Year: 1867

there aint an unpardoned rebel in this county,
and if they confscate they have got to declare
the pardons all void Nobody knows what they
won't do, or when they will quit doing it, and
my advice is to suffer and be strong, endure ev-
erything and accept nothing. All is lost save
honor, hold up your manhood, don't lick the
hand that's raised to strike the blow. Joe
that is only tolerable I thank you, it grows
puny and weak" He says we can have repre-
sentation in Congress. Who by? A man who
can take the test oath, and can control the mig
ger vote. Who wants such q representation? :?
How long before he would jine the Radicals and
go in for confscation. If he controlled the mig
ger vote he'd promise EN- land Or anything
else. Demagogues have always controlled the
Ignorant whites, demagogues will control the
fuence in Tennessee ?-why, Brownlow and his
party. Tennessee has done just what Joe
Brown wants us to do, and now look at her and
weep Ia niger candidate rannin for Governor.
But suppose we had representation, and had
elected all good men, fair men, just men, what
could they do for us? Just nothing at ALL
| With the present Radical majority all our votes
| would mt undo anything that has been done,
and with Radical President they could do as
| much more as they pleased Just let 'em all
alone, give 'em rope, more rope; history is re-





| tyranny and oppression must run its course; Joe
Brown s programme wont stop it. One of his
resolutions made my head swim, felt like ta-
king chloroform. He would make the whole
yankee nation believe we loved EN- like broth
ers, and wanted 'em to come out South, and
let us hug 'em. Well, all that sorter stuff is
played out. There ant hundred men in the
State that has any more respect for radical
than hyena, and Joe Brown knows it. But
t&I,o I. r..
ly we cling to those moderate men Of the
mighty North who would save us from the hu-
initiation that awaits us. Let kind word be
spoken to a subjugated reb, and the warm
blood quickens in the veins.


Oh, but here are the Union Leagues, some
body says, what are they going to do with us?
Never mind my friends, the Union Leagues amt
agoin to hurt nobody. They are made of flesh
and blood like we are, and they are citizens
and their fate will be our fate They are as
much disguised at Sherman bill as anybody
They are our neighbors and our friends and if
there is some bad men among EN-, there is
enough of the good to make 'em do right. So
keep quiet and be easy, and the Union Leaguers
are not going to trouble you. If they want to
save their own, it don't follow that they want to
steal yours.


But Joseph is afraid we can't stand mill
tary government Well, [ know its humia-
ting, whitening, crushing, but we have stood it,
and can try it awhile longer. We can do it
till we can do better Military Government
amt the cause OF our poverty and distress. Its
government higher than Thomas, or Sherman
or Sheridan. Its the loss of crops, the want Of
rain. The military never stopped the corn from
CROWN, and there S just as much rain in one
platform as another If the Good Lord will
only bless us with abundant harvests, every
thing will go On smooth enough with the hum
bic and honest people who drive the plow and
hoe the corn. If they prosper everybody else
will too, if they mind their own business. We
will have to quit talking so much, and quit wri-
ting altogether-muzzIed lips and gagged
press. I've done took warnin myself, and quit.
Had my life insured in the Knickerbocker, and
the policy wont allow me to expose myself, to
jump inso unnecessary peril. The military can
out write us anyhow. Folks say the pen is
mighter than the sword, but you put EN- both
together, and they'll flank man out Of his lib
erty, and may be his life, in double quick. The
Mayor of this town had little billet doin with
General Thomas the other day, and only come
out second BEST though it wasent an open field
nor fair fight l thought myself that q Or
der must be hoax, got up by Brick Pomeroy,
or somebody, and was lookin for the General to
come out in card denyin of it, but soon
found that it was a genuine Robesperean docu-
ment. | still think his posterity will deny it
some 20 years hence.


Well, was mighty mad. Iwould have Civ
en- hundred dollars to have played Vantoun
with him one hour, just to have been turned
loose in the papers, all free, no gag, no JAIL no
barracks, no bayonets, no guard. would have
got such grin on him for the next six months
as would have made everybody except Brick
Pomeroy forget that Beast Butler stole spoons.
''Livin on their magnanimity! tell you that
got me, that burnt me, when [ knew there
wasent enough magnanimity in a ship load of
all such to support poor Reb twenty-iour
hours, Magnanimityl My opinion is they We
lost the seed, and don't know now what the
commodity is. [ was as full of epitaph as
Brownow is of pisen. Language come to me
spontaneous; regular hidelifters, that would
have peeled the bark from mans carcass like
skinning an alligator. But you see Twas in the
cautious state, and had to smother my feelings.
l think [ should have gone up with sponta-
neous combustion if my wife hadent broke the
spell with her comick scenes She is an ANU
sin and interestin woman, but much given to
music in these days of numerous and lively off
spring, but jest as soon as order 2l come out
she hunted up the ''gray Jacket and the con
quered banner and jest such solo soiree as L
have q times a week, was never heard in Big
Shanty before She seems to take delight in
lettin the rebel flag on the title page see the
light" and ''faunts it about in my face be-
cause call myself Union man. She says
that part of the order about Gen. Hanson's re-
mains was founded on scripture, and SO was
Phil. Sheridan's about Gen. Johnstons s, for
Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, that living dog
is better than dead lion." My opinion is that
it will be impossible to harmonic these women
durn this century. Such orders as 2l will cut
off all hope of it. [ think if Gen. Thomas
hadent been Virginian, he wouldent have is
sued it. I've noticed that when a Virginian
falls he falls heavy and fur. He gifts further
over on the side agin us than anybody I've
heard that the General and Edward johnson
were both powerful secesh, and got mighty i'm
patient because the Old Dominion was so slow
in movin. The General said all the good Off
GERS would be gobbled up before she seeded
Well, they say old Gen. Scott got hold of EN-
about this time, and took EN- up into high
mountain, and showed 'em kingdom or two,
and the General fell down and worshipped, and
Ed johnson wouldent. tell you my friends,
man ought to be careful about going up onto
these dangerous mountains, and this leads me
to remark we ought to petition Mr. johnson to
put over Big Shanty General who stood
square to his State


Hope for the best, my friends Don't i'm
imagine you see painters and injuns, because we
are in Territory. Don't mistake Bureau
track for bear sign. Don't fear, it will be
sickly, because Florida is hitched on to our dig
gins Attend to your business, keep off of
high mountain and all will be well. l would
b,,t bor