The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-12-24
Alajur 1afk Dcwmima.
l4 From The National hafeAigenesr.
Second Dispatches from HIBJOr
Downing.
11 .
HEADQUARTERS, Mexico, neic addition 10
The United States, October, 25, I847.

deal OF bother about getting our despatch
es through TO Vera Cruz, or else you't
/ hear from me oftener. do think the
President is too backward about clearing
out this road from here to Vera Cruz ant
keeping it open, and introducing the I'M
1provements into the countrythat we stand
SO much in need hele. He and Mr.
Ritchie pretonds to have constitutional
scruples about it,and says the constitution
don't allow ofinternal improvements, and
Mr.. Ritchie says the resolution of '98 is
dead aginit too; and, besides, Mr.. Richie
says these internal improvements is a
Federal doctrine, and he'd always go
agin 'em for that nothing else. But It's
strange to me the President hasn't never
found out yet that where there's will
there's a way, constitution or no consti-
tuition. All he's got to do is to call all
these roads round here in Mexico "mili-
tary roads" and then he'd have the con-
stitution on his side, for every body knows
the constitution allowshim to make mill
tary roads. Iknow the President is very
delicate about fringing on the constitu-
tion, so | don't blame him so much for
holding back about the internal improve
mentshere IN Mexico, though don't think
there's any other part ofthe United States,
where they are needed more. But
there's no need of splitting hairs about
the roads; military roads isn't internal
improvements, and he's a right to make
military roads as much as he pleases.
And as them is just the kind of roads we
want here, and shall want for fifty years,
(for our armies will have to keep march
ing about the country for fifty years before
they'll be able to tame these Mexicans,
and turn EN- into Americans,) it is con.
founded strange to me that the Presi-
dent is so behind hand about this bust
ness. What's the use of our going on
and annexin away down south here, if he
don't back us up and hold on to the slack}
And there's no way to hold on to it but
to keep these military roads open so our
armies can 60 back and forth and bring
us in victuals and powder and shot and
money.
Here we've been, weeks and weeks
since we annexed the city of Mexico,
waiting and holding on for the President
to send US more men and money. and tell
us what to donext. This backwardne
of the President since we got into the
city ofMexico seems more strange to me,
considering. For, when he was fixin
me off to come out here and see if could
make settlement with Santa Anna, /
tried to persuade him to let the armies
hold still while was making the bargain.
| told him he never could bring man to
reason or to trade, when he was knock
ing ofhim down all the time. But /
couldn't make him seem to understand it.
He stood to it his way was the, best-the
sword in one hand and peace in tother,
all the way along-a word and blow and
the blow always first.
"Why, Major Downing" says he, "if
you want to reason man into peace,
that's another thing; but if you want to
conquer peace, my way is the only way.
That's the way | begun this war, and
that's the way mean to carry it out"
"How sol" says /; chow did you begin
the war in that wayl"
"Why." says he, "Slidell was the word,
and Tayler was the blow; and not only
my friends, but even my enemies, admit
that the blow come first"
The President said that was the rule
he had gone by all the way along, and he
meant to stick to it; and not hearing any
thing from him so long. I'm afraid he's
got notion that peace is conquered.
But bat would be bad mistake, ifhe
has got such notion; for it isn't conquer
ed; its only scattered. It's good deal
as twas with Bill Johnson, when he and
| was boys, and he undertook TO conquer
a hornets nest, expectin to get lots of
honey. He took a club and marched
bravely up to it and hit it an awful dig,
and knocked it into a thousand flinders.
"There. blast ye" says Bill, "I guess
you're done to now" as he begun to look
round for the honey. But he soon found
twas mt conquered, twas only scattered.
And presently they begun to fly at him
and sting him on all sides. One hit him
dab on the arm, and another on his leg,
and another in his face. At last Bill
found he should soon be done tu himself
if he staid there, so he cut and run.
"Hullo," says |, Bill, where's your hon
ey9"
"Darn it ALL" says he, "if haint got
no honey, | knocked their house to
pieces; I've got that to comfort me-"
/ wish you would try and convince the
President tits only scattered here: tits mt
conquered. and he must give us the
means to keep moving, or we shall get
badly stung bime-by. If he only backs
us up well, III pledge myself that we'll
carry out the campaign marked out in
my last dispatches, which would bring
us clear down to Cape Horn in four or
FIVE years; and I'm very anxious to get
there, it strikes me that it would be such
good horn to hold on to in all dilemmas,
even if all the rest of the country went
by the board l dreampt 'tother night
that we had got through annexing all
North and South America; and then /
thought our whole country was turned.
into monstrous great ship of war, and
Mr.. Polk the Captain. Andthe captain
was walking the deck with his month shet