186. CLXXXVI.
MR. NASBY IN A DESPONDENT FRAME OF MIND.
Looisville (wich is in the State of Kentucky), }
February 9, 1870.
I don't know that reely there's any more yoose in livin on
this earth. The Fifteenth Amendment is adoptid, and a nigger
Senator will take the seat in the Senit wunst okkepied by
that marter, Jeffson Davis. It's about time for me to go hentz
— I hev no desire to remane. I wood like to stay long enough
to consoom the contents uv a red-headed barrel in the backroom
uv my blessid grosery in Noo York, into wich I hain't, ez
yet, put no water, and probably I will. I think I shel go
home, shut myself up in that back room, drink that partikeler
barrel dry, and fall dead across it. Like Sardanapulus, my
kingdom being gone, my funeral pile shel be my throne.
I came on to Kentucky to aid by my counsel the Dimocrisy
uv that State in the present crisis. The nigger Revel hez a
seat in the Senit uv the Yoonited States, and, uv course, no
white Kentucky Dimocrat kin so degrade hisself ez to set in
that body beside him. I expected, uv course, that Garret
Davis and McCreery wood immejitly resine, and ez no native
born Kentucky Dimocrat wood take the place, and ez Kentucky
could not afford to be representid by a Ablishnist, it
okkurred to me that possibly there mite be a chance for me.
I am a Northern Dimocrat by birth, and Northern Dimocrats
have alluz done sich work for the Southerners ez the Southerners
countid too dirty for em. The only thing wich cood
stand in the way wuz the fact that I left Kentucky a year ago,
and am now a citizen of Noo York. But wat uv that? I kin
swear I am a citizen uv Kentucky — I hev bin in Noo York
politics enuff to be able to swear to anything.
At all events I went on to my old State, and got together a
caucus uv the Dimocratic members uv the Legislacher to consider
this thing.
The Chairman uv the caucus remarkt that the signs uv the
times indikated trouble. Kentucky, ef that nigger wuz admitted
to the Senit, wuz virchually disfranchised, for uv course
Davis and McCreery cood not remain in their seats beside him.
No Kentucky gentleman wood disgrace his proud State by
practically takin to his buzzum a male member uv an inferior
race — acknollegin his equality, and workin quietly with
him. Never! Sooner than see this he wood be willin to see
the States further South inoggerate another struggle for their
rites, in the event uv wich, Kentucky, troo to the Yoonyun,
ez before, wood preserve a strict and dignified nootrality by
sellin horses and provender impartially to both armies. He
hoped the gentlemen wood express their views freely.
A gentleman from the eastern part of the State offered the
following preamble and resolushen: —
“Wareas, The Senit of the Yoonited States is about to admit
to a seet in that body a nigger; and,
“Wareas, No Kentucky Dimocrat wood degrade hisself by
sittin beside a nigger; therefore,
“Resolved, That Hon. Garret Davis be instructed to resine
to-wunst.”
The resolooshuns passed to-wunst, without a dissentin voice,
and were sent by telegraph to the Senators at Washington,
after wich I begged permission to offer a remark. I sed that
uv course no Kentuckian cood be found to take them places
made vacant by the two eminent men who wuz about to leeve
the Senit, but nevertheless Kentucky coodent afford to go unrepresented.
Is there no Northern man uv Kentucky principles
who will rush to the front at this crisis?
Twenty gentlemen sprang to their feet. The one who got
the eye uv the chairman remarkt that Kentucky shood alluz be
represented by Kentuckians. Davis and McCreery cleerly
ought not to stay. They shood resine to-wunst ez a protest
agin this outrage, but ef Kentuckians cood be found who
wood accept the places they should be found. Takin em, ez
they wood, ez a necessity, there woodent be the stigma attached
to em that there wood be to the present incumbents ef they
shood remane, and possibly sich mite be found.
The Chairman doubted whether there wuz a Kentuckian
who hed so little respeck for hisself. Ef a Kentuckian wuz
selected, it should be from the membership uv the Legislacher.
He felt that it wuz the dooty uv some two uv em to sacrifice
theirselves on the altar uv their State. It wood be a bitter
degredashun for a man, filled with the memories uv the past,
to choke down nateral pride, and take a seet by a nigger, but
some one must do it. He wood sejest that the members proceed
with system in this matter. Let us designate, by ballot,
our wishes. Let us vote for a man to fill the place to be made
vacant by G. Davis, and let the member upon whom this dooty
devolves accept the sacrifice in the troo Kentucky sperit.
Gentlemen, prepare your ballots for a successor to Davis, and
get ready to shed a friendly teer over the fate uv the man
upon whom the degredashun falls.
This wuz agreed to, each member remarkin that no matter
who wuz chosen, there wuz no law to compel him to be electid
and set beside a nigger.
The members each voted; the votes were counted out, and,
horror! EACH MEMBER HED PRECISELY ONE VOTE, and the loosenis
uv the hand-writin on the tikkits made it painfully certin that
each member hed votid for hisself! Ez my hopes wuz bustid,
I coodent help singin out that a more self-sacrificin body uv
men I never saw!
Then commenst the most fearful squabble I ever witnest.
Gentlemen got by the ears, and pistols wuz drawd, but jist ez
they were gettin ready for a sekkond ballot, a dispatch wuz
received from Davis and McCreery, statin that while they appreshiated
the degredashen uv their sitooashen, and felt it
keenly, nevertheless, ez Kentucky must be represented in
the Senit, they rather thought they woodent resine at all! Ef
they knowd their own hearts they thought they'd hold on to
their seets. They might as well be sacrificed as anybody.
The gentlemen mostly remarked “H—l!” as this epistle
wuz read to em, and disperst without the formality uv an adjournment.
I hevent ez much faith in Dimocrisy ez I yoost to hev. I
sposed that when that nigger wuz finally admitted, that evry
Democrat in the Senit wood resine; but wat do I find? Not
one hez done it, and whole Legislachers uv Democrats are
willin to take seats beside him!
Wat kin we expect when men are so recreant to their manhood?
Is it any wonder that I am tired uv life? I shel go
home to Noo York to-wunst.
Petroleum V. Nasby
(wich wuz P. M.).
