103. CIII.
A WAIL OF ANGUISH. — THE PASSAGE OF THE
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL OVER THE VETO.
Confedrit × Roads (wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky), }
April 9, 1866.
[1]
I am a kittle full of cusses.
Under me is a burnin fire uv rage, wich is bein continually
fed with the oil uv disappointment.
And I bile over.
The civil rites bill, wich our Moses put his foot onto, we
thought wuz dead.
And we fired great guns, and hung out our flags, wich we
laid aside in 1860, and made a joyful noise.
For we said, one unto another, Lo! he is a true Moses, inasmuch
ez he is a leadin us out uv the wilderness.
The civil rites bill wuz the serpent wat bit us, and he histed
it, that we might look and live.
Now let us be joyful!
For the Ethiopian is delivered into our hands, bound hand
and foot.
Blessed be Moses!
We will make him grind our corn; but he shel not eat
thereof.
Blessed be Moses!
We will make him tread out our wheat; but we will muzzle
his mouth.
Blessed be Moses!
He shall pick our cotton; but the hire he receiveth, he shall
stick in his eye without injuring the sight thereof.
Blessed be Moses!
He shall toil in the sugar mill; but the sugar shall he not
sell.
Blessed be Moses!
His sweat shall nourish our corn; but he shall eat nary ear
thereof.
Blessed be Moses!
We will burn his school houses, and destroy his spellin
books (for shall the nigger be our superior?), and who shall
stay our hand?
The school teachers we will tar and feather, and whar is the
bloo-coated hirelins to make us afeerd?
Blessed be Moses!
We looked at the nigger, and said, Ha, ha! the last state uv
that chattle is wuss nor the fust; for before, we hed his labor
while he wuz strong and healthy, but hed to take care on him
when he wuz sick and old; and now we kin git his labor without
the care.
Blessed be Moses!
The Ablishnists cast out one devil, and garnished the room;
but there wuz seven devils more stronger and hungrier, which
rushed in and pre-empted the premises.
Blessed be Moses!
But our song uv joy wuz turned into a wale uv anguish.
Moses sought to hist the serpent, but the serpent histed him.
He's on a pole, and the bitin North wind is a blowin onto him.
He can't get up any higher, because his pole ain't any
longer; and he can't get down, because he ain't no place to
light onto.
He vetoed the bills, and Congress hez vetoed him; the civil
rights bill they passed in a uncivil manner.
Now, bein the nigger hez rights, he is our ekal.
Our ekil is the nigger now, and onless the skool houses is
burned, and the spellin books destroyed, he will soon be our
superior.
We wuz willin to give him the right uv bein sued; but, alas!
he kin sue.
He kin be a witness agin us, and he kin set his face agin
ourn.
Our wise men may make laws to keep him in his normal
speer, but uv wat avail is they?
We kin buy and sell him no more, neither he nor his children.
The men will cleave unto their wives, and the wives unto
their husbands, and our hand is powerlis to separate em.
Their children kin we no more put up at auction, and sell to
the highest bidder, we pocketing joyfully the price thereof.
They hev become sassy and impudent, and say, “Go to; are
we not men?”
I bade one git off the sidewalk, and he bade me be damned.
I chucked a nearly white one under the chin, and smiled
onto her, and she squawked; and her husband, hearing the
squawk thereof, came up and bustid my head, even ez a white
man wood hev dun.
I chastised wun who gave me lip; and he sood me, a Caucashun,
for assault and battery, and got a judgment!
Wale! for Moses put out his hand to save us these indignities,
but his hand wuz too weak.
We killed Linkin in vain.
Our Moses is playin Jaxson. He fancieth he resembleth him,
becoz his inishals is the same.
He resembleth Jaxon muchly — in that Jaxon hed a policy
wich he cood carry out, while our Moses hez a policy wich he
can't carry out.
And ez he can't carry out his policy, the people are carryin
it out for him.
Wich they do, a holdin it at arm's length, and holdin their
noses.
Moses is a cake half baked; he is hot on one side, and cold
on tother.
He darsn't let go uv Ablishnism, and is afeerd to come
to us.
He hez been takin epsom salts and ipecac; and one is workin
up, and the other is workin down.
Where kin we look for comfort?
Do we turn to the people? Connecticut answers, “'Ror for
Hawley!” and Noo Hampshere goes Ablishun.
Do we turn to the courts? Lo! Taney hez gone to his reward
— him who aforetime dealt out Dimekratic justice, and
who understood the nacher uv the nigger, — and Chase, who
is pizen, reigns in his stead.
Raymond is growin weak in the knees, and Doolittle is a
broken reed on which to lean.
We are too short at both ends.
Shall we go to Brazil? Lo! there they put niggers in
office.
Mexico holds out her hands to us; but, lo! the nigger is
considered a man.
We hev no escape from the Ethiopian; he is around us, and
about us, and on top uv us.
I see no post orfis in the distance, no hope for the future.
Hed I bin a Ablishinist, so ez to make the thing safe in the
next world, I shood be glad to die, and quit this.
For my sole is pregnant with grief; my hart bugs out
with woe.
Petroleum V. Nasby,
Lait Paster uv the Church uv the Noo Dispensashun.
