The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-02-10
NUMBER "a.
From the National Intelljgencer.
THIRD DISPATCH FROM MAJ. DOWNING.
[%PEIyATE.]
To JAMES K. Polk, President Of the United
States Of Amcrica, JIerico, &c.

-0' HN1 -@SN'SN5 ~
r City OF MEXICO, ANNEXED U. S, Dec. 80, 1s47.
f Dear Colonel Il feel IA good deal anxious
TO hear how YOU are getting along there to
home, and | 'spose you are full as anxious to
know how we are going it out here. / cot
your message to Congress, and the fins. thlee
days doings, and that's the last Pve head
" hen | found the Wings had fairly carried
the House, | see in a moment there was d bad
time ahead for lis Says |, look out for squalls ;
the old ship will have IA rough tine Of il this
winter. | lad a good mind to cone light
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 a dreadful snarl here, and l shouldn't
dare to leave till things is settled, for fear the
annexation would all 20 back again, and we
should lose our two years work. so, as /
can't cone, all can do is to give my notions
about things a little, by way Of advice.
| see how twill be; the House will be quar-
relllng with You all winter; they'll lie asking
you all the hard questions they can think Of,
and all the time prying into your secrets about
the war and annexation. And d ,n't believe
the Senate Will be a copper letter. lis
true there amt 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 III two,
even to a hair and the most he'll ever do
ior us about this a~nneXin business viii lie to
split of a little piece Of MrHico. If he finds
out VIC are |annrAin the Whole t. It hrll fght
agin Us till all is blue. Then there's Col.
Benton l don't tiiItk is d whit better than
Mr.. Calhoun. ICu know what a fuss lie
made when we took in Texas, because we
sOt out to take in a little strip Of Mexico with
1t; only a little reasonable strip, too, Jest on
our side Of the river, so as 10 make square
work Of it. Col. Brnion's rbenpzer was light
up about it; he said it didn't belong to us,
and it didn't belong TO Texas. and we had 10
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. hen he
be likely to raise Ned and turn up Jack if he
finds out W. have Il notion Of a|uneXin the
whole OF Mexico, And hc'sH terrible enemy
to have, | can tell you; | don't believe there's
another man in the country that car lock
opposition equal to him. Now. with
such men rs these in the Senate, besides all
the thunder of Webster, and all the persuadin
OF Ctittenden, how are you going to oct alono!
| think there's no way for Us to get doug safe
but to keep such men in the dark. Keep
coaNlnG the money out Of 'enI to conquer IL
peace, bat never let 'em mistrust flat we IN
tend to conquer the WE0Ie. We must look
one way all the time and row 'tother. know
you'll have Il hard tine Of it, for Congress
viii keep diving into you all the tine WIKI
this question and that, and pryin into all the
secrets about the war, and want to know
orders you give to US out lCrc in Mex
leo, AID what the armies are going TO do. and
" here all the money Goes to, and a thousand
hings that they've no business with. Now,
they keep coming to You with these
lalv questions, i think the only safe way will
9e for YOU TO shut your mouth RIGHT up.' and
Keep a stiff upper lip, and not say Il word.--
do pray be careful what you tell to good
I'D MIR. Richie, for you know be never could
Keep his mouth shet. There's scne dogs,
you know, that always bark at tie wrong
me, and tli4htcn away the game. You
never can tram '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 care.
MY, and getting our ships round to tie Pa
'liir, and giving the Off, cls their orders TO
stan ready and wait till the train WAS touched
N tins side, and the moment they heard the
sound Of the war 10 snap up California
nd annex it, and hold on to it, so that if We
ound the people wouldn't let the war 90 on,
we would cone to a settlement, ard each
hold what they had got-you remember
row MIR, Ritchle got so full Of lie matter that
ie liked to bIowcd the whole business up Ly
citing on about the conquest Of MeXiro. A
ittIe more such calelcssress at that tine
would Il been likely to upset our whole kettle
If fSh-we might a lost California. and Santa
Fe, and likely enough even that Tide strip
On our side of the river iining Tcxas. And,
rs for the whole Of Mexico, our iig would a
lccn up at once: we might Il whistled for it
ill doomsday. but 'twouldn't come.
I think YOU did RIGHT TO make believe in
your message that Won had no idea Of con.
1uerino the Whole of Mexico 7 der, Lo-