The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-29
LETTERS TO YOUNG REPUBLICANS.
Written for the indianapolis journal.
mo. 81

mo 8.
My Young Friend-Have you a good magma
ton? Then fancy that the lawn in front of your
house has stretched away into stately field. In
its middle rests a well proportional, rounded
block of polished wood. Its symmetry is pleas
ing to the eye 1t sits securely on its base. You
admire the 'stubbornness with which it sticks to
the ground You conceive liking for it. You
do not want to see it destroyed.
Presently you observe boy, 1.-the of frame.
approaching the block from the farther side.
He carries giant wedge in one hand, and in the
other sledge From the manner he regards
the block you infer that he intends to split it.
1t is evidently his business to split blocks Re
sistance rises in you. You look about for some
thing to thwart him. All! here it is huge
band, made of iron and without flaw You
both approach with determined mein. VIII he
insert the wedge before you can fix the friendly
bandl Both struggle both wrestle, and you
are successful The band clasps the block in an
effective embrace.
But the rival boy feels his defeat. He is full
of his purpose yet. He covertly watches you
Twelve years pass as moment tthe end of
this time you have guarded so long, and he not
succeeded in inserting the wedge, that your vigi-
lance, for a little, is abated. Your
alert opponent thrusts in the wedge and
ere you can restrain, a blow from his
sledge fixes it in place Chagrined and anxious,
you wait proudly by Twenty-four years pass
by-as one moment. Your opponent, who has
suddenly grown bearded and assuring, now and
then lightly sledges the wedge, but your band
resists its irving power At the end of the TWEEN
years pass as before, when your advantage is
lost Your opponents beard has stiffened yet
more. He pushes you aside and-thrug! thfug!
falls the sledge. 1t seems that the parts of the
block are so crowded that one of its original
thirteen segments is about to be forced outside
the band. But suddenly the cracking and snap
ping tells the striker that the block will surely
burst unless he desists Then it is that his right
arm-his old hickory arm-calls halt and for
bids another stroke.
Twenty eight years pass-as a moment-dur-
ing which you displace the wedge on but two
occasions, and then for a short time only. Now
your opponent, you observe for the first time, is
old and gray, but he does not act it.
He wakes wroth. Thrug! thrugl thrug! thrug!
fall the blows upon the huge wedge. Thru g-g;
snap split, rend, twist. VIII the block stand
the strain}
Four ye5rs-bitter, wrestling, Juggling years
between you and your old oppOnent-pass by as
u moment, ana Vne wedge Is out. tne DlOck
saved. Almost nineteen years pass as a moment,
during which the sledge-wielder stands slyly by.
waiting for an opportunity to reinsert the wedge,
all the time saying he believed himself to be
right and protesting that he regards the block as
highly you do He pleads that bygones be
by cones. He is weak in his age, and cannot
see that you discover the cunning of his argu-
ments. He says it is uncharitable that just as
he is about to succeed i'll putting back the rive
you should repulse him with a reminder of his
'late attempt" He acknowledges that he in
tended to destroy the oneness of the block, but
says it is not brotherly in you to remind him Of
it. He is sure he will never do it any more so
you ought to vanish the rents and forget them
He has thrown q cloth over the wedge,
but its profile is traceable beneath the
folds. He conceals the sledge more and more
each moment He has been waiting twenty four
years to renew the splitting process, and it has
become dreary wait.
Now, of course, have made figurative use
of the sledge. the block, the wedge and the two
boys, and no doubt you have guessed what each
is intended for
Is it necessary to tell you that I meant the
block to represent our government, the other
boy the Democratic and yourself the Republican
party, the wedge States rights and the band
Capitalization or union the different periods of
time administrations of parties} | hope that
you now understand the difference between the
tendency of decentralization and Capitalization.
hope you see that States rights tends to split
and Capitalization to bind the nation. This is a
question which the masses of the Democratic
party do not understand, and which their lead
ers are careful to keep them from getting light
upon. | would have you believe that some of
the best men you will ever know are Democrats.
but it is my firm conviction that they would not
be if they comprehended this matter. Will you
drive wedges or put on bandsi IT. N
CoNNERSVILLE Ind.