Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-07-21
"KOBIN'S KOOST,
JOHNSON CITY. Tenn. Feb. |. lS9.

| ~ Nnu OllNlVldnS.
My DEAR, SWEET OLD ANGELs-With
fearful eyes and breaking heart | leave
your shining ranks. My tears are tears
of gladness; my heart is breaking with
JOY.
Somehow or other we have never
floched together in the paradise of poll
tics. You wanted me to blow your
trumpet, but preferred the mellower
notes and softer tones of the old-time
fiddle of the people. am aware that
the good, old-fashioned popular airs
which thrilled the hearts of our fathers
are not in favor now with your angelic
Majesties. Our country is keeping step
to the modern boom-de-ya of ring poll
ties, and waltzing to the earth-cracking
and sky-rending music Of modern politi-
cal "Vogners," Our craftsmanship now
trips the light fantastic toe in the latter
day gold-standard german" and the
imperial expansion skirt Dance" at
the expense of the people and the peril
of the nation.
Common folks cannot understand this
so-called high-class music, nor the
figures Of these newfangled dances, and,
therefore, hey are in condition which
is beautifully illustrated by tale
used to hear before politics snstohed
me baldheaded. At an old-time coun-
try dance, the tiddlers rosined their
| hAu,o ,.A t,olr t1a,,, I'll tbn YN1 at
form. The floor manager rose and i'm
periously shouted: Get your partners
for cotillion! All you ladies and
| gentlemen who wear shoes and stock.
ing will take your places in the center
of the room; all you ladies and gentle
men who wear shoes and no stockings
will take your places Immediately be-
hind them; and you barefooted crowd
must jig it around in the corners"
You dear old politicians wear the shoes
and stockings, while we, the people,
are the barefooted crowd. But ] beg
that you will believe me sincere when
| say that am contented with the cor
ners, for there is more sincerity and
genuine happiness there than l have
ever found in the center. Many time
| have seen a hundred and eighty
pounds of unadulterated treachery in
one pair of shoes, and whole armful
of slippered and skirted insincerity in
a single pair of stockings. have swung
corners with ingratitude and hypocrisy
until l whizzed in the air and my coat
tails popped like whip cracker. Who
has not? have danced in the same set
with NJ. "Boozard" and Signor "Car-
rioncrow." So has every man who ever
entered the political ballroom. But |
was always SO awkward and so unfor-
tunate as to be continually stepping on
somebody's political corns and ambi-
tious bunions; and therefore l was in
the midst of perpetual "ouch," and
the recipient of innumerable tender
compliments and affectionate daggers;
and now,
II You could sec my mortal scars,
The neshly records OF my Jars,
You'd think I'd spent my lie In wars
Where whips, fists, clubs and stones
Wage endless stride with flesh and bones.
But | have vanished from the center
of politics to the warm corner of a
happy home; and find rest and sym
pathy here under the outstretched
wings Of my native mountains. Who
could not find rest and happiness in q
land like this? "The foot of man has
never trod the sod of any spot on earth
whose purer mountains gem the hills
and brighter streams, falling from
loftier heights, wind their shining way
through greener, sweeter, loveliel
vales." Heaven never smiled on land
sc2pes more beautiful, and the eagles
never scared under softer skies thar
those which bend above the sun-painted
cliffs and peaceful, happy valleys of my
own East Tennessee.
Tothe jaded politician who has grown
weary of fishing for votes and angling
, for suckers, there is surcease of sorrow
here in the brawling brooks of the
, mountains, where the genuine specklet
trout plays hide and seek with the sun
shine in the shoals, or sleeps in the
darkening eddies, under the fragrant
bloom of the overhanging honeysuckles
To the overworked public servant upor
whose head the SHOWS that never mel
have too soon fallen, these bright, leap
ing, laughing, dashing, buoyant noun
. tain rivers are the symbols of you'll
and the synonyms of happiness. Or
their grassy Drinks he may sit and lister
to the singing of his reel and the swisl
of his line, and watch the game blacl
bass as he leaps up out of the middle O
the stream, with the hook in his mouth
and flashes in the sunlight, and theI
darts back to make the reel sing ant
the line swish again Or, If he wishes
a diversity of sport and pleasure, will
loan him one of my shotguns and pai
of my leggings, and we will leave tn,
trout and bass 10 the brook and brim
ming river and follow my brace o
beautiful Lewellen bird dogs, Fiddle
and Bow" into the fields, and serenad
the vanishing coveys with chilled sho
and smokeless powder. In such lif
2 in such land there is no snow upol
| the heart; 'tis always Summer there
) Do you politicians say that you have n
time to waste in such unprofitabl
sports? So said / for twenty years; bu
, have discovered that there is NOR
4 profit in IL, both to the pocket and tn
r soul, than in the fishing an,
: shadow.cbasing sports of politics
{ There is no meat so sweet us the bone
S less sides of the speclded trout, and
: smoking quail on toast is joy forever
: but you cannot eat the political sucker
nor can you digest the game you ba