Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-01-03
A LETTER FROM MAJOR DOWNING.
Major zach Dooniag 10 Governor Louis Kossath.
DowNINGyILLE AWAY DOWN EAST,
In Tie Stqte Of Name. DecemJer % 1851.

DowSINGvILLE, AWAY DOWN EAST
IN the STATE Of Name December % 1851.
DEAR GOVERNOR hope you wont feel sighted
because haint writ to you afore. The truth is, L
have Mt had no time I've been 50 busy for about
month past, | could II get time to write no how
Unsle Joshua and have been hard to work all the
time, day and night, reading your speeches and the
duins of the meetins in New York and England.
We begun week or two before you got to York,
and have been at it ever sance. We commonly get
up and 90 at it before breakfast, and take turns
reading and keep up till bed time; that is till
nine o'clock in the evenin; for that's the time we
Downingvile folks 90 to bed. So | hope you wont
feel sighted because have MT found time to write
to you afore now and hope you have mt felt lone
some since you've been in York. see you are on
the way to Philadelphy, and Baltimore, and Wash
ihgton, and if you should feel lonesome in them
places, jest turn about apd come down here to Down
ingyille, and we'll try to cheer you up and make
you feel at home | say this because | have took
great liking to you, and always mean what say.
I've took greater liking to you than any body else
since | lost my dear old friend Gineral Jackson.
May be it is because you are SO much like him.
Fact, IN some things it to me you Jest like
him. Old Hickory was the man what :" took the
responsibility" when he wanted to do any thing; ;
and see you are jest so; you amt afraid to take
the responsibility; and what's better STILL you are
trying to encourage other folks to take the response
biity tn. Old Hickory was great hand to make
principles, and then fight 'em through And there
agin | think you are good deal like him. And,
by the way, begin to feel quite liking for Presi-
dent Bonaparte of France, for see he's took the
responsibility at last, and been maxim principles and
| fghtn of 'em through There's some smart folks
in the world yet; and it's well there is, for it's
pretty likely therell be for em before another
year is out And then another thing which makes
me think you are so much like Old Hickory is the
hoorohs. Why, it seems to me | can hear EN- all
the way from York to Downingville; and it carries
me right back to old times when the whole country
was ringing with " hoorah for jackson"
| think dear Governor, you better stop here till
next summer, and not 90 back to Hungary We
shall have to make new President next summer,
and you misht get in to be President Jest easy
a cat could Ink her ear-and President you know
is higher than Governor. Had MT you better take
/ it? | knowlyou can get it if you'll only say the
word Our parties in this country have been so
broke to pieces and mixed up lately that nobody
could tell WIN to pitch upon for President and
we've been good deal worried for fear we shouldn't
make out to choose any President at all next
summer. And amt sure but what you've got here
jest IN the nick of time to get out of this scrape
For if you'll only stand as candidate you'll 90 in
all holler. | never knew it fail, when the hoorahs
got up strong they have been since you got to
York. We,vegot about twenty parties in this coun-
try now; THERE'S the old Wing party, and the old
Democrat party, and the Wooly-head Wings and
the Silyer-gray Wings, and the Hunker Democrats,
and the Barnbuner Democrats, and the Seward par
ty and the Union-Safety Committee party, and the
Liberty party and the regular Free-So party, and
the regular Vcte-yoursef-a-farm party, and the old
Abolition party, and the old Secession party, (Which
sprouted up ont of the old Notification party that
and old Hickory killed Of, and the Cooperation
Secessionists, and the out and out goalone Seces
sionists and now there's two parties added that
amt hardly three weeks old yet--the Intervention
party and the Non-intervention party and | believe
these are divided again into the party for InterUe
ton Vdtom a0ar, and the party for Intervention
acdr or 40 ,odr.
1t was lucky you took stand and put your foo
down when you first got New ork that you wouldn
bemixed with any OF our parties in this country fol-
if you had once fairly gotmixed in with en- you would
a found yourself in such snarl that am afraid
4 you would wish yourself back to Turkey again be-
fore you would ever get out of it. And it's lucky
on another account that you have It mixed UP with
any of our twenty parties. For now you are the
only man in the country that can get their votes
As you have mt said nothin agin none of EN-, they
can all turn round and vote for you, and if you'll
only say the word they'll do it, and glad Of the
chance for that to be the only way they can
get handsomely out of everlasting snar they've got
into all over the country You need Mt be afraid
there's any thing in the way agn your being Presi-
dent To be sure, there is some little rules laid
down about it in constitution, but that can all
be managed well enough it only wants somebody
to take the responsibility. Folks cant always 90
accordin to the constitution when they get into bad
snarl; they have to make new principles to 90 by.
See how President Bonaparte has Jest got out of his
snarT; the constitution did mt stand in his way
bit; he jest sot up new principle and fit it out.
And you see he's come out all straight and now can
wind his yarn any where to suit himself
don't see nothin in the way to prevent your get
ting in to be President if you've mind to. You
have Mt mixed up with party, so you would'n Mt
have to fight agin party, and it's pretty likely
no party wouldn't fight agin you. But there
another thing makes it sure than all that You
know this is free country, and all the offices be-
longs to every body; and them that can make the
best and the most stump speeches commonly gets
in. Now | know we haven't got any body in this
country from Maine to Texas nor from Dan to Beer
Sheba that hold candle to you in that kind of
business. OF course when / say this mean the
old bible Dan and Beer Sheba there is another Dan
in this country, that if you should happen to run
a-foul of don't know but the case might be different
Now it seems to me you better 90 in for the Pre-
sidency instead of going back to Hungary bird in
the hand is worth two in the bush any how and
this country is fairly under your thumb now, but
Hungary is still under the paw of the Russian Bear
So that although You are the 6opeJuOr of Hunoarv