Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-01-14


ware, to protest in the name of the sovereign
people Of this Commonwealth, against |
so hostile to their true interests.
COVE SALISBURY.
DOVER, January G, 1869.
An Hour with Nasby-His Joke on Ram
dall-Hosv he Became Nasby.
[For the Rochester Chronicle Sep. 80. '6sl
(which is Nasby p inquired Of the jolly |
foreman of the compositors' room of the |
Toledo Blade, looking over dozen smutty |
printers clicking away al their desks. "That |
thick, stout man with his coat and vest of,
and his shirt collar laid open, standing by
the desk near the door" 'Ah thank you;
! wanted to see him." Let us have a good
look at this brilliant wit and wonderful sat
irist as he stands there sticking his type like
a common printer. We'll he is thick square
built fellow, indeed, firm on his pms, as
those stout legs, just lite bowed, show,
broad Of back, square of shoulder, and on the
whole very compact, well put up man.
But do you notice that, unlike the other
printers, he has no ''copy' before him, and
yet he is clicking away as busily as any OF
them. We must see how this is. | think
sir, have the honor of addressing Mr. Mas
by, the Postn aster Of The Codledrit y Roads.
With n quick smile, IN which pair Of mild,
laughing gray eyes fully participate, he
answers that he will he glad 10 see us in a
few moments, MS soon as he finishes The edi-
torial upon which he is now engaged.
The glance that we have already had at
his pleasant face is sufficient 10 convince us
that the portrait of him by Mast, as he sits
in his famous post office opposite Bascom's
grocery, with his feet on the table, almost
touching bottle of whiskey, and The longed
for "commishun" firm in his hand, does
him great injustice. He really don't look
half so surly and cross. But his trials with
A. johnson about that "post-otiis" probably
sourcd him some. After few moments
waiting in the editorial sanctum Nasty
comes in. He has that quiet, easy, unprc-
tending manner that wins you over at once.
You see in him the honest, candid, intell-
gent, thoroughly posted and most intensely
earnest political writer Of the day. He has
none of that light, punning, yet droll wit of
The Aremus Ward kind, for he is not at all
that kind of man. lie is deep, thoughtful
man, with purpose-wiih great work
laid nnl inr him fn do, and on intle siblo do
sire to do il: occasionally rich nugget OF
wit will fall out from the well known Nasby
vein, but rarcly-in fact he says he cares
hut little for the reputation the Nasty papers
nave brought him If he were to he known by
them only.
After chatting awhile on political topics
and his trip to Washington, we asked if thai
story they told about him and Postmaster
General Randall was really true. He laughed
heartily as he began to recall how Randall
laughed, and said it was. "Ob," said he,
"Randall is capital good fellow, and likes
joke wonderfully" But TO the story.
When he was in Washington he met Ran
dali at dinner As soon as they were
seated Randall turned to him and said II
lind by the books of the department that
there is quite balance due from your office
at the y roads, and while you are in town
YOU had better make it convenient to call up
and settle it," "Ah, says Nasby, 81 don't
| find any Democratic precedent for settling
q balance When H stands that tUdy?'
But Randall undoubtedly feels fully even
with him now since he has received several
letters from stupid country postmasters ur-
gently asking the removal Of Nasby from
| Office, on the ground that he is really hurt
| ing the Democratic party! He's a good
square Democrat they all admit, but he talks
it too boldly for the good of the party.
THE FIRST NAsBY LETTER.
II was too good an opportunity to learn
! something of the origin Oithosc famous Mas
| by letters, and his account of the first one
was substantially as follows: During the
| campaign of Mr.. Lincoln, Mr.. Locke Mas
by) was editing q Republican paper in a
small town iii Ohio. The Democrats were
| making desperate efforts TO carry the state
| for Mcclellan, and were taking both horns
of the 'nigger" dilemma. In one breath
| they would argue that as the lines of our ar
my advanced the niggers in swarms would
pour into the state, and being great strong
| fellows used to hard labor, they would work
| for almost nothing, thereby taking the bread
ba ln hrnpct ha rl
men of the state. In the next breath they
would argue that these same niggers were a
| set Of lazy brutcs who had never done any
| thing and never would, and must all be sup
| ported in the poor-house, and these same
hard-working Democrats would be taxed 10
| support them, How very consistent! Still
Democratic audiences are not very critical
| and both lines of argument took well. So
much exercised did the n;ggcr-haicrs finally
become that the Democratic State Central
Committee caused petition to the Iagisa-
| turc to be prepared, in which they asked the
passage OF law prohibiting the presence of
these contrabands in the state. land also pray
| ing for the banishment of all negroes from
| the state!
This petition, for some time, they We're
positively ashamed to circulate, but at last a
| package was sent to one Levi q. Flcnner for
| distribution. At the mention of this mar.
| Nasty paused and INDUCED in one of those
| quick, chucliling laughs Of his, and remark
| ed "What lucky thing for me that that
| Flenner was ever born into this world. If
there had been no Flenner, there might have
been no Nasby." ''Who was this Flenner r.
| asked. ''lIe was poor white from Nir-
gina who had come into the State years be
fore with his father and mother tncither of
whom could read.or write, and his only oc-
cuDatjou had been hnnginr around tho bar
rooms, drinking whiskcy and talking politics.
Neither father or son had ever been known
to do a single days work in their lives, and,
of fcourse, they were the great Democratic
| oracles of the place. For their valuable po-
litical services they were let into the ''ring''
| of the overseers of the town poor, and had
managed TO steal enough the supplies fur
nished by the town to exc out miserable
existence. Such was Flenncr, and when |
| saw such a creature circulating sush peti-
tion-a document so wholly beneath the
reach of any dignified or serious discussion
the idea of the first Nasby letter come TO
me. My main idea was toridicule this Elem
ner, and it took so well, was copied so ex-
tensively, and so ellectually squelched him
and his petitions, that | was satisfied that |
had struck rich vein and must work it out. y
Such was the origin of the famous Mas.
by letters, which are copied all over this
country and translated into several Enro, ,c-
an languages. of these letters it certainly
is within bounds to say that they are second
to none ever published IN the United States,
not excepting the Jack Downing letters moi
the Bigelow papers.
Before taking leave we suggested cal
upon "Bascom, but be said he'd had fallin
out with that grocery, as 'Bascom' wouldn't