The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-02-21
Por re Free Trader.
sprin fieId..The Legislature.

During the late sitting OF the Legisia
ture vas in Springfield ten days ur So,
and il WAS my buslaess 10 see what was
going on. and attended 10 il pretty faith
fully. Shall / describe II 70 you ? Well.
# YOU think il will pay, listen then. Ny
means OF observation were toleTaUly good
tor nave good eye sisht-aud when you
zee men placed under the Influence OF an
intellectual battery that stIrs up AL their
passions aud all their intelligence. II they
have got any, can you ask "a better orpor
ruBitv Ia form a Judgment OF what they
are2 That opportunity | had, and used
tin other respects my means wer" IN =
d tferent hadn't good personal pre-
>ence or = pleasing addresS.-two things
that are very convenient, II their owner
knows how TO use them-sood for nothing
If he don't Well, | used then. all the
more actively the means that aid have,
and they were quite sutnclent
There were TWO parties only in the
egisla,ure-Repubiican and Democrats
VIVA, WAS their business? Two things
only. so far ~ could discover to procure
such local legislation "a they thought their
constituents needed, would please
them whether they needed II or not, and
to circunveut one another The first 90
iecr was easily attained, for their interests
we're alike-they helped one another
and tina: business WAS soon despatched
Then came the circumvention business
AS soon as that could be depatch
ed they would be ready to adjourn.
There was nothing else for them to do
No country for them to save. or help save
Oh. God MOI They never thought OF it
and if they had what could they do ? You
shall Judge of that bye and bye.
One branch of the circumven.ion busi-
ness was, for the Democrats to show up
the Governor and Treasurer, and especial
lv the Governor, as being what the French
call pony7t-not sound on some money bu
siness that had been entrusted to their
hands. And the .circumvention on the
part of the Republicans who managed the
business was, to let them try 1t and fail,
knowing well that an attempt OF this kind
that fails, is like firing OFT an old rusty
musket that is apt to miss .he mark anu
knock the owner over. Well, in this
dirty tuss!e the Democrats fell under-got
pummelled some-but came away before
the fight was over, and cant say how
much the Republicans got scratched. But
there was another circumvention business
on hand, and the subject OF it was serious
one. The Democrats knew that the war
was so badly conducted as to make Its
result very uncerta,h-nay, they put 1t
little stronger than that, they said it was
certain it could not be successful; they
knew that the administration in whose
hands the conduct of the war is, was the
most corrupt, imbecile and ignoble that
ever disgraced u nation; they knew that
the Republican party had shown them.
selves incapable of governing it, they
knew that the people understood and be-
lieved these things, and therefore they
Jumped over all intervening facts, and
landed in the horrible conclusion, that
the nation was already destroyed. and
that there was nothing left to be done but
to 60 to work and make several new
nations out Of the wrecks of the old ore
The Republicans saw the Democrats nag
o mistake, but to save tneir
sonis they couldn't see where II was the
mistake came in. They knew that the
Changes were true-they thought the con-
cins;on the Democrats had drawn was
scratched their heads-they
,oeeSsd wi.e-they looked puzzled-they
looked foolish-they looked blue-they
iooke ed red-oh Christ you should have
heen there to have seen how they looked
They sent down to Memphis and got !