Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-06

all democrats. and during the summer they
issued an order declining to receive any
more state bank notes or bills in payment
Of taxes. This made the taxpayers bur-
dens greater than ever, much of this
paper remained outstanding in the hands OF
the people. The order met with opposition
from every quarter-the wings. of course
losing no opportunity to make 1t as odious
as possible 1t was perfectly natural there
fore. that such an ardent whig as Lincoln
should join in the popular denunciation.
Through the columns OF the Springfield
Journal. Of which he had the unGispute ed
use, he determined to encourage the oppo-
sition by the use of his pen. No object
seemed to merit more ridicule and carica-
ture than the conspicuous figure of the
auditor of state At this time Lincoln was
enjoying stolen conferences under the hos
pitable roof of Mrs. Francis, with Mary
Todd and her friend. Julia NJ. Jayne. These
two young ladies. to whom he confided his
purpose encouraged IT and offered to lend
their aid
Rebecca's Letters.
Here he caught the idea Of puncturins
Shields. The thing took shape in an article
published in the Journal. purporting to have
come from poor widow. who, with her
pockets full Of state bank paper, was still
unable to obtain the coveted receipt for her
taxes"
This letter was written by Lincoln August
II. 1S42. signed "Rebecca -" will
quote snatches from It, as follows:
Yesterday afternoon / hurried through
cleaning up the dinner dishes and stepped
over to neighbor s. to see IL his wife
feggy was as well as mout be expected, and
hear what they called the baby. Well when
L got there and just turned round the cor
ner OF his log cabin, there he was setting
on the doorstep reading a newspaper How
are you, JeT,' says l. He sorter started
when he heard me, for he hadn't seen me
before. Why says he, I'm mad as the
devil, Aunt Becca! What aboutY saws |:
amt its hair the right color? None of that
nonsense, Jeff; there amt an honester wo-
man in the Lost Townships than Than
who" says he; what in the mischief are YOU
about| l began to see 1 was running the
wrong trail, and so says 1. On, nothing; l
guess L was mistaken little. that's ALL
But what is 1t you're mad aboutY Why
says he I've been Juggling ever since
harvest getting out wheat and hauling il TO
the river to raise state bank paper enough
to pay my tax this year and a little school
debt l owe; and now, just as I've got it,
here open this Internal Extra Register ex-
pecting to find 1t full of Glorious Demo-
cratic Victories and High Comb'd Cocks
when, 10 and behold! find set of fellows.
calling themselves officers OF the state have
forbidden the tax collectors and school
commissioners to receive state paper at all:
and 80 here 1t Is dead on my hands. |
don't now believe all the plumber I've got
will fetch ready cash enough to paw INV
ldAcS anu ludt SCHOOL OeDt. L was
deal thunderstruck myself, for that was the
first time / had heard of the proclamation
and my old man was pretty much in the
same fix with JEFF. We both stood a mo-
ment staring at one another without know
ing what to say. At last, says 1, Mr.. S.
let me look at that paper He handed II
to me when | read the proclamation over
Well, but Shields is the auditor of this
loco-I mean this democratic state so
he is. and Tyler appointed him to office
Tyler appointed him" Yes ar you must
chaw it over, Tyler appointed him; or. If II
wasn't him, II was old Granny Harrison
and that's all one. tell you Aunt 'Becca
there's no mistake about his being a whig
Why, his very looks shows it; everything
about him shows it; If / was deaf and
blind I could tell him by the smell / seed
him when l was down in Springfield last
winter. They had sort of gatherin' there
one night among the grandees they called
a fair. All the gals about town was there
and all the handsome widows and married
finickin' about trying to look like
gals. tied as tight in the middle. and puffed
out at both ends, like bundles of fodder that
hadn't been stacked yet, but wanted stack
in pretty bad And then they had tables
all around the house kivered over with
caps and pin cushions and ten thousand
such little knick-knacks. tryin' to sell 'em
70 the fellows that were bowin' and scrapin'
md kungerin' about en- They wouldn't