The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-02
Orr Hull, July %, 1919.

DEAR REPUBLIC: Notwithstanding the prognos-
tics Of your sweet-tempered contemporary OF the
Union, you are still in the land Of the living,
see; and another greeting from Hull will not,
trust, be unwelcome. 1t is now the gay season at
Hull and, from Point Alderton to Sycamore Head
from Nantasket to Pumpkin Island. chowder par
ties fishing parties, and bathing parties-all sorts
of parties, except political parties-are on the
move.
Here am /, in Skipper Brewsters dashing little
craft, the Lively Ann, writing on bailing bucket,
fixed between my knees, with that gold pencil, "a
present from the Mammoth Cod Association, y while
the Skipper IAN old sea-dog, with squirt that
seems perpetually the lo kout for northeastern
is at the helm, and we are cutting the spray some
where between Hardings ledge and Skull Head.
Such breeze having! "Strong, without
rage; gentle, yet not dull" briny, but bamy,-it
would be worth coming all the way from WASH
ington to snuff it, wish ] could direct q good
draft of it through your Pennsylvania avenue, car
rying refreshment and grateful GOODNESS to the
whole population; or, what would be better, wish
you were all here to enjoy it. Even your good
neighbors of the Union would, believe, unbcnd
from that angry chronic frown and grow serene
under its soothing and benignant influence.
And apropos of that: the last time was al Hull,
was thrown upon some old copies of the Union
for my light readings and to-day, seeing package
of newspapers in the locker of the Lively Ann,
among old junk, rusty spikes, oakum, tarred ropes
slush buckets, fishing lines, clam shells, and such
like properties" Of small sail-boat, asked the
skipper what they were, and he handed forth file
of the vertabe Union for the last two weeks
" There is q fatality in i'll" thought | TO myself
This is the second time that | have been brought
INTO communion with the sole organ at Hull And
then, turning TO the skipper with the copies in my
hand, inquired: "Do you use these for sinkers,
Skipper Brewster "No--for snpes,' said he.
"Oh, you mean that they serve for waddlng 7"
=" Yes, and nothing else" And now, while the
skipper is dipping his head to look under the boom
of the foresai, and take his bearings for the
Rockland House, let me unfold these papers 10 the
breeze, and skim their contents as yonder gull
is skmming the waters round Hangman's ledge
But let me pause To consider. The last number
of the Union which | read threatened to drop you
altogether, as not being "a foenan worthy Of its
steelm II seemed to blame itself for having no.
tced you at all, and petulantly regretted the conse-
quence IT had attached TO your course offensive and
defensive. Il pouted, and tried TO look contemptu
Gus, and said II wouldn't speak to you sgain--no,
il wouldn't touch you'll What has been my
prise therefore, TO the Union--like coy maiden,
who has quarrelled with her lover and declared she
would nevermore have any thing to do with him,
and yet who all the while watches him from all the
corners Of her eyes. and keeps on talking at him,
regardless of her pretended scorn, under the asci-
nation Of his presence,-to see the Union, say,
devoting column after column, up TO the very last
issue that has reached US, to your especial benefit,
and in reply to your least important observations
Why all thus eagerness TO blunt and turn aside the
thrusts of journal which " is not destined to make
its mark in the world'' Gentle shepherd tell us
why.
What desperate passion does this funny Union
seem to be in all the time There is no pause In
its paroxysms; smile after its frowns and tears.
1t always has flushed and cboerc look, and car
rcs its bowie-knIfe unshesthed When IL "piies
up the agony of its vituperative verbsge, there
are no refreshing wales between where the tr1ed
reader may repose. II is all Pelion on Osso. lift
speaks Of the "meanness" Of man, IL is always
miserable and contemplate meanness." | can
imagine the improvement which the Union would
make in that rapid imprecatlon and interrogatory
Of Macbeth
"The devil damn thee, black, thou creamfaccd loon,
Where gottest thou that goose lookS"
The Union would have ampli6ed il thus "The
internal devil damn thee deeply, darkly, and in
tensely sable, thou miserable, contemplate, despi
cable, poslanimous and pallor-strcken individual;
where, in the name Of thunder, didst thou procure
that ineffably stupid, vacant and anserine express
SION Of countenance'"
IL has great faith in djectives--tbe Union. When
ever at loss for argument, Ia loss to which IT is
perpeually subIect,) II turns to its vocabulary Of
dcnunciation for good string Of epithets. II goes
at the Administration very much IN the spirit IN
which Bob Acres wanted Sir Lucius to let him pen
the challenge-"I must he in a passion, Sir Luz
cos-l must be IN rage. Dear SIR LucIus,
let me be IN rage, il you love me. ! would
the ink. were red Odds, bullets, and bladesl I'll
write good, bold hand, however, The Union
writes good, bold hand, however.
Steady, steady, skipper, II you please! You al
most took of my hat in lacking ship that time.
The nearest approach to joke that ] find in
these papers ~ the passage wherein complaint is
made ofprints "whIch never apply any other name
to Democrats and the Democratic party bot the
olackguerd epithet Of Locofoco." In these four or
i've papers which hold Autiering in the breeze,
The Union (mad nag y speaks Of 'the Federal
wing party" the wooden nutmeg SENATOR" the
"headsman' of the Post Office Department, &c; and
adopts from another paper of its stamp the following
expressions, applied to distinguished Wing MEM
Der OF Congress; Mean and eposta,e Yankee"
bootck; and then, througha correspondent speaks
OF "the husr and tights OF Taylorism--the lntel-
gencer and Republic" And, after all this, the