Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-30

NJAmeR
American poet. essayist and diplomat; au-
thor of The Bigelov Papers,, The Vision
The following is a letter from a cam
didate for the presidency Gin the years
of the Civil War; in answer to suttin
questions proposed by Sir Hosea Big
low to S. H. Gay, esq.,, editor of the
National Anti-Slavery Standard.
First comes this preamble by Mr.. Ho-
sea Biglow:
Deer Sir its gut to be the fashun now
to ritz letters to the candid IS and
was chose at public Meetin in Jaalam
to du wut wus nessary fur that town.
j writ to 27l ginerals and gut answers
to 209. tina air called candid 8s but
don't see nothin candid about EN-. this
here ! wich send was thought satty'S
factory. / dunno as it. uShlo to print
Poscrips, but as all the answers I got
he'd the saim, i sposed it wus best.
times has greatly changed. formally
to knock aman into a cooked hat wuS
to use him up, but now it ony gives
him a chance fur the cheef madgus-
tracy-H. B.
Now follows the letter itself in rhyme
Dear Sir: You wish to know my no.
tions on sartin pints tibet rifle the land ;
theirs nothin' tibet my natur so shuns
ez bein mum or underhand. I'm a
straight-spoken kind of creetur tibet
blurts right out wuts in his head, an
eff I've one pecooler feetur, it is nose
tibet wunt be led.
So, to begin at the beginnin' an come
directly to the pint, think the coun-
try's underpinnin' is some consid BILE
out o. jint. I amt agoin' to try your
patience by tellin who done this or
tibet. I don't make no insinooations;
Jest let on smell a rat
Thet is. I mean, it seems to me so,
but If the public thinks I'm wrong. 1
wunt deny bot wut be so-an', fact,
it don't smell very stron. My minds tn
fair to lose its balance an say wich
party hez most sense: ther may be
folks O. greater talence tibet can't set
stiddier on the fence.
I'm an eclectic; ex to chooSin' 'twixt
this an tibet, I'm plaguy lawth. 1 leave
side tibet looks like loSin'. but (wile
theirs doubt) stick to both. 1 stan
upon the Constitution, ez preudunt
statemun say, whoVe planned a way to
git the most profusion o. chances ez to
ware they'll stand
Ez for the war. go agin it mean
70 say kind O. du-thet is I mean
tibet, bein in it, the best way wuZ to
night 1t thru. Not but wut abstract war
is horrid, I sign to thet with all my
heart-but civlyzation does git forrid
SOAA hAASS dpO1 a PONQCI-
About tibet darned Proviso matter 1
never he'd a grain o. doubt, nor 1 amt
one my sense to scatter So'st no one
couldn't pick it out. My love for North
an South is equil, so I'll jest answer
plump an frank. no matter wut may be
the sequil-yes, Sir, I am agin a Bank.
Ez TO the answerin' o. questions, I'm
an on OK at bein' druv, though amt
one thet airy test shunsll give out folks
a helpin shove. Kind o. permisceous 1
go 1t fer the holl country, an the
ground take, ez nigh ez I can show it,
Is pooty gon' all round.
l don't appruye o. givin pledges; you'd
ough' to leave a teller free an not 90
knockin' out the wedges to ketch his
nngers in the tree. Pledges air awfle
preachy cattle tibet preudent farmers
cont turn out, ez long'z the people got
their rattel, wut is there form to grout
about
Ez to the slaves, thes no confusion