The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-03-02
Letter from Major Downing to Gov. Kossuth
DowsisGviLLE, AWAY Down EAST,
In the Sfafe Of Mainc Dec % lR5l


| DEAR GovERsoR:-l hopo you won't feel
sighted because haint writ to yon afore.---
The truth Is, hayn't had no time. I've been
so busy for about month past, couldn't get
time to write no how. Uncle Joshua and have
been hard to work all the time, day and night,
reading your speeches. and tho duins of the
mectins in New York and England. We be-
gun week or two afore you got to York, and
have been al it ever since. We commonly get
up and go at it before breakfast, and take turns
reading, and keep il up till bed tme that is till
nine O'Clock in the evenin; for that's the time
we Downingvillo folks go to bed.
So ! hope you wont feel slighted because |
hnvnt found time to write to you nfore now, and
/ ! hope you havn't felt lonesome since you've
| been in York. / see you are on your way 10
Phadephy and Baltimore, and Washington,
and if you should feel lonesome iG them places,
| Jest turn and come down here to Downngville
and well try to cheer you M and make you
feel at home. I say this because have great
liking TO you. and ! always mean what ] say.
I've took greater liking To you than any bndy
else since lost my dear friend Ginera Jack.
son. May be il is because you are so much
like him. Facl. in some Things IL seems 10 me
you are just like him. Old Hickory, was the
man what took tho responsibility when he
wanted to DO anything: and see you are jest
so; you aint afraid to take tho responsibility;
and what's better still, you arc trying to encour-
age other folks to take the responsibility tn.
Old Hickory was great hand to make prin-
| ciples and and then fight 'em through And
there agin think you arc good deal like him.
And By the way, begin 10 feel quite liking
for President Bonapnre of France, for see
hos took the responsibility at last, and been
maxim principles and ightin of 'em through -
There's som smart folks in the world yet; and
it's well there is. for it's pretty likely thcrel
be use for 'em before another year is out. Aud
then another thing which makes me think you
are so much like Old Hickory is the hoorchs -
Why, il seems to me can hear 'em all tho way
| from York 10 Downingviile; and il carries me
right back to old times, when the whole coun-
try was ringing with 'hoorah FOR Jackson
think. dear Governor. you had better stop
here till next summer, and not go back TO Hun
gary We shall have to make new President
next summer, and you might get in President
as easy as a cat could lick her ear-and Pres
ident you know is higher than Governor
Hadn't you better take il! know you can get
it if you only say the word Our parties in
this country have been so broke to pieces and
mixed up lately that nobody could tell who To
pitch upon for President; and we've been good
deal worried for fear we shouldn't make out to
choose one at all next summer. And ! oint
sure but what you've got here just in the nich
of time to get Us ont of the scrape. For il
you'll stand as candidate you'll go in all holler.
never knew il 10 fail, when the hoorahs got
up so strong os they have been since you got to
York.
We've got about twenty parties in this coun-
try now; there's the old Whig party, and the
old Democratic party, and the Wolly head
Wings, and the Sver-Grey Wigs. and the
Hunker Democrats, and the Barnburner Dem
ocrats. and the Seward party, and tho Union
safety Committee party, and the Liberty party,
and the regular Free Soil party, and the old
Abolition party, and the old Secession party,
(which sprung out of the old Notification par.
ty that and Old Hickory killed off, and the
Co-Operation Secessionists, and the out and
ont go-aionc Secessioniss: and now there's
two new parties added that ant hardly three
weeks old yet the Intervention party and the
Non Intervention party: and believe these are
divided again into the party for Interpention
,ciihoHt tpar and the party for Intervention tcar
or no rGr.
Ii was lucky you took stand and put your
foot down when you first got to New York tina,
you wouldn't be mixed up with any Of our par
ties in this country, for if you hsd got fairly
mixed in with EN-, you would a found yourself
in such n snarl that am afraid you would wish
yourself back to Turkey again before you would
ever get out Of it. And it's lucky on another
account that you haven't 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 havn't said nothin agin none OF en-. they
can all turn round and go for you, if you'll say
the word they'll do it, and glad of the chance;
for that seems to be the only way they can get
handsomely out ofthc everlasting snarl they've
got into all over the country.
You needn't be afraid there's anything in the
way against your being President. To be sure
there is some little rules laid down about |; in
our constitution. but that can all be managed
well enough; il only wants somebody to take re
sponsibil;ty. Folks can't always go nccordin
TO tho constitution when they get into bad
snarl; they have TO make new principles To GO
by. See how President Bonapartc has ics, got
out of his snarl; the constitution didn't stand
in his way bit: he jest set up new principle
and fit it out. And you see he's come out all
straight, and now he can wind bis yarn 10 suit
himself.
don't see noihin in the way to prevent yonr
being President if you've mind TO. You hav-
mt mixed up with no party. you wouldn't
have to fight agin no party. and It's pretty lilc
~ no party would have to fight agin you. But
there's another thing makes il more sure than
| al that. You know this free country, all the
Offices belong 10 every body; and them that can
make the best and most stump speeches com
monty gets in. Now know we havn't got any
body in this country from Maine to Texas. nor
from Dan to Beershcba, who con hold candle
to you in that hind of of business. OF course
when ] say this mean the old bible Dan and
Beersheba; there is another Dan in this conn
try that il You should happen 10 run foul OF
don't know but the case might be different.
Now it seems to me you better 90 in for The
Presidency, instead of goin back 10 Hungary; a
bird in hand is worth two in tho bush any how:
and this country is fairly under your thumb now
but Hungary is still under the paw ofthc Rus
sian Bear. So that although you are tho Coz.
crnor of Hungary. its likely enough there wonld
be pesky hard scratch before you could gov
ern II, il you went back. But see some pa
pers say that you aint Governor of Hungary
now. although they don't deny but what you
was once. wish them papers had better man.
ners: they nigh; Just as well say thet | aint