Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-02-04
From The National InteRgenoer
Third Despatch from Maj. Downing
FHINATEsJ
TO JAMES n. POLK, President Of he United
STATES Of Americd, MericO, SC.
CRY or Mexico, ANNEXED L. s.,
DECEMBER 80, iS47.

%-N'--'.t-.s ~ -N--
DEAR COLONEL IL feel good deal anxious
to hear how you are getting along there to home,
and 'spose YOU are full Ms anxious 10 know how
we arc going il out here i got your message to
Congress, and their first three days doings, and
that's the last I've heard. When found the
Wbigs had fnirly carried the House, see in
moment there was bad true ahead for US
SAYS !, look out for squalls; tho old ship will
have rough time Of i this winter. | had
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 Off
GERS have rot into a dreadful snarl here, and
shouldn't Dare 70 leave ill things Is settled, for
fear the nnnexin would all go back again ami
we should losc our two years work. SO, rs
can't come, oil / can do is TO give my notions
about things little, by way Of advice.
! sec how twill be the House will be quar-
relinn 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 anncxin And don't believe the Senate
will be a copper better. lis true there amt 20
many Wings there, but there's them there that
is full rs bad. You never can do anything with
Mr. Calhoun you know he always splits every
thing in two, even TO hair; and the most he'll
ever do for US about this anncxin business will
be TO splii of a little piece Of Mexico. II he
finds out we are annexin the whole Of il he'll
fight agin Us till all is blue. Then there's Col.
Benton don't think is a.wlt better than Mr
Calhoun. You know what fuss be made when
we took in Texas, because we sot out to take in
little strip of Mexico with it only little rea-
sonable strip, too, jest on our side Of the river,
20 as TO make square work Of it. Col Benton's
ebenezer was right up about il he said ii didn't
belong to us, and il didn't belong TO Texas, and
we had no right to il, and shouldn't touch it
Now, If he made such fuss about that lite
strip on our side Of the river, he'll be likely to
raise Ned and turn up Jack il he finds out we
have a notion Of annexin the whole Of Mexico.
/ And he's n terrible enemy 20 have, can tell
YOU don't believe there's another man in the
country that can look down opposition equal TO
him. Now, with such men as these in the Sem
ate, besides all the thunder Of Webster. and all
the persuadin Of Crittenden how are you going
to get alongf think there's no way for us 10
get along safe but to keep such men in the dark.
Keep coaxing the money out Of em to conquer
piece, but never let 'em mistrust that we in
tend TO conquer the whole. We must look one
way all the time and row t'other. know you'll
have a hard time Of il, for Congress will keep
driving into 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 thousand things that they've no busi-
ness with. Now, when they keep coming to you
with these ugly questions, think the only safe
way will lie for you To shet your mouth right up.
and keep stiff upper lip, and not say a word.
And do pray be careful what you tell good old
/ Mr. Richie, for you know he never could keep
his mouth shet. There's some dogs, you know,
that always bark at the wrong time, and frieh.en
away the game. You never can train em to
keep still when they ought to. You remember
more than two years ago before the war begun,
when you was laying out the work privately and
carefully, and getting your ships round to the
Pacific, and giving the officers their orders to
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
mex il, and hold on to it, so that IL we found the
people wouldn't let the war go on, we would
come to settlement, and each side hold what
they had got-you remember how Mr. Richie
got 30 full OF the matter that he liked 10 blowed
the whole business up by letting on about the
conques, of Mexico. little more such care
lessness at that time would a been likely to up
set our whole kittle of fish-we might lost
California and Santa Fe and likely enough even
that little strip on our side of the river lining
Texas. And, rs for the whole Of Mexico, our
| jig would been up at once; we might wills
tied for IT till doomsday, but wouldn't have
como.
think you did right to make believe in your
message that you had no idea of conquerine the
whole Of Mexico. don't believe il would be
safe TO take that ground till the work is all done.
! The people OF our country are too skittish vet
about conquering other countries: thew haint
got use to it. And for this reason YOU will have
to be very firm with Congress, and not let em
eross-question you too close, and get you into
bother. Call upon them boldly for LARGO armies
and all the millions of money the minis can
make, and all that Mr. Walker can borrow. and
tell them you are digging into the vital parts of
Mexico to get that Eve millions she owes us
If they ask you If Mr. Tyler didn't offer IN
give up that five millions to Mexico to nav her
for our taking Texas without her leave, jesi shet
your mouth up.
If they aslE,you if We hadn't ought to give mn
that five millions TO Mexico for that strip on our
side of the river that you sent General Taylor
TO take without her leave, jest shet your mouth
up:
If they ask you If Mr. Trist didn't offer IN
| give up that five millions to Mexico and pay her
twenty millions more If she wouldn't try to oct
back California and New Mexico, that you had
taken from her without her leave, jest shet your
mouth up
If they ask You what upon earth YOU can
want now of hundred thousand soldiers In
Mexico, aud hundred millions of dollars a wear
for spending money, just open your lips careful
| ly little ways, and tell 'em you are digpino in
to the vital parts of Mexico to get that Eve mil
lions she owes us
Then shet your mouth right up again. and
keep il shet, and guess you'll be safe. Don't
be afraid of em they cant pry your mouth
open if they should try and guess that answer
will paciiy EN- till we get the work all done and
Mexico all annexed. Then you can step nm 10
EN- boldly and tell 'em you have made the GREAT
est bargain that any body ever made on this
airthi you have got the whole of Mexico neo-
Pile and all, for five millions of dollars, which i
only about fifty cents a head for the people, and
the lands and the gold mines thrown in for moth
ing
I'm persuaded il will make1he greatest man
Of You that ever lived yet greater than Wash
ington, or jackson, or any body. else. The
world will then say, "What great things was
WashingtonY He only defended his country
and built up Republic but there was Colonel
Polk, he conquered a country and annexed n
Republic" I'm so sure il will come to this, that
! wish you could stop their setting up that great
washington Monument there in the city Of
Washington, for that monument ought to be rails
ed to you yet, and the money should be saved
for that purpose. | don't know how YOU can
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