| Madison County Letters© - 1Oct1845 Copyright 2000 Fredi Perry In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data and images may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for other presentation without express permission by the contributor(s) Ridge Prairie, Madison Co., IL, Oct. 1, 1845 Dear Caroline, I wrote you on the 25th Aug. Since that time sickness has rather increased than ?. It is the most sickly season I have ever witnessed. The deaths, however, are few, compared with the cases of ??. Still we have to lament several deaths. Horance W. Look, son of the P.M. at Collingville, died at Rock Springs, week before last. He died very happy. At his request, Rev. Mr. Damon read the burial service, and preached his funeral sermon. He had been in Jacksonville College about a year, was about 22 years old, and a man of uncommon genius. He wrote many excellent pieces of poetry for the papers. James Watt, jun, son of James Watt, Esq., died yesterday. He was recently married. His brother John is dangerously sick. One of his sisters, who was married to some man near Edwardsville, whose named I have forgotten, died several weeks ago. So you see father Watt's family have suffered severely. Abraham Nashooren (?), (?) of widow Nanhooser, died on Sunday last. Rev. Jipe Renfro has lost a daughter this fall. I suppose you sometimes cast a longing, lingering look back to Skeanborough, alias Gilead: but it has been sadly depopulated by sickness and death. Doctor Hall and Reiner have concluded that there is too much sickness in these parts for them and have either gone or about to the St. Croix WT for their health. I have not been at Kingston Bluff for some time. I suppose your folks there are well. I have heard nothing to the contrary. I have recd 4 Nos. of the Wisconsin Argus, all in a heap, and have read them with some amusement, to see how different Badger Locofoism is from Pennsylvania Locofoism. The editor, John Y. Smith, I conclude is "no small fool." If he could sell himself at his own valuation, and buy himself back at the valuation of other people, what a "spec" he would make! His motto, "The world is governed too much," I have seen before. It is the true Penitentiary motto. All the murderers, incerdiaries, burglars, thieves, Dorrity (?), Anti Renters --- which brought to justice an ? to adopt John Y. Smith's motto. "No rogue e'er felt the halter draw, With good opinion of the law." But there is one part of the world, to wit: Hancock Co. IL where even Locoforos will admit that the world is not governed too much. I perceive that Uncle "Temp" (?) has reached the dignity of Secretary of a Locofoes Convention. Well - I suppose that Locofocoism is the door which opens to the honor and ?? of office and under the present Locofoes situation of the currency, nobody but officeholders, doctors and inn keepers can make money. In the Argus of Aug. 12 are the proceedings of a "Democratic District Convention." It affirms that Manitouwoc and Marquette counties sent no nelegates. Whereupon, "On motion, the Fond du Lac delegation were allowed to cast two votes for the county of Manitouwoc and two votes for the county of Marquette." !!!!!!!! This is an improvement upon the old science of Ruckerising. Quite a specimen of Badger "Democracy." But I suppose it is all right for I see the name of the celebrated Conservative N. P. Tallmadge at the head of this all powerful "Fond du Lac delegation." But will not the sages of "Manitonwoc and Marquette" conclude that "the world is governed too much," when they find themselves thus unceremoniously put under the guardianship of N. P. Tallmadge & Co." "Humes, ex'is ? of Humes deceased vs. Cox - Error to Grant County - Judgement reversed with costs." Ayers Aug. 26 Is this your uncle Thompson Humes? Is he deceased? John Y. Smith says that "All democrats will admit that duties on foreign goods impose the same tax on all domestic goods of the same kind." I suppose he means that all who doubt this apertion are to be excommunicated from the "democratic" church. But how supremely ridiculous it is! A duty of 25 cents a bushel on foreign potatoes improses the same tax on Minion potatoes, for which we are sometimes glad to get ten cents a bushel!! A ?? at Mobile, about as "democratic as John Y. Smith, told his hearers that they paid a tax of six cents on every yard of domestic shirtings?? which they bought - and all to enrich the eastern manufacturers. A bystander replied, "I don't see how that can be, for I buy my shirting for five cents a yard." But I suppose that Badger "democrats" are compelled to believe John Y. Smith when he says the people "pay a tax of $72,000,000 on $240,000,000 of domestic goods. He uses the real knock down argumenet. "According to democratic doctrine, the moon is made of green cheese. If you disbelieve it, you've no democrat!" John wants to have no tariff, but support the general government by direct taxation. Try it, John. Try it. I wish John would write a letter or chapter upon Jimmy Polk's famous J. K. Kane letter which gained him so many votes in Pennsylvania last year. Ifear that even Polk himself will be cast out of the democratic church by the valiant John Y. Smith! Currency. "It is said that banks make money plenty. So do grocers make brandy plenty by pouring water into it, and the more plentiful it becomes, the more it grows, and thus it is with paper money." Argus. Suppose that from time immemorial it was customary to put a gallon of water to a gallon of spirit, and sell it as two gallons of brandy. I suppose that Lacoposim got the upper hand and decreed that you might put three gallons of water to a gallon of spirit, and it should be considered as four gallons of brandy. Suppose at this time the fees and ? of public officers, as they are to be paid in very weak brandy, are fixed very high - 25,000 gallons a year to the president, 8 gallons a day to the Congressman, and so forth. Suppose that many of the people borrow very large quantities of brandy and others go their security; and others buy lands, town lots, ?? to be paid at a given time in brandy: so that nine tenths of the people are deeply in debt, but no more than they can pay if the standard of brandy is not meddle with. Suppose at this uncture, Locofocoism turns a shortcomer and decrees that nothing but the June (?) Mint shall be considered as the "constitutional" brandy: that no water whatever would be put to it, but that officeholders and creditors should receive the full amount of their brandy claims in genuine alcohol. Suppose all this - and you have a true representation of the action of Locofosoism on the currency. Is it any wonder that the people are (?) and the office holders made rich? I learnfrom Galesburg that Mrs. Hannah Amelia Weeks Perrigo has another daughter - born about the last of August. Mr. Perrigo had bought a share in a threshing machine, and was threshing wheat for a living. Uncle Weeks was building a College. They had some peaches in Knobe (?) this year. I suppose you hear of the Mines cut up in Hancock Co. by the Mormons and Anti-mormons. Have you any Mormons among the Badgers? John Smith's learned stuff on the Currency and Tariff was marked with blue ink. Hence I presume it is all time blue Badger Locofocoism. If manufacturing is such profitable business, why does not John go at it? If John will send a file of the Argus to Sir Robert Peel, he will have a pension granted him. John Bull cannot ? himself better than John G. Smith quits him. How nice it will be to admit John Bull's productions free of duty, while American produce is excluded from Gret Britain by heavy duties. Truly yours. George Churchill. PS: Wonder if John Y. Smith will not take Hoosier bank notes for the Wisconsin Argus? I should hate to offer them. |