Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-02-26
From the National Iatelligencer.
Third Dispatches from Major Downing.
TO JAMES X. Polk, President offhe United
States of .4,nerico. ,Merico, SC.

| 10 JAMES n. Polk, President offhe United
States Of ,fmerica, .herico, Sc.
CRY OF MExIco, ANNExEp u. s.,
December 30th, lS47.
Dear Colonel:-I feel a good deal anxious
to hear how You are getting along tlere TO
home, and 'spose you are full as anxious
10 know how we are going il out here. 1
rot your message TO Congress, and their
first three days doings, and that's the last
Eve heard. When found the Wings had
fairly carried the House, see in moment
there was bad time ahead for US. Says |,
look out for squalls; the old ship win have
"a rough time of it this winter. had a
good mind to come right home TO help stan
by the helm, for knew you would need
me. But then see at once that wouldn't
do, for our officers have got into dreadful
snarI here, and shouldn't dare TO leave till
things is settled, for fear the annexln would
all go back again, and we should lose eur
, two years work. So, as J can't come, all
can do is to give my notions about things
little, by way of advice.
see how twill be; the House will he
, quarrelhng with you all winter; they'll be
, asking you all the hard questions they can
think of, and all the time prying into your
secrets about the war and annexin. And |
: don't believe the Senate will be copper
! better. lis true there ant so many Wings
there, but there's them there that is full as
, bad. You never can do any thing with Mr..
Calhoun; you know he always splits every
, thing in two, even TO a hair; and the most
, he'll ever do for us about this annexin busi-
ness win be 10 split off a little piece of Mexi-
, co. Ii he finds out we are annexin the
! whole of it he'll fight agn us till all is blue.
Then there's Col. Benton don't think is a
whit betterlthan Mf. Calhoun. You know
what fuss he made when we took in Tex
! as, because we sot out TO take in little strip
! of Mexico with it; only little reasonable
, strip, too, Jest on our side of the river, so
as TO make square work of it. Col. Ben
, toms ebsnezer was right up aboutit; he said
it didn't belong to us, and il didn't belong
/, to Texas, and we had no right to it, and
shouldn't touch it. Now, if he made such a
fuss about that little strip on our side of the
river, he'll be likely to raise Ned and turn
| up Jack il he finds out we have notion of
, annexn the whole of Mexico. And he's a
, terrible enemy 10 have, can tell you; |
. don't believe there's another man in the
country thatcan look down opposition equal
, TO him. Now, with such men rs these in
the Senate, besides all the thunder of Web
ster, and all the persuadin of Crittenden,
how are you going TO get alongi think
, there's no way for us to get along safe but
10 keep such men in the dark. Keep coax
ing the money out Of 'em to conquer piece,
but never let 'em mistrust that we intend to
conquer the whole. We must look one
, way all the time and row 'tother. ! know
horJ a far npm
will keep diving INFO You all the time with
this question and that, and pryin into all the
secrets about the war, and want to know
, what orders you give to us out here IN
Mexico, and what the armies are going to
do, and where all the money goes to, and a
+ thousand things that they've no business
with. Now, when they keep coming to
yon with these ugly questions, think the
only safe way will be for you TO shet your
mouth right up, and keep a stiff upper lip,
and not say a word. And do pray be care
full what you tell 10 good old Mr.. Richie,
for you know be never could keep his mouth
shct There's some dogs, you know, that
always bark at the wrong time, and frighten
away the game. You never can train 'em
10 keep still when they ought to. You re-
member, more than two years ago, before
the war begun, when you was laying out
the work privately and carefully, aud getting
your ships round to the Pacific, aud giving
the officers their orders 10 stan ready and
wait till the train was touched on this side,
and the moment they heard the first sound
Of the war to snap up California;, and annex
it, and hold on to il, so that if we found the
people wouldn't let the war 90 on, we could
come to a settlement, and each side hold
whist they had got--you remember how MIR.
Richie rot so fun Of the matter thar he liked
to bowed the whole business up by letting
On about the conquest of Mexico. A little
more such carlessness at that time would
been likely TO upset our whole kittle of fish
we might a lost California, and Santa Fe,
and likely enough even that little strip on
our side Of The river iining Texas. And,
as for the whole Of Mexico, our JIG would
been up at once; we might whistled for
il till doomsday, bur 'twouldn't come.
/ think you did right 10 make believe in
your message that you bad no idea of CON
amering The whole Of Mexico. don't be-
lieve il would be safe TO take that ground
ill the work is all done. The people Of
our country are too skittish yet about con-
quering other countries; they haint got use
10 H. And for this reas0c you will have TO
be very firm with Congress, and not let en-
cross-question you TOO close, and get you
into a bother. Call upon them boldly for
large armies, and all the millions of money
the minis can make, and all that Mr.. Walk
Ter can borrow, and tell en- you are digging
Into the vital parts Of Mexico to get that five
millions she owes Us.
If they ask You if Mr.. Tyler didn't offer
10 give az that five millions to Mexico 10
nav her for our taking Texas without her
leave, Jest shet your mouth up.
H Ifthey ask you il we hadn't ought to give
M that five millions to Mexico for that strip
IN our side Of the river that you sent Gen.
lTaylor to take without her leave, jest shet
your mouth up.
/. II they SIX you If Mr.. Trist didn't offer