The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-10-02

was treated Will VII
vilest abuse in whi'
Democrat is such an
not keep our reade
proof. Read and be
dence Of this meanes
contemplate acts the
ever been guilty of:
From the Pioneer, Sept
Is, 1851.
THE RICE CAUCUS, LAST
WEEK, ILLUSTRATED BY
NATURAL HISTORY-OR-I
IGIN OF THE WORD eau
CUs-EXHIDITION OF THE
BOGUS ELEPHANT.--The
word Caucus was originated
as follows: During the Pc.
ninsular War, carried on In
Spain, by the English, under
Lord Wellington, then only
Duke Of Wellesley, the army
had " cross the river Guadal-
culver, with all their bag
gage, mules and asses, num-
bering 500, and the river
then swollen with rains, so
that 1t was impossible for the
mulYs and asses to swim
over, without being borne
down by the current SO far
before they could land on the
opposite side, that they would
sink. through fatigue. Ac-
cordincly, the General called
a convention Of his officers,
to devise some plan for get
ting the animals over; and
after long consultation about
It, affording much merriment
to the army, who knew what
II was about. II was finally
agreed and orders were given
to have a large baudage or
Jacket of cork, buckled like a
saddle around each of the
brutes; but upon trial they
were all drowned. The coun-
| sci Of officers who devised
Jackets of cork for the mules
and asses, was Jeeringly
called the scork-ass COUNSEL
and finally IL was abbreviated
into Scork-a>'; the orthogra-
ply of the word was changed
from scork-ass' into scaucus,'
to conceal it. mean origin |;
and caucus at length climb
| ed up and took a respectable
scat In the columns Of the
dictionary.
Never since the origin Of
the word scaucuS,' probably.
has 1t been employed in a.
sense so proper and 50 strict-I
ly literal, as TO the Rice 'cork-
ass last week, which fitted
out their caravan OF candi-l
dates, to be supported at the
coming election.
The Rice people had a pro-
tracted meeting, which con-
sumed the two hind quarters
Of last week and gnawed the
head of the Sunday follow
ing. They must have had a
refreshing time Of it. from
all appearances. We refrain
from commenting upon the
jealOusies and fierce and an
CRY debates and violent de-
nunclations and recrimina-
ton amongst them, as 1t is a
family matter of their own;
and as many Of them were
caught, and after actual tri-I
al, are now heartily sick OF
the whole greedy set of cor
mOrants, and would like to
crawl out of the scrape,with-
out its being understood they
were in it. 1t will be as
hard, in a month, to lind al
man who was In that Con-
vention, as 1t was In Cincin-
natl to find a man who would
own that he had attended thel
chase of the bGtfaloes there
exhibited; when the buHa-
lOes being turned loose, went
quietly to grazing. To stran-i
gers and spectators looking
on, Who have listened to the
hypocritical braying of the
Rice leaders, about sprinci-
ple' ami democracy, Tor
some time past. 1t was an
exhibition which needed no
comment. They saw the ell
ephant'-the skin was blown
off AMI the ugly little beast
stood in all his native defor-
nifty, a veritable jackass,
from his hoofS up to the tips
of his long ears.
The Democrat, who grooms
the animal. was greatly fius-
trated To see the beast denul-
ed, and began to whisper and
coax and pat and whee,lle
him, begging him not to kick
of the elephant skin and spoil
the exhibition by braying be-
fore the crowd; but the ami
NAL had got obstinate and
continued to brace back and
pull at the halter, braying
out that unmistakable he
haw = she-haw y she-haw =
until the scene was perfectly
ludicrous, the keeper trying
to hold the elephant skin
down over the rump Of the
little donkey, by the crupper,
while the donkey continued
to bray and kick up behind
Al length the animal got qui-
ct, and the keeper, who af-
fects ora.ory, proceeded -
sGentlemen, this is The ele-
plant, but he Is very young
and vicious still, you see i
Is a genuine elephant;
knew the mother Of this ami.
NAL, In 0hier. l will show
you that he has the motion.
and habits Of the elephant,
Kneel down. sir! (The bcas
drops upon his knees.) Down,
beast drops his hind-quar'
tiers. Spectators laugh whpr
they see the beast comins
down behind as If he had nj
knees in his hind legs.) Gen
tiemen, you need not laugh
this young elephant has tn,
natural knee joints OF the ell.
ephant in his hind legs; bu
he was foundered by eating
wlld-rice, So that he canno
bend them.' (He-haw! he.
haw brays the paostratt
donkey.) 'Now,' says thu
keeper You seven gentle
men whom designated
may come forward and si
astride Of the elephant. Nel-
son and Freeborn having
more weight, may sit upoI
the shoulders. Mccain
Burns, Kennedy and Keller
may sit next; and little Jaci
Morgan, selected as the leasI
Of evils, may lay hold OF the
crupper.' They know but
little Of natural history, who
believe that little disguised
jackass will ever be able T.
get upon his hoofs with such
. burden-coax and whisper
and storm and rant and goad
him, as much as the Demo-
crat driver may. What Is
one poor little jackass, under
six such weighiy candidates,
and Jack Morgan, a catch
rider, mounted behind, like a
monkey In a circus.