Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-11-02
The sens Of the Dying swan.

The song q the Dying Swan.
The swan, says fable, as death approaches,
ainss swcctly, for the only time in its life, and
breathes out its last moments in plaintive,
but exquisite melody. At all
other times, the swan Is noted for its harsh,
discordant and angry voice.
The Reciew has commenced singing. Like
the swan, it has hitherto been pre-emincnt in
this community for q very harsh, violent and
tone. All sorts of ugly, ill.tempered
and unpleasant sounds were wont to issue
from its throat. Suddenly, it bursts upon the
ears Of the city, one bright Wednesday morn
ing, in strain of touching, plaintive me!an-
choly, bewitching and surprising. The Rsrie~
sings mournfully of the past, desolately of the
present, and hopelessly of the future. 1t
accuses the JOURNAL, in complaining, but
compared with previous ones-most sweet
and beseeching tones, Of workingi its approach
ing dissolution. Now, if the Revie,0 is about
to die, we promise it to act as one of coroner's
inquest to sit upon its case, post norton;
and we will inform it in advance of our verdict.
1t will be: "Died by it's own hands," In
plain words, if the Revieso is broke down, no
one in the wide world has contributed to that
unfortunate contamination in SO eminent q
degree as the Review itself. 1t is a case OF
willful suicide. Just look, neighbor, for a
moment at your brief record in this city !
The following are the most prominent of your
illustrious editorial and literary achievements
during your short-lived but brilliant career:
lst A billingsgate attack upon the citizens
of this county in general, whom you called
"colored persons and "nigger-stealers," and
upon Senator Grimes, a personal friend OF
most of them, whom you called 'llar'' and
"nincompoop."
I'd. An attack upon the Washington Re-
publicans, whom you called "asses."
Sd. A willful, false and barefaced garbling
Of portion Of the speech Of one of the ablest
and most effective orators of America, Carl
Schurz, and deliberate, almost idiotic,
adherence to the base libel, after it had been
thoroughly exposed and refuted to the salts
faction even Of every reading Democrat in
this city.
4th. A bigoted, malicious and rancorous
personal attack upon nine of the mostrespected
and honorable citizens of this town, because
they replied to your attack on Mr.. Schurz, in
short, temperate and gentlemanly article
under their own signatures.
9th. A savage and peculiarly dishonorable
attempt to injure the business and social
standing of two of those signers, Messrs.
Obermann and Tape.
9th. The admission into your columns of
a mean, underhanded aid false assault upon
the private character of Charles s. Foster,
Republican candidate for Clerk.
eth. A proclamation to the German citizens
of this place, who differ from you in politics,
that they are uncivilizcd and unfit to vote,
and that a Knoac- Nothing party is needed to
take care Of such men.
eth. The repetition of base forgery, by
which Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts,, was
represented as having used scurrilous and
abusive language towards naturalized citizens
which forgery, long before you published it
had been exposed and refuted thousand
times over, aud which you knew or ought to
have known, at the tiae, was an unmitigated
falsehood.
9th. A general surrender of your columns te
all sorts CT low, slang and BLACKBOARD language
and offensive epithets, most suited to make
enemies and disgust your friends.
Such are few of the prominent features
which you have contributed to this canvass
Such are few of the brightest gems with
which you have enriched the household
literature Of this city.
Is it any wonder that you have injured
your party, defeated your candidates, dis
gusted your friends, and "broken down" you,
papers Your epitaph, neighbor, written by
your own hand, will be-FELo DE sE.
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