Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-08-17
swapping HorsesA Little Story,

The illustrious widow maker now en-
throned at the White House in Washing
Ton, mas made q joke into an aphorism.
ana Tor the third time in his life calls up
The story Of swapping horses when cross.
ing stream. To Judge from the elonra-
ted monarch's sly reference 10 the eonne
quadruped, one would infer that be was
porn IN stable, which may account for
his unstable character. He says it is q
bad time to swap horses when crossing
stream, yet has applied his argument to
others in full reversal. We are willing TO
agree with Abe that ordinarily speaking
II Is bad to swap horses while crossing
But when the horse insisted that l.e could
cross in three months-when the keener
oil the horse assured the country that no
one would be hurt by crossing when the
three months had gone into four years
When instead OF crossing the stream direct
~ he has been carried Ear below The start
ing point, and lost sight Of the landmarks
ne struck out for when he has changed
his course, and instead of making across
the stream goes punging wildly down in :
70 the sea oil destruction-when million
oi his groomsmen have been lost by him
when the granary of his keepers is ex-
'hausted-when every original plan except
my plan is lost sight OF, we think it time
to swap. When crossing the stream it may
be well enough to hold on-but when 60
'ng down the stream, and each day the
stream Is growing wider, till its banks
are lost in the distance, it is time TO swap.
But lot us see if the national sexton
has lived up to his tripleted ideas When
this war broke out he swspped the coun-
sells OF Douglas for those o. Seward He
swapped the vigor Of America for the
emasculated weakness of Spain. He
swapped Mcdowell for Mcclellan cross
ing the Potomac. lie snapped McClel-
Ian Tor Burnside when crossing the Rapa-
hammock. He swapped Burnside for
Hooker crossing the same stream. Hook
er Tor Meade crossing the Potomac. lie
swapped Meade for Grant crossing the
Rapidan' He swapped Butler the beast
for Banks the blunderer crossing the
mouth of theMissiSsippi. He snapped
Banks for Candy crossing the Red liver.
lie sTapped CARTS for Scofeld crossing
tho upper Mississippi He swapped Hun
ter for Gilmore crossing the bar at Charles
ton lie swapped Dnpont for Dahlgreu
before Fort Sumter. lie swapped Fre-
mont for Curtis in the river before st.
Louis. lie has swappeI the sword for an
outlAndish proclamation when crossing
the llellespont. lie has snapped Ham
lin for Johnson when crossing the Rubi-
con. lie has swapped gold for worthless
paper currency when crossing the river Of
prosperity and plunging into the gulf of
national bankruptcy and national ruin.
Ho has snapped the Constitution of our
country for tLo bedlamate mouthings of
fanatics. lie has swapped the Goddess of
l.iberty-our national figure head-ior
the pate ard wool OF niger, lie has
snapped land Of peace for desert of
graves. lie has snapped prosperity for
taXation-joy for mourning, and national
greatness for certain ruin. lie has swapp-
cd all these as he once swapped jokes in
an old saloon in Illinois, yet has the face
to say to the country in this hour of trial,
when jokes sicken the heart, tha. it is no
time to swap him for any other horso-ov
ass Lacrosse DoHoc,uL