Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-08-26
Another Letter from Major Jack
DOwning
on THE ROAD TO THE WAR,
August =, 1917.


My dear old Friends II spose you'll
be amazingly disapinted to find I'm away
of here, pushin Oh toihe seat of war, and
didn't call to see you when come ihro' .
Washington. But YOU mustn't blame me
for it, for | couldn't help it; the Pres-
dent wouldn't let me call he said ] was
getting quite too thick with you, writing
letters to you and all that. And when he
spoke about the letters, he look ed kind Of
red, and showed some spunk.
Says he Major Downing, have put a
great deal Of confidence in you as Il friend
of my administration and if you are n.
friend to it, you must let Gales and Sea-
ton alone keep out of their way and
have nothing to do with them they are
dangerous mischiefmaking felers, otcr-
nally peckln at my administration, all
wealhers. Let me try to keep things ev-
cr so snug, and lay my plans ever so
deep, they are sure to dig them all up,
lug them into the lnteligencer, and blaze
'em all over the country. Coniound
their picture, they are the most trouble
some customers an administration ever
had; they've come pretty near swampng
me two or three times. So, if you are
my friend, ! warn you not to be so thick
with Gales and Seaton.
Well, says !, Colonel, YOU know am
a friend to you and your administration.
as much as ever was to the old Gineral
and his administration and shal! stand
by you and do everything canto get you
out of this scrape you've got into about
the war. But don't know as that need
make me break with Gales and Seaton.
We've been old friends so long, it would
be kind of hard for me to give 'em up
now; and ! don't hardly think they are
quite so bad as you think for. They may
not mean to do you so much hurt when
they put these things into their paper,
and Only put them in cause they think
folks want to know what's goin on. Mr..
Richie sometimes put things into his pa
per ihat folks think dou't do You no good.
The President gave two or three hard
chaws upon his cud Of tobacco, and says
he, Yes, Major, that's too true, it must
be confessed and it annoys me beyond
all patience. But then | have to forgive
it and overlook it, because Mr.. Richie
don't mean it. The old gentleman is al
ways willing to take it back. And then
he's such atui' old irller to fight the feder-
alists, can't have the heart to scold at
him much about his mistakes and blum
ders.
Well, says /, Colonel, being you've
named icderalists, | want TO know if any
of them animals is really supposed to be
alive nowadays. Seeing such awful ac-
counts about 'em in the Union paper all
the time, | inquired all the way along
New England, where they used to be the
.thickcst, and | couldn't get track of one
and when ! asked the folks if there was
any lcderalists any where in them quar-
tcrs, they all stared at me and said they
didn't know what kind OF critters they
was. When | got to DowniugyiIie
asked uncle Joshua about it lie said,
in his younger days there used to be con-
siderable many of 'cm about, but they
wasn't thought to be dangerous, for they
never was much given to fighting. But
lie said he guessed they'd all died ont
long ago, for he hadn't come across one
this twenty years. So now Colonel says
!, how is it they are so thick in Mr., Rit-
chic's paper all the time
AT that hc gave me Il very knowing
kind OF look, and lowered his voice
down almost to whisper; and says he,
Major, IIl tell you how that is. When
Mr. kitchie was a young man he used 10
fight good deal with the iedcrallSlS, and
took a good deal of pride it in; and now
the lancics and scenes Of his youth all
seemed to come back fresh to his mind
and he can't think or talk about anything
else. You know that's often times the
way with old people As he always used
TO have the name of smart fighter, give
him the command Of the newspaper bat
terry here to defend my administration
But twas as great mistake as twas when
| sent Taylor into Mexico didn't know
my man.
/ No matter what forces was gathering
TO overthrow my administration, MIR. Rl,-
chic somehow didn't seem to see 'em
no matter how hard they fired at me, he
didn't seem to hear it; and when | call
cd to him TO fire back, he would rouse up
and touch off few squibs with about
rs good aim as the boys take when they
fire crackers on the iIh of July, aud did
about as much execution. At last found
out n way that | could make the old vet
eran fight like Turk and hold on like a
bulldog. 1t was toy giving him notion
that he was fighting with federals,s-
Since made that discovery he's been
more help to me. Whenever ! see the
enemy entrenchng himself around me,
and bringing up his batteries to fire into
my administration, all have to do is TO
whisper in Mr.. Rltchie's ear and say,
Mr.. Ritchie, the air smells OF federal
ism; you may depend upon i there is
fcderalists abroad somewhere" In min
ute, you've no idea with what fury the
old gentleman flies round and mounts his