The Opelousas courier., 1898-07-02
BILL APPS Weekly LETTER.
DISCOURSES UPON CHARACTER.
ISTICS OF NOTED GENERALS.
HOW THEY ANNOUNCED VICTORIES.
Why Gen. Taylor Was Dubbed "O1d sonn
flate"-A s~hibboleth For Dewey.
Jackson's Way.

ai 1aylor nau 1ongh'
and won a great battle in Mexico be
sent a report Of it to the secretary ot
war and began it by saying: "sir-Or
yesterday noon as I was taking a hasty
plate OF soup" The nation was cleo.
trltied at the victory, but everybod,
smiled at the old mans style of report,
ing it and the importanc he attached
to soup. Nevertheless the wings nom.
mated him for president over General
Scott and Daniel ", ,,,ster. Scott was
called cold Fass add Feathers" but
Taylor was dubbed "Old Rough and
Ready," and that nominated him. The
Democratic papers made fun of him
and called him "old soup plate" and
odd hasty," but he was elected. His
hght1ng qualities put him through.
And Henry Watterson says we can
put Admiral Dewey through for the
same reason. Maybe we can. I am
willing, of couase, for he is a Democrat
and a Presbyterian, and being one of
the elect, ought to be elected. We
don't know that he is partial to soup,
but certain it is that he is partial to
his stomach, for he actually stopped
lighting and sinking ships long enough
t. a breakfast. Was such a thing
ever done in the midst of o terrific
battle before? Twenty minutes for
breakfast" was the ring of the stew
ards bell on every vessel, and the
poor Spaniards had surcease of sorrow
for q little while. Zachary Taylor
said: "A little more grape, Captain
Bragg" but Dewey said: "Boys, let
us rest awhile and eat up something
the rest OF their ships will keep"
Dewey is a Green mountain bow and
l like that, for Velment.D Democrats are
the best Democrats north of the line.
And just to think of his being O. Pres
byterian. 1 didn't know they had any
IN Vermont and would have set him
down for a Unitarian or a Roman
Catholic or deep water Baptist. Gro
yer Cleveland, they say is a Preshy-
terrain, but maybe he is one of Zs.b
Vance's kind. Zeb said: ssThe diff
ference between me and my brother
Bob is that Bob is q Methodist and be-
ileves In falling from grace, but Bob
never falls. [ am Presbyterian and
don't believe in falling from grace, but
am falling all the time" When Zeb
was running against Holden for gov
ernor he found out that oil the people
in a little valley over the noun
tain were Baptists and so he
went 9 there just a few days
before Holden was to speak there and
told the boys that his good old mother
was q Baptist and that Holden was a
regular old-fashioned shoutin' Metho-
dist and you could hear him a mile at
a campmeeting. The result was that
not a dozen men came out to hear
Holden and Vance got every vote in
the settlement.
But that stopping for breakfast at
Manila reminds me of the fight be-
tween DR.. Hall and Colonel Boyd, of
our town, away back before the war.
They were leading citizens and were
continually at outs. They carried
much animosity on their tongues and
much corporosity in their abdominal
regions, for each weighed about $50
pounds and had short necks and short
arms and shorter legs and each had
vowed to whip the other if he ever
crossed his path. One day as Hall
was going from the postofice slowly
walking and reading his paper he and
Boyd met at the corner and the fight
began. Each was as big q coward as
old Falstaf, but they had to fight and
everybody around was willing. In a
brief time they got to the ground and
neither could get up or get on top and
they blowed like porpoises. After while
the people took pity on them and helped
them up and then each claimed the
victory. II sent you word I was 60
ing to whip you," said Boyd, "and
now I reckon you will quit telling lies
on me-" "Whip who, you old dirty,
lying puppy. Why, I whipped you,
sir, and never stopped reading my
newspaper" and he held up the
crumpled sheet that somehow or other
he had never let go from his hand.
The old doctor always swore that he
never stopped reading his paper while
fighting Boyd. Just sc Taylor eve
forgot his soup and Dewey his break
fast. There is no record in all history
that matches Dewey's GOODNESS under
fire and over water, and if he should
be nominated for u next president.
as Watterson predicts, the shibboleth
will be twenty minutes for breakfast.
Stonewall Jackson dident seem to
care very much about eating during
q fight, but did are about praying for
the souls of his enemies.
1.-THE BIuelight elder knew them well.
Says he, That's Banks-he's fond OF shell,
Lord save his soul-now give him'-well,
That's Stonewall Jackson's way.
"silence! ground arms! kneel all! caps of!
Old Bluelight's going to pray,
Say bare thine arm; stretch forth thy rod;
AmenI That's stonewalIs way.
But after all that has been said or
sung about our heroes, I don't believe
that any good hearted man takes pleas
ure in killing his fellow men whether
in battle or in q personal quarrel. In
the olden time when men fought duels
and it was considered dishonorable to
refuse q challenge, many q man over
shot his adversary rather than have
his blood on his hands. 1t takes a
hard-hearted man to shoot: another
down in cold blood and it is . shade
Of comfort to every true soldier 70