Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-07-12
From the National Intclligcncer.
PRIVATE LETTER TO MAJOR JACK DOWNING.
Post Office, Do,cninguiile, State Of Maine,
June so. 1913.

DEAR NEPHEW: Bein our army is about break
In up In Mexico and coming home, | thought the
pest chahce 10 get letter To you would be 10 get
your ola friends, Mr. Gales and SeaOn, TO send it
on that way, and may be it might come across you
somewhere on the road if so be you are still in the
land OF the living. Your aunt Kesah is in great
worrmen' about you, and is very much frightened
ior rear somethn has happened, because we haven't
heard nothin from you since your last letter. try
10 pacliy her, aud tell her the fighting was all over
and nohin TO do but to finish up the court martial
the last time you writ, and that there isn't agoing
to be no more apnexin' till Mr. Cass comes in Pre-
sldent, and you'll soon be along. But all wont
pacfy her; she's uneasy as fish out of water,
and says she lays awake half the night thinking of
them garillas, for fear they've got hold Of YOU So
l hope you'll write home soon as possible, and
let us know whether you are dead or alive, and set
your aunt Kesiah's heart to rest.
For my part, | hope you will hurry along back
as fast as you can. Our politics is very much
mixed up and in a bad way about the Presidency.
IL would puzzle Philadelphy lawyer to tell how
us comm out. 1t was very unlucky hit when
President Polk sent old Zach Taylor down TO Mex
leo He wasn't the right man. But, then, 'spose
Mr. Polk had no idea of what sort of chap he
had got hold of. 1t can't be ped now, but it's
like To be the ruin of our party. The Democratic
party halnt seen well day since Taylor first be-
gun his Pally Alto battles; and now we are all shv-
erin as bad as if we had the fever and agay.
don't know, after all but this annexin' Mexico will
turn out TO be an unlucky blow to the party; for
what will it profit the Democratic party if they
gain the whole world and lose the Presidency a.
Ye see, the Wings have pu; up Taylor for Presi-
dent; and it has completely knocked us all into a
cooked hat. There isn't one half of us that knows
where we stan or which way we are gon and there
isn't party fence in the country that is high enough
onr foil from
getting kind of crazy, and seem 10 feel as if old
Hickory had got back again, and they was all run
ming to vote for him. The Wings laugh and poke
fun at u.s. and say they have got as good right to
have Hickory as we Democrats have. We put
up Gineral Cass first. and thought we should carry
1t all hollow for he's strong and took
good deal of pains TO make the party like him all
over the country. And if the Wings had done as
they ought to, and put up Clay, or any that
they had right to put up. we should carried the
day without any trouble. But the conduct of the
Wings has been shameful in this business. Instead
OF taking man that fairly belonged to em, they
have grabbed hold of man that got all his popu-
lariy out of our war, and was under the paw of
our Administration, and has been made and built up
BY our party, and the Wings had no more business
with him than they had with the man in the MOON
But, for all that, the Wings had the impudence to
nominate him. Well, that riled our water all up,
so we couldn't see bottom nowhere. But we soon
found there was shi!tin and whirlin of currents
and the wind and the tide was setiin us on TO the
rocks, in spite of u.s. We soon see that old Rough
and Ready, as they call him, was agoing TO be too
much for Cass. But, as all making up our
mind that IL was gone goose with us, Mr. John
Van Buren,, of York Siate-he's smart Teller,
son of President Van Buren,, and chip of the old
bock-he sings out, "Don't give up the ship vet
if boss Amt enough TO draw the load, hitch on
another" Well, the idea seemed to take; and
they stirred round and got up another Convention at
Utica, in York State TO see who they should put
up, and they all pitched upon President Van Buren,
Mr.. Van Buren, patled them the shoulder, and
told 'em to have good courage and 90 ahead, for
they was on the right track, but they must hitch
on somebody else besides him, for he had made up
his mind four years ago not TO take hold again.
But they stuck to him with tears in their eyes, and
told him there wasn't another man in the country
that could draw like him alongside Mr. Cass. and
If he still had any patriotism for the party left he
mustn't say And they worked upon his feelins
SO much that at last he didn't say no. So now
we've got Two candidates, Cass and Van Buren,,
and good strong ones too, both of 'em; and if we
cant whip Taylor, think it is a pity know as
well as want to that we shall give him pesky
hard tug. Some are afraid we aint hardly strono
enough, and they've called another Convention to
meet in Buffalo the 9th of August, to put I'D an
other candidate. But others are aint-hearted about
1t, and say it's all no kind OF use we NAV put I'D
twenty candidates, and Taylor will whip the whole
/ lot: it's way he has he always did Just so in
Mexico. If they brought twenty to one agin him,
it made no odds he whipt the whole ring, from
Pally Alto to Bona Vista.
So you see what sort Of pickle we're in, and
how much we need your help jest now. But there's
one thing have my mind pretty strong. You
know this appointment in the Downingvile Post
Office, that You got Gineral Jackson to give me,
has always been great comfort to me- and it would
be sad blow TO me to lose it now in my old AGE
wish you would make it in your way 10 call and
see Gineral Taylor as you come along home, and
| try To find out how he feels towards me because
if he is to be elected any how, can't see any use
there would be in my biting my own nose off for
the sake of opposing his election. And I dom
think that patriotism TO the party requires it and
Pm sure prudence don't.
| When you get TO Washington, call and see Mr.
Richie and try TO comfort him; Im told the dear
old gentleman is workln too hard for his strength
out nights IN the rain, with lantern in his hand
heading the campaign. Try to persuade him TO be
calm and take good care of himself And be sure
and ask him how the Federals are coin this cleo
ton, for we cant find out any thing about it dowr
! here. J used to know how to keep the run of the
! FedeTaIS, but now there is so many parties. the
| Democrats, and Wings, and Uunkers, and Barn
burners, and Abolition folks, and Proviso folks al
crls-crossin one another, that | have my match &c
keep The run OF 'em. But your aunt Kesiah SAYS
the clock has struck, and must close the mail.
30 remain your loving uncle
JOSHUA DOWNING, P. NJ.