The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-08
The Barn shingIers.

oSo, d ctdtt Legislature ndu pIOHiDllth tue
of spirituous liquors in less quantities than IF
teen gallons. This produced great excitement,
and at last the subject was brought to the polls
the citizens being divided into Rummies aud
anti Runlries; the former being against. and
the latter for, the law.
Now, at this fearful crisis in the affairs of the
aforesaid State, it so fell out that in the village
Of Dunsdom the numerous and respectable fam
lily Of GRIPEs were seen, for the first time, TO
take lively interest in politics. They were
all sober, staid, pious men, as the GRIPEs had
always been, from immemorial time. They
had hitherto belonged rather to the temperance
party; had voted with the anti dummies, and
given their support to the Fifteen Gallon law
But now, strange to say they We're on the
| other tack, from old Deacon SETH GRIpEs down
| to his grandson, who rejoiced in the name of
AHAB. Altogether, unces, cousins, brothers,
and brothers-in-law, they constituted a formid-
able body, and directly and indirectly, were
| supposed to control at least hundred votes.
Now, it may well be supposed, that phe-
nUmenon 50 remarkable as the sudden CONVEX
sion of this family from their good old fashioned
| ways to the rummy side of great social, mo
| raj, religious, and political question, naturally
excited the curiosity Of the Paul Prys of Duns-
dom. Accordingly, when the aforementioned
| Deacon SETH GRIpEs requested his neighbor,
SOLOMON SLY, to 90 with him and his friends,
| the said SOLOMON very naturally asked the reason
| for such request. The Deacon replied that
| he considered that the Fifteen Gallon law injured
| the glorious cause of temperance; that it had
caused reaction i'll the public mind; it was an
odious invasion of the liberty of private life; it
was unconstitutional, and against the higher
| law of conscience, which gave every man the
| right to eat and drink how, when, and what
he pleased
| '.That may all be, deacon,' said SOLOMON,
with face becoming his name, ''but you re-
member that last year you were exactly of the
| opposite opinion"
| eyes, don't deny it, SOLOMON" was the
reply, ''but | have changed my mind"
''And what led you to change your mind, if
may be 50 bold?'
| ''Why, SOLOMON, you're kind Of third
cousin of my wifes, and so think | may tell
you all about it, We are going to send my
grandson AHAB to the State Legislature"
| "Whewr' said SOLOMON, chats news, in
deed; and what has put you up to that"
"Well - said the deacon, ''AHAB. you know,
| has been building barn, and he has got il all
| done except Smuggling it will cost about hun
bred dollars to finish it, and calculate that, if
we send him to the general court this winter,
he can save enough to pay the expense"
| Now, this little piece Of history is full of in
struction. Not only town and village politics,
but even those of free, sovereign, and indie
| pendent States, are often controlled by combina-
tions of men, who make great declarations
about principle, but every one of whom is, after
all, only devising the ways and means by whici
he may shingle his barn.
| Now, let us look a moment at the Free-soiers
and Democrats of Massachusetts. To begin with
the former, we take HENRY WILSON as an ex-
ample, he having just been elected President OF
| the Senate by the union of said Democrats and
| Free-soil During the last dozen years
| Mr.. WILSON has been, till within short
period, one of the most busy, determined,
and devoted Wings in New England. No
political stump speeches. He has been the
advocate of United States bank, internal
improvements, distribution of the proceeds
of the public lands, sc. He has proved again
and again, that the Independent Treasury was
a mere engine of Democratic tyranny and De
mocratic corruption. He has denounced JACK
SON, VAN buren, Polk, and CAss, without
| rba ol
Massachusetts, he has hunted with the fierce
ness and pertinacity of wolf on the track Of
his prey He has been, in short, rampant
Wing, always at conventions and primary
meetings, and always on hand if an office ira
TO be disposed Of!
When Mr.. HORACE MANN was first candi
date for Congress, to fill the vacancy occasionec
by the death of Mr.. ADAMS, Mr.. WILSON was
rival candidate. He was present at tn,
Wing nominating convention held at Dedham
and used his utmost influence, even to the ex
tent of personal solicitation, to obtain the nom
nation In this he failed. Soon after we
see him leader in the Free-soil party, anc
using against the Whigs-his old associates
all the batteries which he had directed for
dozen years against Democracy. And now, t.
finish the work, we find him, as before stated
elected President of the Massachusetts Senate
by bargain between his new party of Free
sollers and that Democracy which he had 81
zealousy and so pertlnaclously denounced anC
opposed Nor is even this all; for there il
no pretence whatever that this is a union o
principle. The Democracy repudiated the doc
trines of Free-sol, and the only fair inference
from the whole transaction is, that this unior
is bargain and sale of public interests and pc
litcal principles, for the sole benefit Of The
beaders in the business.
Now, we say nothing against the characte
of the Hon. HENRY WILSON. He processes {,
be religious man, and, for aught we know
may be. like the head of the GRPE family,
deacon Of the church. But, however this may
bc, we submit whether it is not fair to conclud,
| that IN bta nnlitical rarepr he has nj IenSf I'm,