The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-12-11
Letters from Maier Jack Downing.
SECOND sERIES-NO. III.
WASHINGTON, Nov. -, 1863.

| To the EdWHS of We DdO0oN:
sl,Rs:-.lf amt been buzy sence
writ YOU last, thch never a man was. Be
sides, I've had a consiierabu( twinSc Of my
old incmy, the rhcun,ntiz. Tl.is ere Wash
ington ainosfere is terrlp.1l on tie eon'tl-
tus.in. The Kernel, too, was mig ao0u
down sick one day; but we both tux a 5'ooo
old-fashianed wiskcysling, Of the very bcss
Old Rye, and went to bed on il. The next
mornn we both felt fns. rate. The Kernel
keeps as good wiskey as ever got enywhcre.
We have been. very hard at work on the
messige, and such a time rs we lave had
oft you never did see. Stanton don't know
how meny sojers he has got in the field,
nor how meny have been killed Or wound
ed. Grandfather Wclies can't tell how many
gunbotes he's got, an as to1 Chase, l!c don't
purtend 10 even guess for certainty, how
many greenbacl;s there are aAotc or how big
the public debt is. The Kernel sed he
couldn't even lay the foundashin timber Of
his messiSc until he had some fisgers about
the debt 70 begin on: So told him |
would go over al sec Chase and have talk
with him. tux my slate under my arm
an started. Soon as | went III Chase tux
me by the hand an scd he was rale down
rite glad TO sec me. | telled him what [
J wanted, an he sed he would soon have it
reddy for me, but jest then he asked me TO
go up stairs an see the macheencry an prin-
tin presses, and SO Oh, that he had got to
make money. He sed the worst OF it was
that the machcnes was constantly ge.tin
out Of order, and he wanted to know if ]
understood any thing about sicl affairs. l
tclled him there warnt nothing from squirrel
traps 10 dog churns and tlmas1ing machccnes
that [ didn't know from stem 10 stam.--
Then he sed | was jest the CHAP he wanted.
! So ] went with him, and was perfectly
thupders!ruck when | saw all the rigg;n
and f,xins, and belts, and Shafts. and pu,-
lcys and machenes all runnn and w.l!zzin,
and huzz;n, as fast as they could go. Ses
the S.cke;ary, .'this here macheen runs TO
pay off Giiieral Grants troops. This one
runs to pay off Gineral Meade's troops
This one runs for Gncral Banks. This enc
is now bizzy for Gincral Burnside, and here
! is this ere ono completely broken down. 1t
is Gineral GiIlmorc's macheen!' "Wal,"
ses |, ''Mr. Seckctary, do you have ma
checn for every Gineral and every army p
"Tcy,' ses he, '.about that Oval" scs
( /, ''what do YOU do about the coniracters"
CON- ses hc, Il ain't showed you them
yet. That's in another room" Sas lie,
''come along with me-" So follercl, and
VIC went Off into another room. 1t was
nigh about ten times as big az the first one,
and there were hundreds Of resseSrunnin'
as fast as they could go. "There," " scs he,
''if these here machencs were 10 stop one
day, it would set all Wall street into pam
ic. Sometimes, when the belts give out OF
the bolts break, or the coal gifts short, or
paper don't git in in time, there is a good
deal of troubil, but I've got it so fixed now.
that keep 'em putty well supplied Ses
J, "Nlr. Secketary, who is your enginccr?'
"Wal," scs he, ''he's good trusty man.p
"But," ses |, "supposc he should bust your
bilers, what would Wall street do then q
"Wal," ses he, Il never thought of that,
but | gncss there amt eny danger.' "Wal,"
ses |, ''steam is mighty onsartin. Cd
Aunt Kcziah Wiggcton up in Maine, used
TO say that the only safe way to run steam
boat was TO take the bilcr5 out, and my O.
pinion is, that a government run by steam
will bus; up one ofthesc days" Chase didn't
seem to like this last remark much but he
didn't say cnything. We cum down stairs
putty soon after, and feller with brown
lnin coat on, nigh about all overnl, brought
a hull lot of papers covered over with hg-
gers, and sed that Mr.. Linkin could find
out ali he wanted to from them. l looked
'em over, but couldn'; make he'd nor tail
to them. "Wal," ses |, perhaps chap
who understands bubble and twisted entry
bookkeepin' can understand this ere fggcr-
ing, but LII be hanged if | kim" Scs ],
''hcre's seven thirtys, and five iwen:ys, and
six percent, and five percent, and bonds and
stocks and sartilicates, and '63s, andISs,
and '96s, end 1855, and Lord knows how
mcny more 6s, until it gets all mixed up so
thai you can't lcll cnything more about ihc
debt than sslantin kin tell how meny sojers
has been killed and wounded. Now" ses
/, "ihe people don't care straw enything
about yonr six twentys, or your five twen-.
tys. All they want to know is jest how
much money this ere war has cost, and that
is what I'me tryin' to f:gger out for 'om-
When Old Gineral Jackson wanted me TO
80 in;o Squire Bi,illc's Bank and cifcr out
how matters stood [ soon did it, nus that
want eny moga cc,nparin TO this here affair.",
than the bunch Of cider bushes in Deacon
Jenkins meadow is 10 the Dismal Swamp.
/ tux the papers, however, over to Linkin,
for it was the best Icould do. Wen | land
cd them to the Kernel, ses he, "9lajer, does