University of Virginia Library

LETTER II.

Dear Uncle Joshua. — I spose you learnt by my letter
t'other day to cousin Ephraim, that you had lost the
bushel of corn you bet about the Speaker in the Legislater;
I mean that Legislater they call the House; for
Mr White got it first, and then Mr Goodenow got it, and
he's kept it ever since. And they say he'll be Speaker
all winter, although he don't speak near so much as
some the rest of 'em. There's lawyer Ruggles, of
Thomaston, that used to be Speaker, and folks say he
made a very smart one. And there's lawyer Boutelle,
of Waterville, who's got eyes sharp enough to look
through any body, and who makes 'em all as still as
mice when he speaks. And there's lawyer Smith of
Nobleborough; he looks very much like a man I saw
in the museum, that they called Daniel Lambert, only
he is'nt quite so large; but my patience, he's a real
peeler for speaking, and sometimes he pours out his
voice so as to make me jump right up on my feet. If

I was going to bet who would be Speaker next year, I
should bet upon him before any body else. And there's
lawyer Bourne, of Kennebunk, and lawyer Kent, of
Bangor, and lawyer Norton, of Milburn, and doctor
Burnham, of Orland, and doctor Shaw of Wiscasset, and
doctor Wells, of Freeport, and parson Knowlton, of
Montville, and parson Swett, of Prospect, and some
others, if I could only think of 'em. Now, most any
of these speak more than Mr Goodenow does; and still
Mr Goodenow is called the Speaker, because they voted
that he should be. They've disputed two days more
about that poor Mr Roberts having a seat. I can't see
why they need to make such a fuss about it. As they've
got seats enough, why don't they let him have one, and
not keep him standing up for three weeks in the lobby
and round the fire; its a plaguy sight worse than being
on a standing committee, for they say the standing committees
have a chance to set most every day. But in
the dispute about Mr Roberts last Wednesday and
Thursday, the difficulty seemed to be something or other
about a primy facy case. I don't know what sort of a
case 'twas, but that's what they called it. Some said he
hadn't got any primy facy case, and he mus'nt have a
seat till he had one. The others stood to it that he had
got one, and a very good one; Mr Ruggles said it was
full as good a one as the gentlemen from Portland had.
And they read above twenty papers that they called depositions,
about the town meeting at Waterborough; but
they didn't seem to say any thing about the primy facy
case. About one half of 'em said the town meeting
was adjourned, and t'other half said twas'nt. And one
of the depositions said there was some of 'em at the
meeting agreed that Mr Roberts should n't be elected at
any rate; and if they could n't prevent it any other
way, they agreed to keep up a row till midnight. And
when they brought in candles in the evening, they
knocked 'em all over, and put 'em out. So they all
had to clear out; and some said there was a vote to adjourn
the meeting, and some said Mr Roberts adjourned
it alone, and some said 'twasn't adjourned at all. And
one of the depositioners said Mr Roberts offered to give
him as much rum as he would drink, if he would only
say the meeting was fairly adjourned. But all the depositions
didn't convince but sixty-nine members of the
House that Mr Roberts had a primy facy case; and
there were seventy-five convinced t'other way. So, after
they had disputed two days, they voted again that
Mr Roberts shouldn't have a seat yet.

O dear, uncle Joshua, these Legislaters have got the
State into a dreadful pickle. I've been reading the Portland
Argus and the Portland Advertiser, and it's enough
to scare a Bunker Hill sojer out of his seven senses, to
see what we are all coming to. According to these papers,
there are two very clever parties in the State, that
are trying with all their might to save us from ruin.
They are called democratic republikins, and national republikins;
and you'd be pefectly astonished to see how
hard they've worked, as these papers say, in both Legislaters,
to set things right, and get business a going on
well, so that we can have a governor, and live in peace
and harmony, and not break out into a civil war, and all
be ruined in a bunch. But it's doubtful if they'll make
out to save us after all; for there is such a set of Jacksonites
and Huntonites, that are all the time a plotting
to bring us to destruction, that I tell ye what 'tis, if
something isn't done pretty soon, it'll be gone goose
with us.

These Jacksonites and Huntonites seem to have a
majority in the Legislaters; and they 've been making a
proper bother for a most three weeks, so that the democratic
republikins and the national republikins could n't
do nothing at all. And sometimes I'm really afraid
they'll have to break up and go home without doing
any thing; and if they do, they say we shall all be afloat,

and there's no knowing where we shall land. The republikins
appointed a committee to count the votes for
governor, and the committee told 'em t'other day, there
was 39 majority for Mr Hunton, and he was elected.
But then these Jacksonites and Huntonites went to disputing
about the matter; and some say they will dispute
it this fortnight yet. What a blessing it would be
if the Legislaters were all democratic and national republikins.
The people are growing pretty mad at all
this botheration, and I can't tell what'll be the end on't.
But I shall write again to you or cousin Ephraim pretty
soon. So I remain your loving neefu till death.