Fact is, the less the people know o' wut ther' is

a-doin',

The hendier 't is for Guv'ment, sence it henders trouble brewin';

An' noose is like a shinplaster, it's good, ef you

believe it,

Or, wut's all same, the other man thet's goin' to receive it:

Ef

you 've a son in th' army, wy, it's comfortin' to

hear

He'll hev no gretter resk to run than seein' th' in'my's rear,

Coz, ef an F. F. looks at 'em, they ollers break an'

run,

Or wilt right down ez debtors will thet stumble on

a dun,

(An' this, ef an'thin', proves the wuth o' proper fem❜ly pride,

Fer sech mean shucks ez creditors are all on Lincoln's side);

Ef I hev scrip thet wun't go off no more 'n a Bel

gin rifle,

An' read thet it's at par on 'Change, it makes me feel deli'fle;

It's cheerin', tu, where every man mus' fortify his

bed,

To hear thet Freedom's the one thing our darkies mos❜ly dread,

An' thet experunce, time 'n' agin, to Dixie's Land hez shown

Ther''s nothin' like a powder-cask fer a stiddy corner-stone;

Ain't it ez good ez nuts, when salt is sellin' by the

ounce

For its own weight in Treash'ry-bons, (ef bought in small amounts,)

When even whiskey's gittin' skurce an' sugar can't be found,

To know thet all the ellerments o' luxury abound? An' don't it glorify sal'-pork, to come to under

stand

It's wut the Richmon' editors call fatness o' the

land!

Nex' thing to knowin' you're well off is nut to know when y' ain't;

An' ef Jeff says all 's goin' wal, who 'll ventur' t' say it ain't?

This cairn the Constitooshun roun' ez Jeff doos in

his hat

Is hendier a dreffle sight, an' comes more kin' o'

pat.

I tell ye wut, my jedgment is you're pooty sure to

fail,

Ez long 'z the head keeps turnin' back for counsel

to the tail:

Th' advantiges of our consarn for bein' prompt air

gret,

While, 'long o' Congress, you can't strike, 'f you git an iron het;

They bother roun' with argooin', an' var'ous sorts o' foolin',

To make sure ef it's leg❜lly het, an' all the while it's coolin',

So 's 't when you come to strike, it ain't no gret to wish ye j'y on,

An' hurts the hammer 'z much or more ez wut it doos the iron,

Jeff don't allow no jawin'-sprees for three months at a stretch,

Knowin' the ears long speeches suits air mostly made to metch;

He jes' ropes in your tonguey chaps an' reg'lar teninch bores

An' lets 'em play at Congress, ef they 'll du it with closed doors;

So they ain't no more bothersome than ef we'd took an' sunk 'em,

An' yit enj'y th' exclusive right to one another's Buncombe

'thout doin' nobody no hurt, an' 'thout its costin'

nothin',

Their pay bein' jes' Confedrit funds, they findin' keep an' clothin';

They taste the sweets o' public life, an' plan their little jobs,

An' suck the Treash'ry, (no gret harm, for it's ez dry ez cobs,)

An' go thru all the motions jest ez safe ez in a

prison,

An' hev their business to themselves, while Buregard hez hisn:

Ez long 'z he gives the Hessians fits, committees can't make bother

'bout whether 't 's done the legle way or whether 't 's done the tother.

An' I tell you you've gut to larn thet War ain't one long teeter

Betwixt I wan' to an' 'Twun't du, debatin' like a

skeetur

Afore he lights, — all is, to give the other side a

millin',

An' arter thet's done, th' ain't no resk but wut the lor 'll be willin';

No metter wut the guv'ment is, ez nigh ez I can

hit it,

A lickin''s constitooshunal, pervidin' We don't

git it.

Jeff don't stan' dilly-dallyin', afore he takes a

fort,

(With no one in,) to git the leave o' the nex' Soopreme Court,

Nor don't want forty-'leven weeks o' jawin' an' expoundin',

To prove a nigger hez a right to save him, ef he's drowndin';

Whereas ole Abe 'ud sink afore he'd let a darkie

boost him,

Ef Taney should n't come along an' hed n't interdooced him.

It ain't your twenty millions thet 'll ever block Jeff's game,

But one Man thet wun't let 'em jog jest ez he's takin' aim:

Your numbers they may strengthen ye or weaken ye, ez 't heppens

They're willin' to be helpin' hands or wuss'n-nothin' cap'ns.

I've chose my side, an' 't ain't no odds ef I wuz drawed with magnets,

Or ef I thought it prudenter to jine the nighes'

bagnets;

I've made my ch'ice, an' ciphered out, from all I see an' heard,

Th' ole Constitooshun never'd git her decks for action cleared,

Long 'z you elect for Congressmen poor shotes thet want to go

Coz they can't seem to git their grub no otherways

than so,

An' let your bes' men stay to home coz they wun't show ez talkers,

Nor can't be hired to fool ye an' sof'-soap ye at a

Long 'z ye set by Rotashun more 'n ye do by folks's merits,

Ez though experunce thriv by change o' sile, like corn an' kerrits,

Long 'z you allow a critter's "claims " coz, spite o' shoves an' tippins,

He's kep' his private pan jest where 't would ketch mos' public drippins',

Long 'z A. 'll turn tu an' grin' B. 's exe, ef B. 'll help him grin' hisn,

(An' thet's the main idee by which your leadin' men hev risen,)

Long 'z you let ary exe be groun', 'less 't is to cut the weasan'

O' sneaks thet dunno till they 're told wut is an' wut ain't Treason, —