Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-03-14
MAJOR powNINGs CORRESPONDENCE.
Tomv old friend Mr.. Dwight, OF the Neao YORK;
DAILY Advertiser.

Daily Advertiser.
WASHINGTON, 8 March, 1884.
Ever since wrote to you about them assass-
nations and birthstone and muTdeT ietterS,
have been lookin on to see how our toiks are TO
work their way out Of the scrape they nave got
T1e Government in, and | didn't mean to say
another word about it, But as things are ony
oittin worse and worse, | telPd the Glneral lor
the last time, if some change didn't take place
must quit. for couldn't stay here and nave my
advice put aside, just to suit other folks notions,
when see as plain as | could day light the nun
country goin all to smash. The Glneral was
considerable struck up when talked of leaving
on him. and he asked me where | was goin.
Well, says |, Gneral, that is prity tuff to tell,
for don't see now where can go to git rid of
this plagy troube; for its a leetle worse than
cholera morbus; body could git away from
that but this has got now every where, and
when it gifts hold, Kamfre and Lodnum stands
no chance with it. am afraid, Major, says the
Gineral, you are changin your politics. Well,
says |, Gineral, it may be so; for man may as
well change his teeth, says |, ifby keepin his old
set he can get nothin to bite with EN-.
And now, says l. Gineral, jest let you and
look into this Experiment of yourn, and see
where it is gon to land us; for, says l, II don't
miss my guess, we shall turn heels over head to
rights and there is no tellin which eead VIII
come down first And don't see, says |, what
good is to come ont even supposin we come
down feet first How, says |, are we goln to
satisfy this everastn batch offolks with all their
little children who are noU snferin all about the
country by this plagy Experiment? You might
as WE'LL says ], try to make folks believe 1t will
be all the better for EN- hereafter, when they git
used to it, to take off their shoes and stocklns
and 60 bare foot now and tell EN- that's the ony
way, so that in war time every man will be rea-
DIV to march, and not bother the country to pro-
vide shoes and stockinS for EN-. And its pretty
much so now with this plagy no Bdnk EaPerl-
anent. Folks have got notion that they can't
Git on without banks; and they know, too, there
must be good strong one to regulate all the
small ones, Jest like the balance wheel in a watch
for without that, says l. the little wheels will
all 60 wiz, and break all to bits, and you'll never
know the time of day no more than sun dial
Will tell in a snow storm. And then, says |, to
talk about hard money, and that there mustn't
be no other kind of money. Why, says |, you
might as well tell folks to go back to shoe buck
les agin, when good leather string is lighter
and better. Now suppose, says |, a marchant
wants to send money from here to New Orleans
to buy cotton, or to China to buy tea, and sup
posin, says |, an old Revolutionary Soldier, liv-
ing away back in the country, sent here for his
pension, and he was too old to come for it him
self, how then, says |, would we manage to git
this money in the safest way possibly airy to New
Orleans to buy cotton, or to China to buy tea, or
to the hands of this Old Soldier? If you send
hard dollars, says l. in Ship and she Sinks it's
gone to all etarnity; and if the pirates take her,
It's worse yet; and if you send it by mail, Major
Barry would have to make some worse con-
tracts than we have already. This stumps me
considerable, and have been lookin into it ever
since this Bank war begun; and the ony way,
SAYS !, is to have Bank that every body has
got confidence in, and have it as strong as all
natur, and known every where, and then we
can git round all these storms and pirates, and
the labor of luggin hard money about. And we
don't want no better Bank than we've got now
to do all this, if we ony let it alone And the
best proof that it is strong enuf is, that with all
our hammerin at it, we haint shook an atom
ont, and the more we fight agin it the worse 1t
is for the people who want the money this Bank
owns; and the Bank wants to lend its money, tor
that is its business; and when we tell the people
that Squire Biddle is the cause Of maxim nancy
scarce, they know that's all ninkum fiddle.
Now says Gineral suppose you was appoint
ed to defend the country agin an enemy, that
was coming here from abroad, and the enemy
was say 10000 men and they Would'n tell you
where they were going to land; but you was
obliged every week to tell them where your men
ras--why says the Gineral I'd 60 right down to
New Orleans and whip EN- jest as did afore;
but suppose says they don't 60 there agin, but
kept dodgin about along the coast from one eend
to tother how then says Then says the Gineral
I'd call out every manin the country, and I'd
have 900 men in every fort from New Orleans
to Downingviile-well says |, that | suppose
would be The ony way, and if it was in harvest
time it would be bad work for the cropsI couldn't
help that says the Gineral I'd defend the coun-
try thro' thick and thn--well says |, that's pretty
much what squire Biddle is arter, he don't know
where we intend to attack his Bank, and we
make him tellus every week jest how the Branch
es stand as to strength, and We have tePd him
weed break him five can, and so as he wouldn't
be doin his duty if he didn't defend his Bank, he
is obliged to keep every point as strong as he
can, and so good deal of money is idle jest as
a good many militia men wod be idle in the war
we've been talkin on--there Amt one grain of
difference says |, and every attack we make
agin the Bank ony makes things worse, the peo-
PIE all about the country see this now, and the
hull country is suffern--now says Ginera, Pm
gittin a leete asham'd ont myself we have
got into a scrape l should like to git out ont,
and git you out ont too if can at any rate,
says |, I'll jest pack up my ak and git my bun
die for as things are goin it wont do to stay here.
The Gineral got considerable riled at this, and
Slated round SPELL but he soon see that did'ntdo
no good for it ony set me whistling yankee doc
die dande--and so to rights says he, Major, did
ever tell you that rakoon story Of mine and