The Cecil Whig., 1851-11-29
From No ,jor Jack Downing.


We We're really rcjoiced yesterday
10 receive the subjoined letter from our
old friend and tavorite, Major Down
ING, who, from his long silence, we had
begun to fear mad gone to that bourne
to which he seems to apprehend We
must ourselves have departed. We
hope now to hear from him more fire.
ently.-Editor Nat. MteIIgenccr.
DoWNINGvlLLF,
Down EAST IN THE STATE OF MAINE,
NovEMBER 10, 1851.
Mr.. cafes s. SeatoM My dear old
friends, If YOU are yet in the land of the
liven, long to have little talk with
you about the affairs of the nation. And
if you amt in the land of the livin, but
have dropped off since I've been away
to the gold diggins Of CaIifornv, if you'll
contrlve TO let me know it I'll 90 to one
of the 'sperrit rappers' cousin Nabby
knows one Of 'em) and try to have a
chat with you that way. And my old
friend Mr.. Ritchie too, | want to have a
chat along with him.-But | don't
know where to find him, for Uncl-
Joshua tells me he isn't in the Wash.
lngton Union paper now, and they've
carried him back to Old Virginnv.
Now that's very bad; it's treason agin
the Government. How can the coun-
try get along through a Presiden tial
campaign without Mr.. Ritchle They
never have done it, and it can't be done;
it's impossible. | don't know who
they've got in his place in the Lnioa
nor | don't care; but know they never
will find one that can fight agin the
Federalists like Mr.. Richie. How
many times he saved the country from
beln eat up by Eederalists: and, what's
very remarkable, he could fight agin
EN- for years and years after they was
all dead, jest as well as he could when
they was alive. There's to be great
battle for the next President, and we
can't get along without Mr.. Richie.
lie ought not to gone of so; he owed
his services to the country, and he ought
to be ketched and brought back to
Washington under the "tugtivc slave
law" That law is carried out every
where here to the North, and We expect
it to be carried out to the South. What
Is sass for goose is sass for gander. II
the South wants to keep the North in
the Union, she must give some good
strong proof that she is willing to fulfil
and carry out the fugitive slave law.
And she couldn't do it any better than
to ketch Mr.. Richie and carry him
back to ashington, and shet him up in
the Union payer office, and tie him
down in the editorial chair, and put a
ream a paper before him and pen in
his hand, and set him to writing about
the next Presidency. Then the dark
fog that now hangs over the whole coun-
try would begin to be blowed away;
and parties could begin to see where
they are again; and the knots md the
snarls of politics would begin to be un-
ravelled, so that we could all tell where
to take hold and pull with IA fair chance
OF doing some good. Then we might
stand good chance to get President
next year. But as things now 90 the
chance looks slim enough.
Times isn't now as they used to be,
when we hadn't only two parties, and
every body could tell who he was fight
in against. Chen a single blast from
Major Ben Russell in the old Boston
Centinel would call out all the Feder-
alsts IN the country, and make 'em
draw up in straight line; and then an
other blast from Mr.. Richie in the
Richmond Enquirer would call out all
the Republicans into another line-and
when these two parties were called out
there wasn't nobody left but women and
children-and then the two parties had