Part 27 (2/2)

He said he would love to do Dorlesky's errents. He said I had convinced him that it would be just and right to do 'em, but the Const.i.tution of the United States stood up firm against 'em. As the laws of the United State wuz, he could not make any move towards doin' either of the errents.

Says I, ”Can't the laws be changed?”

”Be changed? Change the laws of the United States? Tamper with the glorious Const.i.tution that our 4 fathers left us-an immortal, sacred legacy?”

He jumped right up on his feet, in his surprise, and kinder shook, as if he was skairt most to death, and tremblin' with borrow. He did it to skair me, I knew; and I wuz most skaird, I confess, he acted so horrowfied. But I knew I meant well towards the Const.i.tution, and our old 4 fathers; and my principles stiddied me, and held me middlin' firm and serene. And when he asked me agin in tones full of awe and horrow,-

”Can it be that I heard my ear aright? or did you speak of changing the unalterable laws of the United States-tampering with the Const.i.tution?”

Says I, ”Yes, that is what I said.”

Oh, how his body kinder shook, and how sort o' wild he looked out of his eyes at me!

Says I, ”Hain't they never been changed?”

He dropped that skairful look in a minute, and put on a firm, judicial one. He gin up; he could not skair me to death: and says he,-

”Oh, yes! they have been changed in cases of necessity.”

Says I, ”For instance, durin' the late war, it was changed to make Northern men cheap blood-hounds and hunters.”

”Yes,” he said. ”It seemed to be a case of necessity and econimy.”

”I know it,” says I. ”Men was cheaper than any other breed of blood-hounds the planters had employed to hunt men and wimmen with, and more faithful.”

”Yes,” he said. ”It was doubtless a case of clear econimy.”

And says I, ”The laws have been changed to benifit whisky-dealers.”

”Wall, yes,” he said. ”It had been changed to enable whisky-dealers to utelize the surplufus liquor they import.” Says he, gettin' kinder animated, for he was on a congenial theme,-

”n.o.body, the best calculators in drunkards, can't exactly calculate on how much whisky will be drunk in a year; and so, ruther than have the whisky- dealers suffer loss, the laws had to be changed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A CASE OF NECESSITY.]

”And then,” says he, growin' still more candid in his excitement, ”we are makin' a powerful effort to change the laws now, so as to take the tax off of whisky, so it can be sold cheaper, and be obtained in greater quant.i.ties by the ma.s.ses. Any such great laws for the benifit of the nation, of course, would justify a change in the Const.i.tution and the laws; but for any frivolous cause, any trivial cause, madam, we male custodians of the sacred Const.i.tution would stand as walls of iron before it, guarding it from any shadow of change. Faithful we will be, faithful unto death.”

Says I, ”As it has been changed, it can be again. And you jest said I had convinced you that Dorlesky's errents wus errents of truth and justice, and you would love to do 'em.”

”Well, yes, yes-I would love to-as it were-But really, my dear madam, much as I would like to oblige you, I have not the time to devote to it. We senators and Congressmen are so driven, and hard-worked, that really we have no time to devote to the cause of Right and Justice. I don't think you realize the constant pressure of hard work, that is ageing us, and wearing us out, before our day.

”As I said, we have to watch the liquor-interest constantly, to see that the liquor-dealers suffer no loss-we have to do that. And then, we have to look sharp if we cut down the money for the Indian schools.”

Says I, in a sarcastick tone, ”I s'pose you worked hard for that.”

”Yes,” says he, in a sort of a proud tone. ”We did, but we men don't begrudge labor if we can advance measures of economy. You see, it was taking sights of money just to Christianize and civilize Injuns-savages. Why, the idea was worse than useless, it wus perfectly ruinous to the Indian agents. For if, through those schools, the Indians had got to be self-supporting and intelligent and Christians, why, the agents couldn't buy their wives and daughters for a yard of calico, or get them drunk, and buy a horse for a gla.s.s bead, and a farm for a pocket lookin'-gla.s.s. Well, thank fortune, we carried that important measure through; we voted strong; we cut down the money anyway. And there is one revenue that is still accruing to the Government-or, as it were, the servants of Government, the agents. You see,” says he, ”don't you, just how important the subjects are, that are wearing down the Congressional and senatorial mind?”

”Yes,” says I sadly, ”I see a good deal more than I want to.”

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