The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-02-14

Sawyer's Cyphering Oh MIR. Wheel
Oclk's Book.
NUMBER 230, INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
ST. PAUL, Feb. 8, 1852.
To Mr. GOODRICH Printer ofhe Pioneer and Democrat
HoNoRED SIR: am still here, and find
myself reluctantly (you see I've been using
my big Webster, some,) brought out before
the public again. / can write more to my
ease whec | am up at home, to Sawyers~
vile, where it takes mighty week before 1
can see my own letter in print but, when 1
am right here, where every time | pass by
your Office can see the printers to work,
setting up my writing, like lot of chick
eLs picking up corn, and the papers in the
morning come out all moist like, and the
first thing [ see is my own name, MR..
ZEBULON SAWYER, FARMER, in
big type, it kind of makes me shakey, and l
feel as though l was speaking in meeting,
with no pockets in my trousers to put my
hands in. But for all that l feel called on
to say something now, before 60 home to
Sawyersville, because see I've been poked
at again by Mr.. Wheelock in the st. Paul
Press, which | didn't see it till this morn
ing.
In Mr.. Wheelock's letter, Number
Iaoo, in that paper of the Both uItimatuns,
(which is Januaay,) he gives me another of
his scowls for having dared to show my ig
norance at the big meeting in this town, TO
which Mr.. William Ii. Seward spoke a
year ago Last fall. MIR. Wheeock says that
Mr.. Seward, (which is now old Abe's right
bower,) Mr.. 9. f. Adams, (which is at
present doing the polite thing to Queen
Wei Mr.. j. w. Wheelock, Chief OF the
Bureau On Statistics of Minnesota, its Place
Among the States, and myself, Mr.. Zebulon
Sawyer, Farmer, was among the important
persons present at that meeting. He says
that stood nigh him and MIR. Seward when
that individual 10 his great speech, after
speaking about thinking at one time that
the city of Washington, the capital of these
United States, would yet be moved to Mex.
leo, spoke on as follows:
"But have corrected that view, and l
now believe that the ultimate last seat of
power on this continent will be found some
where in radius not far from where now
stand, at the head of navigation on the Mis-
sissippi river
When Mr. Seward said this, Mr. Whee-
lock says there was some applause; but
that l,
'Zebulon Sawyer, of Sawyersvills, crush
ed out the attempt, by saying-Ultimate
last seat of power Radius What does
all of that mean? Why doesn't the darned
old fool git down, and let Seward speak ! !"
Every word Of this is pretty much true,
and Iii tell you how it come to happen.
Mir. Seward had been introduced, and had
got to speaking, before i got up to the
State House; and when | edged Through
the crowo and got Rear the speaker, | saw
that he was PLAIN carroty heaoed Old iel-
low, which | had never seen before, and Was
webbing his head a0out loose, and
| speaking the very words | have copied
Now, Ia always supposed That Seward Was
great scnUaf, and could use just as many
big words as anybody, aud that, Ii be was
gong to speak ABOUT st. Paul being the
hub of creation, be would speak it in some
thing OF this like way, as I've since read
| about III MIR. Wheelock's book:
"Without initiating the pious extrava-
| gance of SanudO, the position of Minnesota
| in the physical system of this continent
may be described as the western counter
! part, upon the inland waters of America, of
the Asiatic summit of the Mediterranean
basin - St. Paul being 50 the on,phalos of the
new, as Jerusalem is of the old world, -
"For the geographical centre of North
| America, at the heart of Minnesota, is also
the pinnacle OF its great watershed, the CEN
trail source of those ajestic rivers, whose
broad basins determine the physical con-
tour, the climates, the commercial move
ments, the avOcations, and the political desti-
mes of taco-fths Of the continent.' "All the
grand features of the continent moulded and
adjusted By the Supreme sacay and pressure of the
prievat acatcrs, achose Arurat aoashere, are har-
moniously grouped By the sublime graduation of
nature. around this central suna1ait.;'
That is about the style l supposed he'd
talk but when be went on and Gldnt say
anything like this, bat talked away mostly
like an old farmer, so that 1 could under.
stand mighty every word he said about "the
very spot where be STOOD" and never said
a word about "pious extravagances," or
omphalosses," 1 never dreampt he Was
Seward, but all the while took wise look
ing man which stood near, with copy Of
Minnesota, its place among the States, in
his hand, to be the big bug we had oil
come to see. So, observed, "Why don't
the old fool let Seward speak !"
Now, if ever you got bump by setting
down on chair. and finding there wasn't
t 20 chair to set on, l got one then for had
scarcely shut up, when little man, which
they called Saskatchewan, which kept roll-
|