Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-07-08
For the Journal. !

Nix. EDIToR.-I have read the commune
cation of Mr.. J. II. Wallace, in your last
number. That gentleman well know. that
owners of 1eaIly fast horses, like most other
people DESTROYS Ut making the most they
Can out of their property, seldom show their
time except for money. have been amused
at the easy manner in which he endeavors to
get round "Reuben's very fair PROPOSE
ton that owners of stations who seek
patronage from breeders by statements
regarding their favorites' time should be
held to show that tirne-frst for fun, and if
that is declined, for money, by calling it q
squib from some person who wishes to
gamble on the speed of horses.
With much more justice might the charge
be made against the gentleman himself,
when he makes the assertion that Ethan
Allen is the fastest stallion in the world,
we'll knowing as he does that if a horse
should appear to-day to contest it, lie would
not have the opportunity to do so unless lis
hacker would lay up his pile, and that
would be no small one. Mr.. Wallace, in my
humble judgment, used that expression be
cause he thought it would take.
He winds up with the, to him, inevitable
peroration on Morgan Black Hawks in gen.
eral, and, as l take it, by inference, his
Ethan Allen and Gen. Wayne in particular,
closing with six propositions which he chal.
lenges any person to disprove. He seems to
have forgotten that in the commencement he
had avo we'd his object to DO to disprove the
statements contained in the articles to
which he refers. Perhaps, however, he
fatters himself that his assertions "with his
own name subscribed" will be received as
proof in any controversy on the subject of
horses.
Now. sir, think, l have made a very
exact estimate of the value of his opinions
and statements on these questions, but as
have no desire to force my own views upon
the public, l will thank you to re-ventilate
some of his published statements, that the
public may have some data from which to
form an intelligent opinion of the value of
his assertions and the results of his arduous
''attention and inquiry" In his reply to a
letter addressed to him as Secretary of the
Iowa State Agricultural Soci ETY., by the late
lamented Henry William Herbert, when
that learned and accomplished gentleman
was collecting the materials for his elaborate
work, s'Ths Horse of America he says:
II take the liberty of enclosing you cut
Of horse of my own, which by good judges
is said to be an excellent likeness, and, par.
don me for saying soho Is the fastest
trained, but does his mile in ESQ very nice
ly."
Again, in his history of our County sooi-
ETY., of which he was the Secretary, publish
ed in the Fourth Annual Report of the Iowa
State Agricultural Society, he says: "Early
in the summer of this year Messrs. Ezekiel
Jones & Son brought Morgan horse to this
County, from New Hampshire, called Gen.
Wayne He afterwards passed out of their
hands at 800, and as he now belongs to the
writer, can only say he possesses probably
more Morgan blood than any horse in the
State.'
l leave it to your readers who know the
horses he is describing (and l am told that
one of our most respectable citisens and a
good judge of horse-fesh lately stated on the
stand in Court that he did not consider one
of them-and that the fast one-worth $l5O,)
to decide whether such statements or "broad
facts" reflect the most credit upon Mr.. John
II. Wallace's judgment or up on the Morgan
blood
In conclusion permit me to say think tho
article signed "Reuben" very Just one,
exactly to the point; and as it seems to have
done some good, hope you will keep it
set up and publish it occasionally, thereby,
Us l trust, inducing some others to bring out
their horses, or if afraid Of doing that, come
out in the columns of your paper to let US
know they are hit. ACORN.
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