Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
ANN ELIZA ON POLITICS

we Hedru tell o some Talk about free
silver an the rest, but everybody round
Middleway is so everlastin' busy all the
time they can't set around the stores an
talk politicks. which is all the better for
the place than If they did. neater look
in town an more prosperous farmin'
community amt to be found In the state,
an I'm proud of it. If do say IL myself.
bein' as L live right in the town, an own
one O. the best farms for miles, I'm privi-
legged to say ii.
Well, as / was a sayin we was all n
workin' SO hard We couldn't spend much
time growlin' over the hard times, an
the low price O wheat, but. land sakes,
after harvest / went on a visit to my Sec
ond cousin, Obadiah Jenkins, up I'm Park
ton deestrict, an all | heard there was
politicks-politicks from mornin till plum
night-an before 1 left / got s.ckenad out
O. the very sound of it.
Bein' CT the patriotic stock that | am
(Bassetts are dreadful patriotic), soon
as l heard Obadiah say what AN awful
crysis threatened our country | was
struck of heap an drunk IN every word
1 could on the subjeck an that wa sn't a
little, for Obadiah is powerful talker.
specially on free silver and hard times.
1t do beat all, the growlin' that man
does
Says / to myself in a reproachful tone,
1T was good thing you left home, Ann
Eliza Bassett, with all this misfortin q
hanging over your beloved land. an you
down at Middleway KNOWN nothin' Of IL.
Why, We was all that busy keepin' up our
FENCES, an a-white-washin' an raisin gar
den truck, an poultry, an bees, am layin'
up penny for a rainy day. that We
couldn't take time to reflect on TIL. dis
aster orerwhelmin' this broad land an /
wrote right off to Elder Snively am Squire
Mott an told EN- as how Parkton was all
on fire with patriotism, an for them to
stir up the flame down at Middlcway.
Then 1 sot out TO read the papers. Oba-
diah had most a wheelbarrer load come
every day, an it was a job TO wade
through 'em, but L stuck to it, an when he
seen how powerful interested L was be-
comm, he jest spread himself, am how
that man did talk, ill betwixt him an the
papers L got SO bemuddled didn't know
what TO think.
Obadiah is most tremendous worked up
over this thing. He spends most O his time
in Parkton talkin' it over. The very first
thing after breakfast off he starts an he
stays often till plum night Then he .omes
home with a bundle o papers nigh as big
as he is AN down he sets an reads till
bedtime Obadiah never was no friend TO
work. even in his young days. an he don't
improve with age.
He pears to be In dreadful earnest bout
hard times an free silver curin' of en-, an
he's lettir' everything 20 to rack an ruin
about the place while hes a waitin' for
them good times u come.
L don't mean no harm to Obadiah. but il
his fences up. an put coat o paint on his
house once in twenty years, even IL times
is hard. But my Cousin Obadiah amt that
way o thinkin. lie amt goin 20 do
nothin' till times gets beuer He SAYS to
ME. wavin' his arms like weather cock
Look at the price O. wheat; amt that
enough TO beggar man TO raise it, Lock
at the price o corn; farmer ain't got no
way TO make a Twin these days. When
wheat was two dollars a bushel, ths n was
times, them was: an money was plenty;
but when We git free silver. money VIII be
fowin' free, an no man need run in ,i,ht t"
Land alive, Obadiah" says L. I'm a
farmin', too, you must remember an /
amt runnin' into debt even if wheat is
low; an 1 can't see Tor the life of me how
free silver is goin' to give us a better. price
for that Them fifty cents now viii b,.y
as much as one dollar did ten years ago.
ENerything's low acoorlin'."
You women amt able to understand
this question:" says Obadiah in a lofty
tone, as if men folks had q monopoly o.
brains, which they haven't. 1t riied ME
considerable that speech. when ] manage
my own business an look after my farm
with good deal better results thtn he
does his'n. So L took off my specks an
wiped EN-. then ! put EN- back on. am
Locked at him through en-. He Gdseted
1t was steady one too.
IL was the last day o my three weeks
visit, an I'd heard Sc much talk about The
biessin's G free silver, an groauin : about
miles back an forth every day of mis- life
10 Partition, settin' round the stores am
rietendin' to know enIff TO run This gov
ernment, which amt so bad but what If
night be worse. An his whole farm TOO
sEltless lookln to mention. beia' as he's
my own relation.
had started out to investigate the pros
ara cons with a sou on fire with love for
my dear my native land" an a arfort
wish to help her in her hour of need: i had
read myself nigh blind, irwin to ,,ft the
no9se OF 1t, an i had listened TO his tan.
VII was mt 10 bust. an at last I Jest made
up my mind that him. an such fellans as
MIN, Who can't run ih=ir own farms. ain't
COY no right to attempt 20 run this air
government. "
50, sun not meanin' no harm to Obadiah
Jest opened my mouth an giye him INV
views, s"ein' as ia listened 10 his'n. an,
ne mad 10 set an L. Ike 'em. for ue's ,,ot n
DIG iamiiey, an when I'm dead an gone
tam lkely, at my age, III marry though
tnere amt no tellinD he thinks :3ay he
.hey might get slice out o. the Rassett
laln, an some o Their hard-earned r,onsy