67. LXVII.
MR. NASBY AND HIS FRIENDS HOLD A MEETING
ON THE FALL OF CHARLESTON.
Saint's Rest (wich is in the Stait uv Noo Jersey), }
February the 23d, 1865.
[1]
Ther are but a very few troo Dimekrats left in this sekshun
uv Noo Jersey — very few. The young wuns hev all enlistid
and turned Ablishnists, and the old wuns are peggin out with
delirium tremens. The whisky we git now-a-days burns our
coppers out feerfully.
A few uv us, whose stumicks is trooly glass, met last nite to
shed a teer or two over the fall uv Charleston. Square Potts,
who hez bin the reglar chairman for this county for thirty
years, took the chair, on his own motion, weepin perfoosely.
Obed Peasly, who is our ex-offisho secretary, bein the only
wun in this visinity who kin rite, took his seet, without a
motion, a weepin profoosely.
The rest uv the awjence moved that they be vice-presidents,
wich wuz carried, and they took their seats as sich, weepin
perfoosely.
Here a hitch occurred — there wuz nobody left for committee
on resolushens. Three uv the vice-presidence promptly resined
and wuz elected ez sich committee, when they (weepin perfoosely)
reported the follerin, wich the secretary had previously
rit: —
Wareas, Charleston, the only place on the continent wher
pure Dimokrasy abidid, hez follerd Atlanty and Savanner, and
fallen into the hands uv Ablishn hirelins; and
[Here the secretary paused, that the floor mite be mopt.]
Wareas, The prospect is lively for Richmond, and the rest
uv the Confederasy, follerin soot; therefore, be it
Resolvd, That we emphatically and unreservedly protest
agin a further continooance uv this unholy, unconstooshnel,
unmittigatid, and sooicidle war.
Resolvd, That we now maintain what we hev alluz assertid,
that eight millions uv free white men can't be subjoogatid at
any price.
Resolvd, That we congratulate our heroic brethren uv the
South, who is strugglin for ther rites, upon the successful
evacuation uv Atlanty and Savanner and Charleston, becoz,
hevin them places less to defend, they kin consentrate sumwhere
else to better advantige.
Resolvd, That the slowness uv England and France at
interferin, deserves our reprehenshun, and that ef they are
ever goin to do it, now's the time.
Resolvd, That them Dimekrats who let on they feel ez good
ez the Ablishnists do over these victrys, is unworthy the name.
We warn em that it ain't no yoose. The Ablishnists have
enuff strate-outers uv their own to hold all orfises, and that turnin
into war-men, at this late day, is ruther too fishy to fool even
the blindest uv em.
Resolvd, That we damnd the war at the beginnin, and that
we, uv Noo Jersey, damn it now, and will so continyoo to the
end uv the chapter, bein conservative and terribly sot in
our way.
Resolvd, That callin out 300,000 fresh men to fite our
eggsaustid Suthern brethrin, is not only unchivalrous, but is
takin a mean advantage uv a noble people, and that we hereby
demand uv Linkin that he revoke the order.
Resolvd, That such uv us ez are draftid shel hev the
privilige uv choosin whether they will die in their own door-yards,
or run to Canady. We onhesitatingly recommend the
latter course, providin alluz, they kin git back afore the next
eleckshun.
The resolushuns were, uv course, adoptid — the cheerman,
ez is the custom here wen he wants resolutions past, only
puttin the affirmative side. After wich I felt a call to speak,
and I did so, remarkin:
That the loosness with wich teers wuz bein shed, showd that
the heart uv the Dimokrasy wuz touched; that I wuz glad to
se em flow, becoz it showd how clost a feelin eggsistid atween
the Dimokrasy, North and South. But there wuz really no
cause for teers.
The triumphs the Ablishnists hed gained wuz no advantages.
Charleston hed fallen, it wuz troo. While I regretted the hard
necessity, I wuz trooly glad uv it. The feelings uv them
peeple hed bin hurt, no doubt. But wat uv that? It wuz
easier to let go uv Charleston than to hold on to it. They
coodent hold that city any more than they cood Atlanty and
Savanner, and, therefore, strategy required its surrender. The
good uv the Confedrisy required that they should leave, and O,
my brethren, with wat alacrity they obeyed the call. They
may find it necessary to resine Richmond. Shel we therefore
be cast down? Not any. I see Lee's strategy. He calculates
on givin up all them towns. Grant and Sherman will hev to
leave a garrison in each uv em, until ther armies is all divided
up into garrisons; then comes the crisis. He takes them small
garrisons, one at a time, and gobbles em. That's his ijee, I make
no doubt. Let us, my brethren, keep a stiff upper lip. The
more territory Sherman gits, the wuss he is orf. I wate
impashently to heer uv his marchin on, feelin that at last Lee
will whale him.
I concludid, leavin em in good humor. Takin advantage uv
the feelin, I borrered sum eight dollars uv twelve uv em, wich,
with wat credit I hev establisht here, will keep me runnin
some time.
Petroleum V. Nasby,
Lait Paster uv the Church uv the Noo Dispensashun.
