The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-10-27
Bill Arp Addresses Artemus Ward.
ROME, GA, Sept. /. 1865.

ROME, GA, Sept. l, 1865.
NJ. A,Ienaus Ward, Shoranuu-SUR
The reesun I write to you in pertikler,
are lbekaus you are about the only
man I know in all "God's country"
So-called For sum several weeks 7
hav been wantin tn say sumthin For
sum several years We rebs, so-called,
but now late of said county deceased,
have been tryin nifty hard to do sum-
thin. We didn't quite do it, and
now its very painful, I assure you, to
dry up all of sudden and make out
like we wasn't thar.
Ny frend, I want to say sumthin.
I suppose there is no law agin thinkin,
but thinkin don't help me. It don't
let down my thermometer. I must
explode myself generally so as to
feel better. You see TIM tryin to
harmonic I'm tryin to soften
down my feelins. I'm indeavoring to
subjugate myself to the level of sur
roundin circumstances, so-coled. But
I can't do it until I am allowed
to say sumthin. I want to quar-
rel with somebody and then make
trends. I amt no giant killer.
amt no Norwegian bar I amt no
boar r-constrikter, but I'll be horn
swaggled if the talkin and the writin
and the slanderin has got to be all
done on one side any longer. Sum
of your folks have got to dry up or
turn our folks loose. It's q blamed
outrage, so-caued. Amt your editors
got nuthin else to do but to peck at
us, and squib at us, and crow over
us? Is every man what kan write a
paragraf to consider us as bars in a
cage, and be always iobbin at us to
hear us growl? Now you see, my
friend, that's what's disharmonious,
and do you jest tell EN-, one and all,
e plu1'ibus unum, So-colle0, that if
they don't stop it at once or turn us
loose to say what we please, why we
rebs, sO-called, have unanimously and
jointly and severally resolved toto
to-think very hard of it-if not
harder.
That's the way to talk it. I amt
agwine to commit myself. I know
when to put on the brakes. I aint
agwine to say all I think like Mr..
Etheridge, or Mr.. Aelcle,rig, so-caUed.
Nary time. No sir. But I'll jest tell
you, Artemus, and you may tell it to
your show. If we amt allowed to
express our sentiments, we can take
it out in hatin; and hatin runs heavy
in my family sure. hated man so
bad once that all the hair cum off my
head, and the man drownd himself in
hog-waller that night. I kould do
it agin, but you see I'm tryin to har-
monize, to acquiesce, to bekum kahn
and screen.
Now I suppose that, poetikally
''In Dixie's fail
We sinned ALL"
But talkin the wav see it, big feller
and little feller, so-caNe0, got into a
fite, and they fout and fout and fout Il
long ti;ae, and everybody all round
KEEP hollerin hands off, but KEEP helpin
the big feller, until finally the little
feller caved in and hollered enuf. He
made a bully fite I tell you, Selah.
Well, what did the big feller do? take
him by the hand and help him up,
and brush the dirt OH his clothes?
Nary time! No, sir! But he kicked
him arter he was down, and throwd
mud on him, and drug him about and
rubbed sand in his eyes, and now he's
gwine about huntin up his poor little
property. Wants to confskate it, so
called. Blame my jaket if it aint
enuf to make your head swim
But Tn good Union man-so-
called. amt agwine to fite no more.
/ shan't vote for the next war. faint
no gurrilla. I've done TUX the oath,
and I'm gwine to keep it, but as for
my bein subjugated, and humilyated,
and amalgamated, and enervateji, as
Mr.. Chase says, it aint so-nary time.
[ aint ashamed of nuthin neither
aint repentin-aint akin for no one
horse, short-winded pardon. Nobody