Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-07-31
Letter from Major Jack Down
ing.
wAsHrxorox, June Is, 1862.

SUPe I've been Kinder SICK since L
writ you last. The truth is, this ely
mate in the spring is raely very weaknin
10 the constitushin. Linkin, too, has
been terrible anxious about war moose,
and the high approach of hot weather.
But the great subject which the Kernel
and have been considerin, is the "coun.
trybands.' What is to be done with
'em? That's the question, and Linkin
sees he would like to see the feller that
can tell him. One night Linkin got
big map, and he sot down, and "Now,"
ses he, major, let's take look at all
creashin, an see eff there amt sum place
where we kin ssnd these pesky kinky
heds, and get rid of EN-" "Wal," ses
I, KERNEL, I'm agreed" SO we went
at it. First Linkin put his finger on
Hsty. "Now," ses he, "thar's an Hand
that jest suits the nigger consttushun.-I
Suppose they go thar?" "But," ses 1,
"kerncl, they wont go, an ef they did,
they wouldn't do nothin." "Wal,', ses
he, "no matter eff they wont trubble us
here emmy longer"
But" ses / "ther's one more resin
The Hand aint large enuff to hold all the
piggers-four millions or theareabouts. -
wal" ses he, "ther's Central Ameri.
ky-what do you think of that spot?"
WAL" ses /, "Keernel, that's a fine
country. materially. The Creator fixed il
on grand skale, but you can't make
treaty with 1t emmy more than you can
count the spots on a little pig, when he
keeps runin about the hull time The
truth is, you can't tell Will be President
from one mornin to the next, and the
nlgger you send thcr might all get their
throats cut jest as soon as they landed"
oval" ses Linkin chats sligh OBJ
jectshun. But let's turn over to Afriky.
There's Liberty, how would that do Ma
Jor?'' oval, ses l, "Kernel, that coun-
try is about the biggest humbug OF the hull
lot. Fust off, sum rally good peepul
thought it was goin to amount to sumthin,
but alter forty years of spendin money on
H. there amt emmy more chanse of civiizin
Atriky in that way than ther is of maxim
rited cannon out Of a bass wood log. A
few dominys, who can find emmy boldly
wlllin to hear 'em preach, hav got hold
OF 1t an are maxim good thing out of
1t. AS for the sending our niggers ther,
why it would take all the shippin of the
world, and more money than Chase could
PRINT by steam in q year" oval" ses
Llnkln, "whar on arlh kin we send 'em?"
"Now," ses !, "Kernel, I've got an
ideo of my own about the matter. I
think they are bes. off wher they are, and
just as they are, but ef you must get rid
of 'em, | would send 'em all to Massa.
cliews-its! Peepul who are so anxus to
nave o'her folks overrun with free niggers,
onght to be willin to share some of tile
blessins themselves. SO let all that are
here in Washington be sent rite off to
Boston" "Yes that might do" says
linkin, "but then, ef they are entitled to
their freedom they ortor be allowed to 90
where they are a mind to-
"But," ses |, "some States won't have
'em at all, and they can't go there. SO,
what's to be done !" oval" ses Linkin,
"Pll tell you what it is, Major, this is
an almighty tuif subjeck know sum-
thin about splittin rails, and what hard
work is, generally, but this nigger ques.
ton has puzzled me more than emmy thing
] ever got hold of before" Wal" says
l, "Kernel can explain tho resin why"
Ses he, Lets hearyou Major" "Weil,"
ses |, "Kernel, where do you carry your
pockit book?" Ses he "what on arth
has that to do with the subiect?" Scs I,
"hoId on, you'll see." "Wall," ses he,
81 always carry it right there in my right
hand trowscrs pocket" Ses |, didn't
you never have hole in that pocket for
day or two and have to put it in sum
other % Ses he. "Major, have" Ses
!, "what did you do with it then ?"-
"Wall. ses he, II put it in my left hand
pocket but it kindor chafed my leg there,
cause it warn't used to it, and it also felt
nifty onhandy. SO | put it in my side
cote pocket, but every time stopped over
1T would drop out. Then put it in my
coat pocket, but was kept all the time
on the 2W V'VerS, aieered some pick. pocl-
ct would steel it At last, in order to
make 1t safe and sure, put it in the top
OF my hat under some papers, but the
nat was top heavy, and over it went,
spilling every thing | tell you | was
glad when my pocket was fixed, and |
got IT back in the old spot"
Now" ses !, "Kcrnel, that's lest the
case with tho niggcrs. The mint you
git EN- ont Of ther place, you don't know
Wha. oh caIth 10 40 with en-, We've
been here all the evening searchn over the
map to see ef we cart find some place
to put 'em Jest as you did with your pock-
ct book Put 'em wher hcy belong, and
yen won't hav no trubbil."
Linkin didn't see egzaxly how I was
gwne to apply the story, and when hc
did he looked struck up. When | saw
that had made hit on him. | follered
itup. Ses |, "Kcrnel, this government
amt out of order, as Seward and Chase
kontend. They are only trying to run it
the roR9 Woy-that's what makes all the
trubbil, | wunce had a threshinp ma.
sheen, aud | sold it to old Jim Dumbut.
ter, and after he got ii, he said it warn't
good Tor nothin-that it wouldn't run.
DC, So went over to see it, and af,
ter little WHILE it went off like grease
Jest as slick as a whissle. You see old
Dumbntter did't understand the masheen.
and, therefore, he couldn't make il 90
Now, says !, Kernel, our constitution is
Demmycratic masheen. and its got to
run as Demmycratic masheen, or it
~ont run al dH Now. you SEQ. Seward
H tryln to run 1t on his "higher law"