The New York herald., 1867-02-28

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Barn.. as die Trsc&s Asas.--ANsw rsaatsess'
Fsejss DGer.sid. s's
Forty-two years ago John Randolph. Of
Roanoke, and Tristan Burgess. Of Rhode
Island. were emphatically representative
men" in Congress, the one of Virginia and
the South, the other of New England. During
their memorable war of words, and before the
latter demolished the former by final blow,
thanking Heaven that amonsters cannot propa-
gate" Mr.. Randolph won q signal advantage
over !" the bald headed eagle of Rhode Island,
BY exclaiming in response to his sntagonist's
eulogy Of Yankee shrewdness, "What you
call Yankee shrewdness we call Yankee swim
dlingw But even Randolph could have had
no adequate conception of what he 80 sharply
stigmatized, nor Of such an astonishing incar-
nation Of it as, in the person Of P. T. Barnum,
was already "cutting eye teeth !" at Grassy
Plain, in the wooden nutmeg State. p. I. B.
himself little dreamed Of the dizzy heights of
humbug which he was destined to climb. He
was then content TO mix sugars, teas and
liquors. to sell cotton for wool. wool and cotton
for silk and linen, burned peas, beans and
corn Tor ground coffee, and corn meal for
ginger, and to get rid Of old bottles and
tin by an ingenious lottery swindle. At
least so he informs us in SThe Life of p.
I. Barnum. written by himself" He had not
yet been inspired by prophetic visions Of
Joyce Heth, Niagara Falls In the museum, the
Feejee mermaid, Tom Thumb, the Swedish
Nightingale, the woolly horse, the happy fam
lily, Iranistan, the Capitol at Washington and
the White House "at the other end OF the
avenne.". Now, however, after having "ener-
gized his functions a. DIR. Rush used to say, in
a surprising variety of ways, Barnum stretches
himself for new and still more audacious
flights.
As = Congressional candidate he begins by
exhibiting a characteristic correspondence
with mysteriously anonymous writer-whose
real hidden name may be Quits or Noone, for
aught we know-and which we print to-day.
ditional chapter in the next edition Of the
Model Letter Writer" or of the "Apocrypha."
1t hears striking family likeness to the Feejee
Mermaid, which was 80 fearfully and wonder
fully made. II is political Feejee Mermaid
II finely illustrates certain suggestive queries
which the ilustrious Snowman, with something
like second sight, made two years ago, under
the head of personal "reminiscences" in his
work entitled "The Hmnbugs of the World"
1Need explain 10 my own beloved country
men," he asks, "that there is humbuc in
politics. Does anybody 60 into political
campaign without ~ Obviously he does not
wish 10 be suspected Of being so green himself
As 70 Ego into political campaign without H..
What future smiles upon the aspiring
Barnumi How shrewdly he has chosen his
moment for entering the political arena The
radical party is without leader Sick Of
Summers midnight oil orations, sore under
Thad Stevens lash. tired OF Banks attitude
nixing and sonorous monotones, bewildcred by
Raynond's feats OF ground and lofty tam
bling, distrustful Of light-hngered Ben Butler,
vexed at Ashley's blunders, they await i'm
patiently the coming man---and his name IL
Barnum. He recommends himself to them by
writing his own letters Of introduction in this
bogus correspondence. His denunciation Of
bribery and corruption is so sincere that they
must adore his immacrlateness. We fear that
| perhaps he almost overshoos the mark by
taking such pains to throw ont The impression
that be win give no money TO secure his cleo
tiou II he bad said nothing about IL who
would have suspected him Of ever giving
away anything but free tickets to his Museum
Under the leaderhip OF Barnum the radical
party will be thoroughly reconstructed on the