The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-03-15
A LETTER TO BILL ARP.

A LETTER TO BILL ARP.
1.-THE following capital letter to the
now well known s'Bill Arp" is from the
pen of a gentleman of the same State,
and it gives proof that even amid the
suferingscf the South, that trecuperative
power, which extracts humor from hu-
man wrongs, will yet assert it's ascen-
dancy, and rise above the accidents and
chances of war.-EDs. D. B.
ATLANTER, Ga, Dec. 25th, 1865.
DEER BILL. Betsy ses your name
amt Willum, but playin Bill, an SO
addresses you cordingy. She ses she
knous, kase she wur with Misses Arp
an seed you named, which wur dun i'm
megiately. Howsumever, thar amt
much in a name no how, an our paster
sed, the day he filed his last appintment
here, thar warnt nuthin in a name, an
that rose would smell as sweet by emmy
uther-thinks to myself, so would a
nigger. l alters wur under the impresh-
ion that Bill wur short fur Willum-
that the short one wur intented fur far
miller concourse, an the tother fur gra-
maticle writin but Betsy ses different,
an what she ses ar SO.
I'd like the best in the world to see
you, Bill. I've got heap to say. In
fact, I'm chock full, an | want to find
sumbody aint offered to talk to. I
thaut wunce I'd gist quit thinkin', but
it's no use tryin' to do that. The ole
mersheen aoiW run, an putin on the
brakes don't seem to do no good. To
keep my biler frum Dustin I'm obleeged
to talk, but dod, drot it, half the time
I'm afeered to raise my safety valve,
least sumthin meugbt jump out what
hadn't orter; an then again, when do
spress my sintiments, I'm skeered half
to deth, least I mought be doin it to the
rong man. -
tell you what, Bill, times ar either
very much alter'd, or else my thinkin
mersheen ar very much out O. order
Sposin it mought be the latter, I've bin
everhaulin it an tryin' to Reconstruct
it. Its got so it don't grind out no idees
that's poper nor orthadocks. Afore the
war I could alters relic upon it for opin-
ions an konclusions / knowd wur kor-
rect, but now the burned Gle things al
lers a. foolin of me. FIR instance, I
used to hnoao niger wur a niger
now I'm confident he's emily white
man slightly kullerd-an' smells tolible
sweet. Agin, I alters labered under
the idee that it wur rong to lie an steel,
an that no honest man would ingage in
emmy sich kneefarious bisness; but du-
ria the last 5 year I've know'd the hon
estest sort o. men to do both at wunst.
Furthermore, / gist knowed wunce that
MASSACHUSETTS wur separit, destinck'd
an individual person, thatshe wur bern
akordin to the usual laws O laber, an
as soon as she got big enuff, went to
work an made mummy; that she then
went into holesail grocery, produce an
kermision bizness with Messrs. s. & N.
Carliner 4 Co., on condition thatef she,
or emmy the rest O the consnrn, should
git dissatisfde an want to retire to pri-
vate life or set up for herself, she could
do so whenever she seed fit. But you
see | wur rong thar too. I've bin kun
vinced O. this mistake ever sence Mr..
Wilson kum to Macon.
Talk about States rites gosh she
amt got no rites but to stay whar she
ar, pay Internal revinew taxes an be-
have herself. Eff she does these, she
kin be treated like one O the family,
holler hooraw for the Younion, an' have
a big eagle to perfect her. BY the way,
Bill, don't like@ths way that ar eagle
roosts. She 81 & a pole up yander
about Washington urns her he'd t'other
way, an that, you see puts us rite impe-
giately under her t'other eend. I'd Ike
fur Mistur johnson to alter her persi-
tion, fur I've heern it sed that habit ar
secon natur, an I'm Altered she'll ait SO
she won't want to be turned rouIH at
all. They say variety are the spice O.
life, but as fur as / am konsurn'd, I'd
reether not have mine spiced in emmy
such way.
Well, Bill, the war boss have ceesed
to paw an snort, the smoak of battle
have been bin blow'd away by the winds
of heying, an the passin' breeze are no
longer tainted with the -odor of burnin'
saltpetre an birthstone. We've made
up, shuck hands, an we orter now try
to be friendly an naberly. But thar
amt no harm in lookin' back kamly and
sareenly and reyiewin' the kauses that
fust got us to quarrelin' then set us to
fghtin.' In the fust place thar newspa.