The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-07-30

Florida they were 1888, 1923 3S, or within q
small fraction of 81 head. Now if your
argument is sound and the average resi-
dent of Florida has more influence in the
government than he ought to haye, it fol-
lows that the average citizen of
Maine ought to be DISTINGUISHED
about three and half times as much, for
where Maine man pays 70 cents into the
treasury Florida man pays 81 40. Those
figures are all very nice, John, but you'll
have to cheese them up here. Besides,
the people of Maine wear homespun and
cowskin boots, and your contention is that
therefore they are not as useful and trust
worthy members of society as folks that
wear English broadcloth and French kid. |
| The backwoodsmen and farmers will see
through your sophistries in minute and
resent the underlying imputation. And
as for internal revenue taxes, great Scott,
Sherman! don't you know that this is a
Prohibition state, and that when you de-
clare in effect that man is unit to be a
citizen because he doesn't distill whlskey
or consume champagne, you slap every
temperance man IN the faceI Ii you go
around Maine preaching such doctrine,
the first thing you know something IL
drop here in September, and then good-by
John"
"Well. if you really think they would
see through it perhaps l had better not
say anything about it, though | am con-
WINGED that that speech would knock EN-.
Since you, however, know all about Maine,
what would you proposeW
INV opinion" said Mr.. Blaine, is that
we ought to 60 back to 1861 or thereabouts.
, The Republican party never was stronger
, or more aggressive than during the war.
J We must revive the old war spirit, whoop
, up the Ku-kux, send the bloody shirt to
} be dyed over in fast colors and save the
, Union over again. Unless we can do that
, we are gone up on high. with anything but
J a triumphant noise, as the hymn says. 1t
= begins to look as if Bayard would be nom
Z mated next year, and as he comes from
, Delaware, which is in the solid South, it
0 would be good idea to kill him off now. +"
Q ''Oh, | say, Blaine. you amt serious IN
Q that, are your" said the secretary OF the
8 treasury; you, who know so much about
r statistics and averages. ought to be the
s last man to enter upon an investigation OF
q that subject. Do you know that while
: New England sent 377 ,l3l soldiers to the
war to fight against rebellion, the solid
= South sent out almost as many-34l ,327
e But to be exact, here is Maine. With a
r population of 62S, 279, her contribution OF
: Union volunteers was 72,ll4, or ll.3 pei
cent. That was pretty good average,
p because New Hampshire's was ll,2 and
k Vermont's ia. Now Delaware, with {
treason-imbued population of ll2,2l6
:; sent 1850 volunteers, or 1872 per cent
& The copperheadism of Delaware was more
patriotic, when it came to shedding BLOOD
= for the old flag, than the radicalism o
% Maine, in the ratio of Is to IA. Blaine,
% guess that cock won't fight"
D. That dam secretary of war, growle(
h Mr.. Blaine, has been putting so many
" confederate brIgadiers into his department
lie to codify the war records that its a
at likely as not they've cooked the figures
lg Anyhow, she showing isn't so bad 10 N
IS case as in yours, because I'm only out
s. in Is, whereas your figures are opt tw
at hundred and forty fh seventy. Nice sec
ne rotary of the treasury,you are-there ism
lie an eight-year-old-b 10 the commo
lg schools of Maine that couldn't expose you
I'd fallacies."
L telt the sofa above me trembling as
. Secretary Sherman were quivering wit
suppressed emotion, but he made no angr
H. reply; he only said with light laugh
r. well, Jim, if you had gone to the froI
az when you were drafted-or your substitul
lr- habitat would have made the figure
he even, since you say you are only one out.
We An awful silence followed, broken on
he by the hard breathing of the two state
10. men as they rose from the sofa and az
nd vanced into the middle of the apartment
Mr.. Secretary" said Mr.. Blaine, as /
lp- moved couple of chairs back into 60
he ners, Il would not take that from al
man, not even if he was as big as gra
me elevator"
t The senator from Maine" said NJ
in- Sherman, as if TO himself, while be push
ge: the table up against the wall-''the Sc
in ator from Maine, | believe. pays taxes
IN large estate, though when the war bro
les out he was the editor of one horse cOu
? try newspaper and his income since th
er, has never exceeded $4,000 year.
nto John Sherman" Kissed Mr.. Blaine
md voice of deadly emphasis, people W
ty, live 10 First National ba-"
OS. Standing proudly erect the secretary
to the treasury whistled, with the clearne
TO and resonance of silvery- chimlng be
be the Grst three bars Of the "Mulig
our Guards"
d They cinched aId rolled over and ov
to upon the carpet with the fGry Ct tigers.
hat that instant the door was burst open o
the Congressman Reed dashed iU
.,r Gentlemen, for heavens sake"
L shouted, cease this fratrlcidal stri
low Don't arouse the hotel! Here. jim, get
a aO' Concluded on next page)
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