The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-08-18
Prospects and lIumOrS Of the Fight.


begin to take heart again. confess
that | was ready to despair of the Repub-
| lie Looking at matters from the seclu-
sion Of this obscure village-whose insig-
nificance excites your so frequent compass
sion-it did seem to me impossible that
we could have any President at all, after
the Gray haired Old Public Functiouary
shall have retired from the station he now
fills, and fills as honorably as he obtained
it And what would become of us all
without a President? Clearly, we must
all go "to the demnition bow-wows in the
twinkling of bed post. The Post here
tells me Breckenridge is to be President.
The Courier is equally sure that it is to be
Bell The Herald considers Douglas as
good as inaugcrated And you say that
Lincoln is to walk over the course. But
this last can't be-for Mr. Commissioner
George L. Curtis who saved the Union
some ten years ago from the traitorous
clutches Of one Thomas Simms, at the risk
of his ow.- -:fe, Gas he once assured the
public under his own hand) Mr. Curtis
declared at a Believerett meeting In RoX-
bury last hi ght that no man believed that
Lincoln could be elected by the people
So you either don't believe what you say
you do, or you must be more or less than
the dilemma you like TO impale yourself
on. | know that dilemmas are generally
classed among those cornuted animals that
have but two horns; but then | know OF
nothing in Logical Natural History to him
der there being a tricornous variety. So
you may take your choice.
But To the occasion OF my relief from
patriotic fears. Perhaps you may remem-
Der my political theory, that any party
wishing for a candidate for the Presidency
(aEd tie same principle would apply to all
the important elective oifices) sure TO win,
must find one that can neither read nor
write. Our system of universal education
is playing the very deuce with our none
tary and public affairs. in consequence OF
it our pcnitentiarics are filled with iorgers.
and the land i white with the bones of
Presidential candidates whose letters have
been the death Of them Now, il Is clear
that a gentleman in difficulties would ne
yer make the tritling mistake OF signing
another man name to a note of hand if
he had never learned to write his own
Aud so none of the political aspirants who
have come TO grief through writing letters
before election would have met with their
untimely ends if they had never known
how TO write at all, bat made their mark
as honest man should To be sure, a
candidate cannot be looked upon as abso-
lutely perfect unless he be deaf and dumb
into the bargain; but that would be too
much TO expect, perhaps. As it IS, ! am
forced to fall back upon the candidates
iOr the Vice Presidency for the rccupera-
ton Of nv hopes for the Union But as
the game now seems u he played more
with an eye 70 potential Vice Presidents,
it makes not 80 much difference.
! rejoice 10 see that the breckenridge
Democrats hav. nearly, If not quite, Sc
cured ny Model Man. am not sure that
Gen. Lane ti~uJ he a Gcneral2 > may not
have some pothooks and hangers among
his furniture. but it Is not al all likely that
he will iurn his fingers by trying 10 make
his political pot boil 10y means OF tirem-
1t IS affirmed, | observe that this exempla-
" candidate, when on hi, glorious expedi-
tiOn 10 Mexiep. dated his first letter from
..I-o1y croory.' mi that he improved the
ordinary ortho-rtphy or the quarters of
his soldiers from barracks 10 "Jerrar -
1t is also affirmed that he spells dirt
witl,Swo rs, and God with Il small g
which last certainly shows prIisewor-
thy unwilliugue>s to make capital of his
Makers name. Now. though this l. not
al that could be desired, it : a great deal
bettert than nothing 1t IS not at al! likely
that he will ever break away from his
Keepers. and 20 10 writing letters on his
own account-which J. what the class Of
luuat.c- to Which lie belongs i Very apt 10
10, il 10, closely watched If It be true