Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-02-24
MAJOR DoWNING's CORRESPONDENCE
TO mig old friend, Mr.. Dwight, ofhe Nea0- YorE
Daiiu AduertiSer.
WASHINGTON, IA February, Il

DUliy ADVERTISER
WASHINGTON, IA February, 1884.
Ever since have been in the Government l
never have had so much on my hands as have
since wrote you my last letter. Folks are
pourin in here from all quarters and brlngn
petitions and memOralS-sOme on EN- jest as
much as a man can lift, and when they come 10
stretch them out they kiver all Congress. Most
all the Committees that come on here call 10 see
me and the Gineral, and the work of presentln
them to the Gineral has kept me busy enuf tell
YOU. The first and biggest Committee that came
here was from the New York Merchants and
Traders. ] telrd the Gineral, says |, Now, Gl-
neral is our time to brush up all we know about
trade and mony business; for, says l. them New
Workers every one Of 'em has got his eye-teeth
cut and they haint come down here at this sea-
son threw the mud for nothin, says /; and as they
are comm to see us tomorrow, we better spring
to it now, says l, Gineral, and get every thing
cut and dried for em; and so and the Gneral
went to work maxim kinder sham fight ont.
see pretty quick it wouldn't do, for the Glneral
would 6y right off the handle, and talk about
Glory, and Nep Orleans, and Reform, and about
his rights, and has Government, and the GREAT
EXPERIMENT, apd wind up by BLOWN Squire Bid
die all to splinters. Now, says |, Glneral, that
won't do at ALL saysI them amt the kind OF folks
to talk to so; they haint come here to talk about
" Glory:' they have got enuf of that, says |, in
| New Y ork already; and Reform too, says l..
| WHY, SAYS |. Gineral, my friend Zekel Bigelow
| tells me there is so much of that in New DIRK,
that folks are brakn all to bits there, and it has
| crowded every dollar out Of trade Now, says
! l. | guess the best way for us is to hear what
| these New Workers have got to say, and then
| bow 'em of as quick as possible and don't ask
| 'em any questions, and they won't ask us any;
| for if they git us on that tack, says |. We'll go
bump ashore now, | tell you; and so the Gineral
began to think that was the beSt way, and ii he
was to say any thing in reply, it would be the
old st01y; and the Ginera has tell'd that over so
often, think he could say every word ont in
his sleep.
We'll, the next mornin' sure enufI see 'em
comm. and | call'd the Gineral, and he took his
stand right in the middle of the room, and stood
a leete ahead on him, tWiXt him and the door;
and in they come, jest for all the world as folks
come to meeting; and turn'd to and introduce
ed 'em to the Gineral, and we shook hands all
round The Gneral is plagy cunnln IN such
times; he was mad enuf to snap his Hickory
right in two pieces, but he put on plagy good
naturd look and as soon as we got threw sha
kin hands, one on 'em-a rale spunky ookln
critter, Just about SIGH another lookln chap as
Squire Biddle and taIk'd about as glib about
mony matters-he step'd out, and spoke for the
rest on 'em, and he went on now jest as cool as
though he hadn't lost dollar since we begun the
war. He was civil too, as you ever see; he
tell'd the Gineral pretty much how things was
workin and how they was goin to work; and
when he came to speak of the Glneral's grand
experiment he tell'd him pritty plain it wouldn't
work right The Ginera was jest gon to let
him have his notions, but puPd him witch
by the coat, and he stop'd; but as soon as he got
threw and how'd, the Gineral began and telPd
him the first 90 off he lcas mistnhen-that there
warn't a man in the hui State Of Tennessee
knOw'd half so much about banks and banking,
and trade as he did; and so long as he was Pre-
sdent he'd let folks know what was the rale
meanin of " Government" A." Bidd'e was a mon
ser, and so was the Bank. Calhoun was ras-
cal and so was Clay, and Webster, and Nc
Dufie, and the hull raft of the oppostlon; and
what puzzled him most, was to find out which
was the biggest rascal, the Bank or airy one of
them other fellows; and he'd put 'em all down
afore he was done with em. Haint | saved the
country" says the Gneral, "more than fifty
times if it hadn't been for me-" says he, " the
Enoins would now be in Wall street. skalpin all
on YOU, and the British would be all over Ken
lucky, and Tennessee, and Virginny." And so
the Ginera went on, and couldn't stop him till
| he got right into GLORY" and so thought twas
best TO begin to bow the folks off; and by the
time the Ginera got threw, he and had it all to
ourselves, and we sat down. The Gineral he
was good deal struck up and beat out, but he
is as tuff as all natur, and can 60 threw jest such
tug every day. ony give him little time to
went to rubin 'em, and we begun to talk about
| it. Says he, Major reckon give em ski
rev factious' that time, didn't |. You see, says
the Gineral, l asked 'em no questions, and that
kept things snug. Do you know, Major, says
the Gineral, didn't like the looks oftha fellow
bit who did all the talkin' FOR his companions;
did you understand, Major, all that he telled
about? says the Gineral. Pretty considerable,
says l. And so telled it all ove1~to the Gineral
in my own way. Well, says the Gineral am
! clad | didn't understand him, for now as you
tell it, it stumps me considerable. The Gineral
he sat still moment and begun to count on his
fingers; and to rights says he, Major, who was
! that? Why, says l. Gneral, he is the son of a
man Eve heard you tell on thousand tines
And as soon as spoke the name, the Gineral
he started up and, says he, Major tits imposs-
ble-what the son of ***** ****i
! Why says he Major he was always one of my
best friends, and was jest the kind of man | lik-
ed, he was as firm as grant, and knowed more
about banks & public matters than any man
ever met-he was a rae patriot and an honest
man. Well says Gineral, that you said; and
have notion too he was in favor OF National
Bank, and jest SIGH as we got now. That is
true enuf, says the Gineral, but that was when