Carrier’s Address to the Patrons of the American Republican. January 1, 1859.

“And so the worms of Fashion, too ecstatic, Are fond of hash, by tyros cooked romantic…”

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An intriguing example of a pre-Civil War carrier’s address, this broadside encapsulates a year’s end reflection on the political, economic and social climate of 1858 as perceived by the American Republican—a Pennsylvania periodical.

The verse is written with humor and satire, but amidst this jocular critique lies one narrative that belies the otherwise humorous tone: “In Kansas, perpetrated by a race / Whose names shall be as thistles of the sod. / Their maddening acts repudiated, still / They dying, hug Dred Scott and English bill.” This passage references the Dred Scott decision of 1857 that declared that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts. Dred Scott also overturned the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which had attempted to maintain a delicate sectional balance between North and South as new U.S. states and territories were added to the expanding United States.The reference to “hug Dred Scott and English bill” likely symbolizes the embrace of pro-slavery sentiments and legislation, as the decision was seen as a victory for the South and a blow to the anti-slavery movement.

Following this segment is a critique of Brigham Young and the Mormons: “The Mormons ‘have caved in,’ and Brigham Young / Admits our soldiers—well he may, for Buck though gray, would show he yet is also young, And give friend Brighham proof of bach’lor luck, / Perhaps a round or two of cannon’s tongue….” and addresses the Utah War (1857-1858).

The Address also mentions John Hickman, a prominent anti-slavery Congressman, noting his election has brought fire and spirit to the debate: “John Hickman is elected, thank the free, / And independent democratic men. / Who gave their votes for truth and liberty.”

The author speaks to the economic challenges of the period, felt at both a national and local level, with the lines: “The hard times grow a little better; yet /The nation, in her vitals, feels the pang; / Banks now pay specie, and somewhat coquette / With moneyed men, who love to hear the clang” of silver. The metaphor of the nation feeling a pang “in her vitals” perhaps alludes to the economic unrest that led to the Panic of 1857.

Other sentences discuss England’s war in India, the free school system, the laying of the transatlantic cable, and an overabundance of books in the marketplace: “Of books, I have but little now to say; / Of which a deluge sweeps the market stream.” The prose also injects a cryptic statement or two with lines like “And so the worms of Fashion, too ecstatic, / Are fond of hash, by tyros cooked romantic…”

Price: $650.00