Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-01-19
TFrom the Nashville Banner
Bill Arp to his Old Friend.

M. John Happy:
about some things that's weighin On NE. I
lyok upon you as friend and | feel like
droppin a. few lines BY way of unburtherin
my sorrowful reflections. For the last few
years you have trvelled round right smart
and must have made heap of luminous OBJ
servations. ] hear you are now Twin in
Nashville, where you can see all sides Of ev-
erything and read all the papers-where you
can study Paradise lost without book, and
see the Devil and his angels, without draw
ing on the Imagination, and | thought may
be YOU might assist me in my troubled feel
ings. I have always, Mr.. Happy, endeav-
orcd to see the bright side Of every pikter if
it had any, but there is one or two subjecks
about which I had nigh gin it up.
I want you to tell me if you can, about
what time are the black republicans goin to
quit persecutin our people What are they
SO everlastin mad with US about? Old Skew
ball says it's Treason that we've gone and
done, and that I am the slowest pcrseeyin
man he ever seed not to have found it out.
Now Treason is mighty bad thing and
any man found guilty Of Treason ought to be
talked to by preacher right under gallus,
and then be allowed to stand on nothin for a
few hours by the clock. Shore enuf Treason
I mean. Treason where man slips around
on the sly in times Of war and takes sides
agin his country. Jest as though for in
stance, should have worked agin my suvrin
State after she had. seeded, and had stole
her powder or deserted her in her time of per-
il, while she was defendin herself aginst the
combined assaults of the world, the flesh and
the devil. wouldn't have blamed nobody for
hagin me for the like, would you? But
Skewball says we amt got no suvrin States
that the war hav settled the question agin us
on that pint. don't think SO, my friend.
| admit that we amt nothin partikler now,
but we did hav suvrin States before the war,
and the sword amt settled nor unsettled no
great principles. There Amt no trial Of right
or wrong by wager Of battles nowadays. =
For mighty nigh a hundred years this coun-
try hay been a big debatin society on these
questions. From the time of Hamilton and
jefferson down to 1861, the right Of State
to dissolve her own partnership hay been ar
gued by powerful minded men, and there has
been more for it than agin it. More Presi-
dents-more Senators, more statesmen, more
judges, more people. MASSACHUSETTS and
Connecticut were for it at one time, and bel
Tered round and paved the dirt amazin to git
out, but they founl out Barcus was willin
and they didn't go | believe, however, that
old Nutmeg did stay out about two hours
and a half.
Well the South went out nifty unwillingly,
Mr. Happy, as you know. She had been
nifty nigh kicked out for a long time, and
there was big party that wanted us to 60
out and stay out. Everybody knows we
dident git along in peace, SO we concluded to
do like Abreham and his brother in-law: to
separate our households. What they want
ed to keep us for I never could see, and can t
see yit I wouldent have niger or dog
to stay round me that dident want to. Some
say they wanted us to strengthen EN- agin
their enemies in case of furrin war Does
any man in his sences expect us to help the
black republicans to whip any body? Have
we got any worse enemies than they are p
They cant make us fight reckon if we don't
want to. We've fout enuf and made moth
in by it but glory, and we amt a going to jine
in another war to crafty other people. Dodds
says before he'd pull trigger for Thad Ste
phens, he'd have his soul transmigrated to a
bench leg'd fee, and bark at his daddy's
mules 1000 years. I wonder if the expe-
rience of the last four years Amt satisfied
these fellows that our boys are dangerous
set 10 be turned loose in time Of war;
Wouldn't you think, that, as matter of pol
icy, they would soft-sodder us little, anc
quit their slanderin. IF we do fight for EN-
there will be one condition certain-they mus
be put where David put Uriah, and cur bog
mout consent to make charge or two behine
! EN- at the point Of the bagnet.
| But want you to tell me, John, if I an