Isee you feel very anxious about it, and that
is, that we should get Gineral Taylor out some
how or other on the Wilmot proviso, It's a
shame and disgrace, and a crime worse than
high treason, that he keeps his mouth shet on
that subject. 1 hope you will be able to con-
trive some way or other to get it out of him;
but know it is a difficult matter.
Cousin Nabby used to have a way of getting
secrets out of folks when they was asleep, about
their lovers and soon. Il believe she used to do
it by stealing into the room slyly when thew
was asleep, and holding a l~ooking-glass over
their face, and whispering to 'em, and they
would answer any question she asked 'em.--
Now, if you could catch Gineral Taylor asleep
somewhere, or if you could get one of the
servants of the White Houset to catch him asleep
sometime, and hold a looking-glass over his
face; and whisper to him and ask him whether
he is for or agin the Wilmot proyiso, probably
the secret would be out, and our party would
be safe. 1t makes not a pins difference which
side he comes out on; we can fight him as well