Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-05-07

am perfectly satisfied they iciH, too"
"Well, sir, did not know was doing
any harm. i only wanted to convince
sAb. Owdl, you did convince them, 1
make no manner of doubt. Now, here is
another specimen gave you petition
from certain gentlemen Of Nevada, pray
ing that would get bill through Con-
gress incorporating the Methodist Episco-
pal Church of the State of Nevada. | told
you to say, in reply That the creation OF
such law came more properly within
the province of the State Legislature; and
to endeavor to show them that, IN the
present feebleness of the religious element
in that new commonwealth, the ex-
pediency of incorporating the church was
questionable. What did you write?
$50. 80 WASHINGTON, Nov. "a, 1867.
"sRey. John Halifax ard others:
%" GENTLEMEN: You will have to go TO
the State Legislature about that little spec
ulation of yours-Congrcss don't know
anything about religion But don't you
hurry to go there, either; because this
thing you propose to do out in that new
country isn't expedient-in fact, il is simp-
" ridiculous. Your religious people there
are too feeble, in intellect, in morality,
in piety-in everything, pretty much. You
had better drop this-you CAN'T make 1t
work You can't issue stock OIL an incor-
poration like that-or if You could, it
would only keep you in trouble all the
time. The other denominations would
abuse it, and "bear il, and sci. ii short"
and break it down. They would do with
it just as they would with one nj your sill
yer mines out there-they would try to
make all the world believe it was "wild-
cat" You ought not TO do anything that
is calculated to bring a sacred thing into
disreputc. You ought to be ashamed of
yeurselves-that is what Think about it.
You close your petition with the words:
And We will ever pray" think you
had better-you need to do it,
livery truly, etc,
47ffna f<q8rfl"' MARK TWAIN,
For James w. Nye, L. 5. Senator.
That luminous epistle finishes me with
the religious element among my constitu-
ents. But that my political murder might
be made sure, some evil instinct prompted
me TO hand you this memorial from the
grave company of elders composing the
Board of Aldermen of the city of San
Francisco, to try your hand upon-a me-
mortal praying that the city's right to the
water-lots upon the city front might be es-
tablishcd by law of Congress. told you
this was dangerous matter to move in. /
told you to write non-committal letter
TO the Aldermen-an ambiguous letter-a
letter that should avoid, as far as possible,
all real consideration and discussion of the
watcr-lot question. If there is any feeling
left in you-any shame-surcly this letter
you wrote, in obedience TO that order,
ought to evoke il, whcnits words fall upon
your ears: E 1'sg sa iff tls i-'a sa4
et WASHINGTON, Nov. 81, 1867.
:. To the Hon. Board OF Aldermen, etc:
GENTLEMEN: George Washington, the
revered Father of his Country is dead
His long and brilliant career is closed, alas
forever. He was greatly respected in this
section of the country, and his untimely
munity He died on the 18th day of De
cember, 1899. He passed peacefully away
from the scene of his honOrs and his great
achievements, the most lamentcd hero and
the best beloved that ever earth had
yielded unto death. At such time as
this, yOu speak of water-lots what a lot
was his
"What is fame? Fame is an accident.
ing to the grounds trivial discovery,
truly, and one which million men had
made before him-but his parents were in
fiuential, and so they tortured that little
circumstance into something wonderful
and, lol the simple world took up the
shout, and, in almost the twinkling of an
eve, the man was famous. Treasure these
Thoughts.
Poesy, sweet poesy, who shall csti
mate what the world owes to thee,' G
=. Mary had little lamb, its fleece was white a.
And everywhere that Mary went, the 'amb was
sure to go.
Jack and Gill went up the hill
To draw pail OF water:
Jack fell down and broke his crown, 4.
And Gill came tumbling after.
For simplicity, elegance of diction, and
freedom from immoral tendencies, | regard
these two poems in the light of gems.
They are suited to all grades of intelli-
gence, to every sphere of life-to the field,
to the nursery, to the guild. Especially
should no Board of Aldermen be without
them.
"Venerable fossils write again. Moth
ing improves one so much as friendly cor
respondence. Write again-and if there
is anything i'm this memorial of yours that
refers to anything in particular, do not be
backward about explaining it. We shall
always be happy to hear you chirp.
livery truly, ect.,
MARK TWAIN.
"'For James W. Nye, L. S. Senator
THAT is an atrUfous,a ruinous ems,Ie |!
Distractionp ia ~ NJ
well, sir, AM -eally sorry if there is
anything wrong about it-but-but-it ap-
pears to me to dodge the waterloo cues
ton"
Dodge the mischief! Oh but never
mind. As long as destruction must come
now, let it be complete. Let it~be COM
plete-let this last of your performances,
which / am about TO read, make finality
of it, am a ruined man. had my mis-
givings when gave you the letter from
Humboldt, asking that the post route from
Indian Guleh tosShakspeare Gap and in
termediate points be changed partly to the
old Mormon trail But told you il was a
delicate question, and warned you to deal
with it deftly-tO answer it obviously, and
leave them a little in the dark. And your
fatal imbecility impelled you to make this
disastrous reply. / should think you
would stop your ears, if you are not dead
to all shame.
,s.,, ,....WAsHINGToN, Nov. 80, 1867.
'' Messrs. Perkins, Wagner, ct al:
"GENTLEsfEN: 1t is a delicate question
about this Indian trail, but handled with
proper dizziness and dubiousness, doubt
not we shall succeed in some measure OF
otherwise, because the place where the
route leaves the Lasseu Meadows, ever be-
yond where those two Swanee chiefs, Di-
lapidated.v Vengeance and Biter-ofthe-
Clouds, were scalped last winter, this being
the favorite direction to some, but Others
preferring something else in consequence
of things, the Mormon trail leaving Mos
by's at three in the morning, and passing
through Jawbone Flat to Butcher, and
as x sd as the ssie el Rs
it on the right, too, and Dawson's on the