New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-05-19
OLD BLANKET, BRANDY. The WHITE
HOUSE, AND THE FIRST NATIONAL
BANK

! 10 tne uly VI rest 10 al WIZ nav SO'Ho
I constitutions and clear colsciences. But
jim, there is no rest for me. | canno
sleep, Jim. | cannot walk, jim
cannot even sit up erect in my
chair. jim, as | was wont to do il
earlier days, and look my friends straight
in the face. My eye seems to have growf
askance in its glance upon everything
hideous visions fit before it, and all sorts
Of grinning creatures dance and glbber the
moment | lift lid. [ cannot eat, Jim
Dyspepsia and indigestion seem TO have
taken possession of my stomach. My
breath smells like the vat of rum
dstillery just before seizure by those faith
full guardians of the public interests, the
whisky inspectors. am afraid, jim, that
some day through mistake they may take
me for a whisky vat, and seize me and put
me under bonds, and oh. Heaven forbid
advertise me for sale among the marshal S
montions in the mendicant loyalist..
jim, am an unhappy wretch. | am salts
fed that this damned gout will yet be the
ruin Of me. Jim, bring on the brandy
not bottle, Jim. but demijohn. This Is
Saturday night, jim, and | have much to
think of in reviewing my acts during the past
week. Jim, begin to believe you are liar.
You told me two or three days since l could
get up riot without any more danger to my
self than the one | stirred up so beautifully
last summer. You also said that my Creole
friends on Exchange Alley would strike
hands with me and rob the pockets Of the
poor freedmen as fast as | knocked them
down. You are liar, jim; not word
you said proved to be true. You must not
blame me, jim, for | did all | could to
keep my part of the contract. really
believe, Jim, that Exchange alley never for
a moment entertained the thought Of COM
ing to my relief and as a proof of it it
still keeps up that radical banner
which has so often rallied our
enemies in solid phalanx to battle
for our destruction. Jim, l really believe
they suspect me Of insiBeerity-they seem
to think | have some other object in view
than elevating one of their race to the may.
orally. One of them, little shrewder than
the rest, told me yesterday that all | really
desired was to break up the Republican
party, and, after breaking that up, to break
The heads of every Creole and freedman in
the South. Between ourselves, Jim, the
little fellow hit the nail on the head so Wig
orously that | had another most internal
twinge Of the govt, which silenccd me for
a day or two. jim, | feel very bad to-
night and yet | have a crumb to com
fort me and keep off remorse and
despair little longer. jim, you
have heard of the failure OF thes First
national bank. That is my crumb of
comfort, and not the least tiny bit of credit
snall any one else have for it, You see,
Jim, that Just after my Yankee friends took
me from the free lunch | deposited my
earnings which, through the aid of North |
ern capital and Northern credit, began to
increase rapidly--in the bank. All my best |
friends in those days were directors and |
stockholders and Endorsed my paper by thou
sands upon thousands,su ntil had become |
strong enough to go back upon both the
bank and the individual directors. This
step did not take until had consulted
with Moses the lawgiver on Pennsylvania |
avenue, Moses said break up the banks
whether they are sound or unsound, for
Chase still looks toward my seat end will
Dust me unless destroy that great national |
system of finance which so triumphantly
carried us through the war. In vain told |
him that the First National bank had made |
me rich man, and had almost alone held |
up the commercial and planting interests
from the moment General Butler arrived in
this city to the present time. Upon this |
plea old Moses twisted his face into all sorts
of eontortions and grlnned fearful grin.
What care /, said he, for individual or ma
tional prosperity. I must keep my seat
here, and when | gave you the
United States marshalship you sold
me your soul and all you possess
therein. Therefore do my Bidding. You
know that all commercial interests are de-
pressed, and the least rumor will excite dis.
trust and create run on the soundest
bank. Wewho have our pockets full can
not suffer-only the mendicant loyalists,
who have all their hard earnings in its
vaults, will be ruined.
But beware, he said to me, as / was
about leaving, beware lest while you are
down the First National you also
ruin my highly valued friend and old
citizen" Jacob the Growler.
And, Jim, it is the fact that could not
ave my friend Jacob that deprives me of
more than one-half the pleasure / derive
from having ruined hundreds of worthy
people in smashing up the First National
bank. And not only Jacob, but, Jim,
hear others are about to follow and
who knows, Jim. that like Sampson
IF old / may have pulled down
he temple over my own head, and before
many weeks my mangled body may lie
buried beneath its ruins. Jim, l begin to
realize what my sweet, pretty Sabbath
school teacher taught me in my youth that
he sway of the transgressor Is hard"
Jim, it can't be that have drank demi-
ohm Of brandy while sitting here. The
.ruth Ia lin I learned the habit nj tho