The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-12-21
PRIVATE LErrEr TO GENERAL PIERCE,
Aa Downingvillc Me-. Nov. 1e.

a - L.. Downingvllo Me-, Nov. I6
a Dear Gneral: I guess you little though
v when we was having that scratch in Mexic
/ mat It was going to make President of YOU
: nut time and chance happens to all men, an,
| why shouldn't lack como to you as we'll as an,
, ooay eises | didn't expect, when lost dea
old Gineral Jackson that should ever hav,
q chence to write to another Gineral in tn,
, Presidents chair. President Polk was onlv
Colonel, and some how il didn't seem half s,
, natural for me to say, "dear Colonel" as il die
, to say dear Gineral,"i had been so used K
r u IN old Hickory's time. And l cant heir
thinking that nobody lower than Gineral evel
ought to bo President and have got TO make
the best OF it. And as had good deal OF
experience in Gineral Jackson's time. and YOU
are kind of young in governm mt matters.
feltit my duty to write to you, and try to en-
courage you along, for don't expect you know
what darksome and trying times there is going
through the Presidency.
The first thing that is necessary, is to keep
2 stiff f.upper lip. 1t was keeping n stiff upper
] lip atcarried Gineral jackson through great
many hard trials. There was so many hands
TO the bellows that blowed you into the Presi-
dency that I'm afraid when they come to
settle up accounts therel be a suuabble that
will make more trouble for you than ever old
Hickory had. When the old line of Demo-
Gratis. North and South and the Hunkers, and
the Barnburns, and the Free soilers. aud the
States Rights Democrats, and the Union Wings
and the Secessionists, and the Carolina Nulli-
hers, and the Old Fogies and Young America,
all get you by the throat and every one crying
out"pay me that thou owest," almost tremble
to think what will become of you. unless you
have good deal of the true old Hickory grit.
You must put on the stiffest kind of upper lin.
and take the responsibility, or it'll be gone
goose with you. You had better shake them
oil off, and advertise that you won't pay any
debts of their contracting.
You must remember that the Wings is dead
and buried, so you haven't got to fight agin
that any more. And you must remember too
that the Wing party has left considerable val
liable property, and that the Democratic party
is the natural heir to it. So you can take up
the Bank and the Tariff, and Internal Improve
mente, and such kind of notions, and use 'em
quietly for the benefit of the great Democratic
must take care to fix EN- over into Democratic
Bank, and Democratic Tariff. and Dmocratic
Internal improvements, and then nobody won't
say a word agin 'em.
Well, now, about the Cabinet. That is
ticklish kind Of business, and feel uneasy to
know how you'll get along with it. Uncle
Joshua thinks you'd better take one out of
each party that went for you, and give em all
fair chance. But you can't have but seven
members in the Cabinet, unless you conclude
to have a Kitchen Cabinet too, and / don't
suppose you'll do that, for they amt apt to
work very well. Old Hickory himself got
tired before twas over So if you haunt but
seven members, there won't be enough to give
one to each party. and them that's left to suck
their fingers will always be biting their thumbs
at yon And then you know the rule is, that
the Cabinet should always be a unit. But
I'm afraid if you got one in from each party
it will be very quarrelsome kind Of unit, and
you will have no comfort Of your life. And
then if you was to give tho whole to one
or two parties, you would of course have about
dozen parties up in arms agin you, and
squalls and harrycanes blowing from all quar-
ters. Just see how it would work If you
shonld pick out a sonnd, wise Old Fogy TO take
hold with you to help cook matters up, the
Democratic Review wonld be down upon you
like "a pickpocket for trying to hobble along OH
the ''mere beaten horse" And then if you
was to look 'tother way and SGT Young Amer
lea to the helm; the old Fogies would be afraid
some of the mad caps will run us on to the
breakers andsend us oil to the bottom. In
that case pretty likely there would be great
er unit out of The Cabinet than there was in it
and there would bo danger all round. You
seem to be in snarl any way you can fix it.
Now, if you take my advice, Gineral, you
will shet your eyes. aud stob your cars, and
take the responsibility, and when they como
pulling and haullidg around you. just say TO
the Democrats and Old Fogies and Young A
merica, and the Barnburncrs, and the Free |
soers, and the Abolishionists, and the Seces-
sionists. and the Nullifers, that you don't
know none of 'em, and that you amt their
President but that you are the President of
the United State, and you mean "to go for
the whole or none. That is, | mean the
whole ofthe United States. that is fairly ours
not the whole Of the creation for this last busi-
ness is one that neads to be looked at and
thought on considerable before going into it, |
know some folks say there is to bo a great
deal of anexin none during your adminestra-
ton. Now don't know what your notions is
on this subject. if annexin is TO be tho main
business of your term, tho next question is,
what is the best way to do it: Uucle Joshua |
always says, i'm nine cases out of ten it costs
moro to rob an orchard than it would to buy |
the apples. If that's truc,, may be that fill
clustering wouldn't bo the cheabest way to an
mex. But some folks have great fancy to fill
libusterin, let it cost what twill. you should
think of branching out strong that way don't
suppose you could do better than to take Kos
suth for Secretary of State. For he is Cove
nor of Hungary you know, and could hitch
that fine country, right on to our team, with |
out the trouble of fllibustern about it. Ii
could be done so quick the Russian Boar would
mt have hardly time to growl And then
small fllibustcring arm could bring in Cuba
and Gambia, and Mexico, and the rest as fast
as we should know what to do with them.
Good by, Ginoral go ahead, and keep a stiff
upper lip, and anything can do for you, jest
lot me know. So remain your true friend.
MAJOR JACK DOWNING.