The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-04-26
THE eRoUND-Hoas N COUNCIL.

specics. characterized oy Il large, tatch, uePFeSS-
cd body, rudinentary check pouches, rudInen-
tarv thumb, armed with a small. fdt nail. ana
naked sole. [Can't You recognize the chairman
of SATURDAYS Ground log Convention IN this
picture En-. DKN. They rass tho winter in
u state of torpor. concealed in deep holes, the
entrance of which they close with u heap of
dried grass. They live in societies aad are
easily taned, Especially by "p~ussums"l. They
are Is to Is inches to the tail which is abou;
half as long as the head AMI body. Color vary
ing from black all over to grikzled above, and
bright c, estnut rcd beneath; the feet always
black or dark brown. They often make great
havoc in fields CT clover, upon which they de-
light to feed.)
On Last Saturday the Ground-Logs
of Linn were able TO see the shadow of
their tails for the first time in two
years, and so they came out upon our
streets and sported in an imaginative
field of clover with huge delight. n
veteran grGnter WHO burrows away up
in 1.-THE Forks" and who is of 4 pccul-
iarly Brotca color and has a skating
rink on the top of his head, whisked
his narrative merrily in the chops of
n massive Lebanon porker who is call
ed George and an Alhany-bred and
trim<looking simpson shote of SUI
perior blood.
The Court House being q place pc
culiarly redolent of clover, the playful
Marmotly gang trotted sq~uealing!y in
that direction in the early afternoon,
a,Nl were s6pn seen assembled in n
crowd in the court room, sitting bolt
upright urcn their launches and going
through a Pantonime form of organiza-
ton, doubtless with the design OF max
ing 4 concerted raid upon the court
house clover at an early day. After
n simultaneous grunt from about doz-
en- of the most prominent Narmots, q
very sleek, weIi-fcd, wise looking
Ground-Hog who is Familiarity called
"Dave' by the boys, climbed into Il
chair in front Of the mass of porciEses,
and, with a grunt of manifest satisfac-
ton. proceeded to Inform his less con-
s~picuous and less knowing followers
what the fuss was all about. He said
the court house GLOVER was after
year being gobbled up by . pawerful
band OF siIrewl "Fossums" while the
poor Ground-Eocs (of which he WIS
then the honorable Presiicat,) we're
compelled 10 burrow in their barren
holes and subsist only upon such scan
~ provender as was accidcntiy LEFT out
o. nights Icy the wcll-sci "Possums."-
At this juncture Il e-Oan of anguish
eme1ated from the empty stO2achs OF
the ~porkers, but whether il was be-
cause the ha-ranSue of their Aatuient
chief was becoming irlsome or that
his remarks had reminded them 50 for
chilly OF their hopeless condition, We
connot say. At any rate he subsidized,
and the porkers proceeded 10 select
their leaders in the raid upon the OIL
cial clover field. Five hungry and
gaunt looking shotes were selected to
make a raid on the Legislative clover;
and then, amid sundry s4uea!s, groaEs
and grunts and g lively am0unto of tail
whisking, a band was organized to
endeavor to gob5le up the clover in
wi own county and get to cover with
it before the "Possufns'' could discover
the robbery. y sh~ort-haiTed young
"Hoguer was selected from a band of
three "runts" who offered themselves,
and was ordered TO take the pen Of the
court house at ali hazards. 4 good
natured Albany turnover. who has
heretofore hal much itching for the
clover in the little fields of the city,
was chosen by an unanimous squeal
(save one dissenting grunt) to capture
the stronghold Of the court honse i'll
which is supposed to be much spoil
The veteran grunter from 'The Forks
whisked his tail def;antiy in the shouts
of all competitors, and trotted off with
his commission empowering him to
take possession of the keys to the
court house and Jail. The leaner
-t'takes'' were apportioned among the
-Ground-Hogs without much contro-
versary, after which the eminent pork
er who filled the chair arose from his
Launches, and, with a majesteriaI
wave of his tail, told them to "git," at
which they went golloping off to their
respective holes, doub less with the
delusive hope that they would soon be
reveling in the rich clover of the Linn
county Offices. But if "hope deferred
.maketh the heart sick" the gizzards
of these Ground-Hogs will be in a ter
1ribly turblant state after the June cleo
ton, when they find that the wise
and careful Possums are still in charge
of the keys and gates of the clover
fields of Linn.
THE CANAL AND LoCKs.--Col. Tea
informs US that the Locks at Oregon
City will positively be completed by
the first of January next, and he says
that the Company will offer to turn
them over to the State Immediately
after their completion, by the payment
of the actual cost of their construction
We believe-that the only secure means
of keeping them from being bought
and owned by the Railroad King is fol
the State to become possessed of them
at the earliest possible moment. The
peoples interest in this respect will
meyer be securely guarded until these
Locks are placed entirely out of the
reach of that moneyed infut nee which
ds gradually but surely fastening it,
giant hold upon the throat of oul
young and struggling commonwealth,
E. B. PURDoM, the man who claim.
ed to have done more to defeat Judge
Powell two years ago than any one