The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-12-21
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
BT THE EDITOR.

A short time before the Presidential
election ] met one Of my subscribers at
she'll old Democrat lie said he was 90
ing to quit taking the Standard. as had
quit writing Random Thoughts, and that
was about all he cared about reading in /
scriber, ! must give him few thoughts I
Many persons are now talking aud writ |
ing at random, upon constitutional law
Every blacksmith. coal digger, Il amster.
liquor seller. and even loafer. can tell
you Just exactly that the House Of Rep
resentatives. or Congress. as they term
the House, must count in Tilden. This
talk Of men upon a subject Of which they
are utterly ignorant, reminds me of
little circumstance which occurred in
my own experience. nearly Thirty years
ago may have told it before
when ! WIS a boy. ! had an almost
unconquerable d,sire TO be blacksmith
This desire was in my mind for years,
aud il had had more physical strength.
might have been good blacksmith,
instead of common place editor.
WAS reading law ia the summer Of
lS4S When ! desired a rest from my
hooks. ] would loaf in the blacksmith
shop of John Davis had seen him
make So many horseshoe nails that had
not the least doubt that could also
make nails lie would have two nail
rods aud while he was making a nail on
the. end of one rod, he would have the
md Of the other rod in the fire. and thus
lac never had TO wait to heat his iron.
One day ] was watching him making
NALL, and | told HIM ] could make as
good nail as he could. Almost as soon
ss ] said it, he pulled rod out OF the
fire, reached il aud the hammer 10 me.
The point of the rod was in excellent
condition. IL was at white welding
heat, and the sparks like stars were fly
ing from its point, Kissing as they flew.
tipped the point Of the white iron
against the side OF the anvil, TO weld the
fine point for my nail found n split
in the point. and the heat in so small a
pirce OF iron was soon below the welding
point The more hammered the fur
ther the split went up the rod. had
pictured to myself how | would give the
last blow, with the rod on the corner ol
the anvil, to make the head of the nail
how | would then bend the nail. so that
when pointing it. cold, il would take of
all the scales when | straightened it
But ] never got to the head OF that nail
| never got from the point Of IL; but th'
? split in the iron did / did not fnisE
that nail Ny old friend then put hi
hands on his hips, threw back his hea'
/ aud laughed. lie laughed so long sn6
) so loud that tears came into his eyes
and he turned up the other side Of hi
? leather apron and wiped the sweat am
tears from his face. have never workr'
, at the trade of blacksmith since | mad
r that nail; and never intend to work a
: that trade again.
1
much and write 30 much. about the cor
: stitutional provision for the election c
President, know about as much wha
o they are talking about. as did abou
q making nails. There is generally spli
$ in the point OF their argument whic
: destroys il. The split runs farther u
y the more they hammer il, until tn
: whole rod (srguments) is split wild
q open; but they do not see il.
I propose. next week. to expound til
I mode OF counting the electoral vote, o
the second "Wednesday in February
u Now some Democratic friend will ~
a mr il expect any better success than
did in my attempt to make a nail. Th
reader must judge. 10y the work it-el
IL had made good nail. as quick &
: Mr Davis could have done il. any judy
; of nails could have decided the skill
had shown i'm the work. ] have pai
n more attention t. constitutional law tn
, have to the making OF nails. ] has
been lawyer for more than twent!
!. seven years. and ! read law diligently fiy
' years preceding that time; 80 that in th
past thirty.iwo years have read som
on the subject.
1 This question, like all others where W
n desire TO treat the subject fairly and car
> didly, should be viewed each way. ! al
: anxious to have Hayes for President
4 but suppose the case were reversed
J. Suppose Greeley and Brown had Le-
I elected four years ago, and both WEI
now living, aud that Brown would /
4 President OF the Senate at the countin
=. Of the electoral vote. and that the Drm'
U Gratis had large majority in the Senate
o and the Republicans had large majorit
!. in the House, aud that the matter 10
4 tween Hayes and Tilden stands just AS
). does. Would my opinion upon the mod
> Of counting the vote be the same as it
!. now2 | think it would.
n As said, will examine this matte
next werk, and if | have no more su'
Cess as constitutional lawyer than
had as a blacksmith, 1 will at least hav
the satisfaction To know that | have
host of editors and lawyers as well a
= mechanics and laborers, who have mad
AS complete a failure therein as l Cal
possibly make.
THE SITUATION.
The political situation this morning j