"Swingin round the cirkle" : $b His ideas of men, politics, and things, as set forth in his letters to the public press, during the year 1866.
John Locke · en
The Reconstructed meet to Congratulate the Country upon the Result of
the Memphis Outbreak.--The Reverend discourses upon the Nigger, and runs
against a Snag.
CONFEDRIT x ROADS
(wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky),
May 12, 1866.
The news from Memphis filled the soles uv the Dimocrisy uv Kentucky with
undilooted joy. There, at last, the Ethiopian wuz taught that to him, at
least, the spellin book is a seeled volume, and that the gospel is not
for him, save ez he gits it filtered through a sound, constooshnel,
Dimekratic preacher. We met at the Corners last nite to jollify over the
brave acts uv our Memphis frends, and I wuz the speeker. I addressed
them on the subjick uv the nigger,--his wants, needs, and capacities,--a
subjick, permit me to state, I flatter myself I understand.
Probably no man in the Yoonited States hez given the nigger more study,
or devoted more time to a pashent investigashen uv this species uv the
brute creashen, than the undersigned. I have contemplated him sittin and
standin, sleepin and wakin, at labor and in idleness,--in every shape,
in fact, ceptin ez a free man, wich situashen is too disgustin for a
proud Caucashen to contemplate him; and when he ariz before my mind's
eye in that shape, I alluz turned shuddrin away.
I hed proceeded in my discourse with a flowin sale. It's easy
demonstratin anythin yoor awjence wants to beleeve, and wich their
interest lies in. For instants, I hev notist wicked men, who wuz
somewhat wedded to sin, genrally lean toward Universalism; men heavily
developed in the back uv the neck are easily convinst uv the grand
trooths uv free love; and them ez is too fond uv makin money to rest on
the seventh day, hev serious doubts ez to whether the observance uv the
Sabbath is bindin onto em. I, not likin to work at all, am a firm
beleever in slavery, and wood be firmer ef I cood get start enuff to own
a nigger.
I hed gone on and proved concloosively, from a comparison uv the
fizzikle structer uv the Afrikin and the Caucashen, that the nigger wuz
a beast, and not a human bein; and that, consekently, we hed a perfeck
rite to catch him, and tame him, and yoose him ez we do other wild
animals. Finishin this hed uv my discourse, I glode easily into a
history uv the flood; explained how Noer got tite and cust Ham,
condemnin him and his posterity to serve his brethren forever, wich I
insisted give us an indubitable warranty deed to all uv em for all time.