The Republican journal., 1874-08-06
Isaac Bromley on the Chirruping
Grasshoppers.
From the New York Tribun

Comes this way noW@ on lifted wing.
18th fiery lightnings i'll his eye and the
cereal crops of six counties of Minnesota
in his branching teeth. the Wild, unbridled
grasshopper of the West. A jerl1y bird is
the orasshopper. He folds himself up like
the lack knife. releases himself like an
arrow rom Bonded bow, propels him
self over large spaces and subssts on the
country he covers. He assimiates the
people to himself When he alights upon
the field the farmer looks for his crop, and
behold, like the grasshopper which has
passed. he has antcn710. For sOciahilty
and gregariousness there are few wild
fowl like the grasshoppcr. Ii moves in
battalions at company front, and whenever
there's one there are a million. Standing
on the ground, his knees overlook him
like step ladder, and his tout ensemble is
that of 4 overloaded wheelbarrow. He
has the mhounded stomach of a weekly
story paper for cereals, and when he has
cleared up the standing crops of county
| or State, he skips to the next, picking
his teeth rs he goes, and there gathering
| himself IN mass convention, he follows the
| fashion Of the time and 'points with PRIDE
| to the record OF the past The youth Of
our country call him indtierentlv the
grasshopper and the hoppergrass. and say
s'Shoor' at him as he goes by. The hardy
| Utah pioneer gently untangles the legs Of
him from his hair and whiskers and covers
him with No Is boot the guests at Towns
ends Hotel in Salt Lake City hears him
through all the silent watches Of the night
rush INTO the window as one who has been
sent for from atar and drop with thud
into the washbowl, and the Digger Indian
| gathers him in trenches and barbccnes
him Tor the MONDAY meal. And this way
he cometh The hour when he shall ap-
| the upper end of Fifth avenue, and take
mp his march down Broadway with 4
platoon of mounted police in front, and
an escort from the Society tor the preyen-
| ton OF Cruelty 10 Animals. no one can
tell. Let us not speak unkindly Of the
grasshopper. He has his faults. but who
| has not Ii we may believe the comics
sion OF Mr.. John A, Logan and the thirty
eight other leading statesmen who recent
| " issued an address, even the Republican
party is moi without them. Let rs remem-
Der that the grasshoppers are formidable =;
that in several counties in the West they
are in power; that they have admins
tered affairs in those counties as The AL
ministration party has IN South Carolina
with great energy and that they are now
sitting on their hind legs in the Southeast
ern section of the State pointing 10 the
past with pride.
| There are worse things in the world than
grasshoppers, and upon The whole we
should be grateful TO the grasshoppcr.
How much more comfortable the grass
hopper than great fire or water spout
or than District or Custom House
Ring. Says Mr.. Logan con corning the
party in power, which in many respects is
not unlike the grasshopper The faithful
servant will not submit TO be treated rs a
iaithless one. If 50 treated, he himself
will become taithless, or he will give place
to one who is taithlcss.'' The advice i,
wise. The whole country has not beer
devastated by the grasshopper or the Adj
ministratlon. lew counties is Minncsota
by one, and South Carolina and one or two
other States by the other. Let usnot spcal
unkindly of the Administration lest it de
yastate the whole country; and let us bt
tender toward the grasshopper lest h,
plume himself for Il wider flight an,
swarm down upon the Atlantic coast witt
the appetite of 4 scalawag and the NAV o
} carpct-bagger. Against the grasshoppe
, all carnal weapons are powerless. Gov
| Davis, of Minnesota, knew this. SO whcl
he heard that in six counties of tina
l fertile State the grasshopper had con
s vened he telegraphed the War Depart
f ment Tor $4,000 worth Of rations in lie1
OF $4,000 worth of arms due the State
+ whether the arms had been called for O.
account OF the grasshoppers, we are no
toiG' out Gov: Davis was wise in maxim.
up his mind that with the present STYLE Q
i musket issued by the Department.. i
: would be idle to encounter the grasshor
= per in his wrath. With great discretion
he gave up the FIGHT before it BEGUN an,