Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-01-23
BILL ARP ADDRESSES HIS OONsTITUENEs.
Repektfsl People :

y
Sinate of Georgy. For two nomentus and
inspirih weeks the Legislature hay been in
eolem session; one of whom 1 an proud to be
which: Fer several days we were engaged
as skouts, maxim sortsr rekohy ysance to see
whether Georgy were State or a Injin terri
tory-whether we was in the Union, or out
OF it-whether me an my folks and you and
your folks were somebody or nobody, and
lastly, whether our poor innocent children,
born during the war, were illegal and had to
be born agin or not, This last pint are much
unsettled, but our wimin are advised to be
kahn and screen.
My friends, our aim hav honestly been to
git you all back in the folds of the glorious
old Union. Like the prodieal son. we had
nuthin to liv on, and feeiin Ionesum and hun
cry, hav been bowin and scrapin and making
apologys for five or six months. we hav been
seen standin afur off for five or six weeks.
but durn the caf do they kill for us. They
know we've got nothin, for they eat up our
substance, and as for putin rings on our fin-
gers, we couldent expekt it until they bring
back the jewelry they carried away. l cam
not say, IN the langWidge of the poet. that
our labor hav been labor of love for we've
had monstrus poor encouragement to be shore:
but We hay all set our heads towards the stars
and stripes, and jintly determined that come
wool come wo, sink or swim, survive or Der
ish, thunder or itenin, we'd slip back, or
git back somehow or somehow else, or we'd
stay out for ever, amen, and hanged to 'eIn,.
so-called, golly.
Up to this time it hav been an uphill bus
mess. The team was good one and the
gear all sound and the wagin creased, but the
road are perhaps the toughest, rottennest cor
dyroy in the world, It's pull up and skotcb
and pull up and skotch, and ever and anonv.
nous the skotch slips cut and the tuuty cuts
round aud away we go into the gully. ANDY
Jonsln is the driver, aud he says ''Go slow"
"WO ! wo ~ and loses the road, and then We
have to go back to the fork and wait till he
blazcs the way. He seems to bo doin his
best, but thar is Sumner Satan and Stevens
and Davis and other like gentlemen. who
keep hollerin at him and cracking his whin
and confusin his idees, SO that sometimes we
don't know whether he's geein or haw-in.-
NJ y friends, about them felers, l don't know
what l ort to say. you do, or if any body
do, wish they would say it. don't encour-
age cussln In nobody, not at all, but if YOU
Know OF a man that can't be broke of it du-
rim his natural life, it nout be we'll to hire
him hy the year. If thar is in all history
good exkusc aud proper subject, it is upon
them hairless, sOulle9s, bowelless, eizzardless.
ca H.
inabul coutemptibul, disgustibul individuals.
l sometimes think Of EN- till my brain eits
sortcr added, and I feel like becoming a
volunteer convikt of the Lunatik Asvlornm.
Charity ihclines me to the opinyon that old
Sumner are crazy. I think he has been pit
tin worse since he took Brooks on the brain
and 1t do seem like the disease hay proved
contagus, If they are for Peace it must be
the Peace that passeth all understandin. for
we can't tathom it i'll these regins They fout
US to free the poor nigger, but didn't keer for
the Union. The Western boys fout rs for
the Union, but didn't keer for the niceer.-
by double teamin on us they licked US and
we gin it up, but now the one don't want our
nlggers, and the other don't want our
Union, and its the hardest schedule to please
em both that poor vanished people ever un>
dertook. Its the most hardest war to wind
up that history reco:d5-Sumner, Satan and
Company, are still fussin and fum;n about tho
eVerlastln nigger-want him to vote and mako
laws, and squat on a jewry, and want to pro.
hibit US rebels from doin the same thing for
thirty years to cum Jerusalem W6ar ia
the cussin mau2 They say its all right for a
nlgger not to vote in Connecticut, bekause
there amt but few of them thar, and its
all wrong for EN- not to vote in Georpy be-
kause there's heap of them here, and thav
talk IIoglk and Retorik amazin to prove how
1t ls Well haint got a whole parsel of
sense ike sum. but as shore as I'm two foot
high, niger is niger don't keer where
you smell him, and a vote is a vote. I don't
keer whar yon drap it gollyI they can't
get over that.
The truth is, my feller sitisens, I some
times feel like We dident have no govern
ment' feel that way sorter when Mr.. Glib
son appointed me committee on the State
OF the Republik. When. the Secretary read
out my name all mixed up With the Repub-
Hk, felt like was obleeged to renig. Ri
sing magestikully to my feet, saws + {" Mr.
President, beg to be respectfully excused.
sur, if you please. If thar is any Repu5IiE
on this side of Jordin, can't purseYe it at
this time With these speks. There was
place IN old Virgluny called Port RepubIik.
but Mr.. Rebel General Stonewall jackson
wiped out its contents generally in 1862. and
haven't since heard of it in Northern liter
ature. hav heard of a skrub consarn over
about Washington they call Republik. but
sur, it are likely to prove the grandest impos-
ture that ever enlisted on q continent of
freedom. suppose, sur, it are like to be
moved to Boston or the internal regions in p
few days, and want nothin to do with it
Excuse me, sur, but must insist on being
repektably discharged" I took nv seat
amid the most profoundest and tumultuous
silence ever seed, and Mr. Gibson remarked
that hs wouldent impose the Republik on no
respectable man agin his wishes. He then
transferred me to the Finants Committee,
aud said he hoped we would take imtnedi.
ate action, for the State had no money. "a
we'll as himself, and board was high and eat
seteras frequent. This may not hav been
his exaktuaI langwidge, but is angling to-
wards it. bowed my head and said "Ditto
except that don't eat seter2s" Forthwith
telegratd various gentlemen for a tempora-
~ loan, but they wouldent lend dollar nm