American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-06-21
BALLET Box and others.
BLACKBERRY GROVE, juno Is

BLACKBERRY GROVE, juno IL
Messrs. Ballot EoI and othrrS:
Gentle -Flattered at tn
unanimity of ' our call, and confiden
of your ability to stuff me through
L consent that you place my nam
and accompanying record befor
The people. l remain with graft
tude and thanks for the honor yo,
have conferred upon me,
Your obliging servant,
UNCLE COLUMBUS.
To the People:
When a min becomes a cand.
date his political record is in anx
ious demand. I'm glad the public
seek only his political record, for ;
general review OF my whole con
duct in life would be likely to EN-
barass my friends. A record is al
important thing. 1t is the horse (;
candidate has to ride OH his race
And right here desire to say thai
the past conduct or condition OF tn.
nag has nothing to do with his
present race. No difference if he
has stumbled fled the track, OF
fallen broadside and been beaten.
in some previous heat, his present
plight is the matter of consideration
tor his present speed. 1t is true that
some jockey may slip III and dose
him, or even hamstrirfg him, but
that is a matter for the keeper to
watch. Furthermore tho looks of
the horse has very little to do with
his raining. lie may be bald faced,
reelfooted, spindle legged and glass
eyed, but for all that he may run
like scared wolf, and beat fines
blOOded stock. A record is "a nice
thing when it is moss TOO monotO>
nous. A record that shows up a
scale of one-sidelt views is poor
thing TO be governed by, or even to
read. An old man who has never
changed his views is q plodtllng
old Ounce. Smart men mast chanqe,
because times and manners change.
The wants OF the people vary. a
man can be convinced of
an error, and, if he is consistent
Will change accordingly, but you
can't cunviDco- fool. Ii lie says
the world is fiat, that he knows it
is fiat, because he don't fall off of il
leadforemost at midnight, you need
not try to disabuse his mind by ar
5uing the laws of gravitatiou, or
:ehesion. lie is going 10 stick to
MS error and die swearing it's right.
j repeat that smart men must
change. I've had to 30 it lots of
times. For instance, the first girl
ever cOIrted l tk0ught was the
arrest thing on earth or in heaven,
would have fought an angel fist
if it had told me that
'he was not perfection in loneliness
md beauty; when, the truth is, she
vas extremely homely. But to my
'ecOrd.
The oldest ancestor of my house
hat i have any knowledge of, was
lrOwned in Massachusetts for prac-
ising witchcraff. 1 don't think he
yer voted but once, and then he
asst his ballot in favor of burning
'reacher at the stake for rho s;.tne
fence that he himself was after
Yards drowned for committing.
Another distinguished ancestor of
line was hanged seven times, some
here in South Carolina, during
he Revolutionary war, for fighting
n both sides of the cause, and the
asst stretching he got. which broke
is neck, was for taking an indepen-
CIV Souic DC anu ShoO' liiS al any
ody VINO rode u fine horse. He
'eut to elections very seldom, be-
ause people were always iEterfer>
Ig with his business, and he did
OF like to be seen in big disorderly
rOwds. One of my great grand
itheTs Was the most modest man
his day; he was immensely rich,
nd was great favorite with the
atives. In fact he was the identi-
ii man who went hunting with an
ldian and killed nOtelng himself,
lille the Indian shot and secured
turkey and II buzz lrd hen they
'parated grandpap modestly re-
arked, 81 love the red man, and I
I'VE always done the fair thing by
i'm. Now I'll take the turkey, and
,u may have the BuZzard; or, you ,
ay have the buzzard, and I'll take I
IL turkey" He WIS 50 modest
I'd generous that if he had lived
this age he would have been i'm
Dngress all his latter days. He
yer Was in court but once, aud C
en- he was prosecuted for selling +
4, x,nf.. IN anrI, nf lWn cnuIanHint II