Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-01-23
Letter from Maj. Jack Downing
TO the New Work Eay Book.
WILLARDsEs HOTEL,

Washington, Dec 25th, 1874.
Editurs Da- book :-Yourn ov the
25th ult., sent to Downingyille, was
forarded to me at the Capital, an | he'd
the pleasure Nv readin' it an hour ago.
It's Jest ten years sense l rit line for
your jernal, and when | see the faml.
yer sine on the top of the letter, 'Da-
book office, New York" my old heart
give futter, and the tears filled my
old eyes to think ov ten wasted and
lost winters and summers arter our try
in to fix up things, me and Linkin, and
Seward, and Chase, and not only the
kinlry gone about TO the diyll, but
Liukin, Seward and company gone to
the devil too, for all know, and only
me, the old Majer, left to look on the
rack of matter all around us. Its cen
amost enutf to make an old man like me
jest want to peg out and foller um rite
off. ....... ..,fr
Yure letter axes me to open korlS-
pondence agin, and let the people kno
eggsactly wat Grant and Butler and the
rest of the administration here is about,
and wat they are goin' to flyer ont for
the fntur, as you truly say, "ef Majer
Jack Downing, of the Downingville
Insensibles, who was the friend and
companion of Jackson and adviser Of
Linkin & Co., ten years ago, cant get
behind the scenes to day and tell us
how Grants political kat is goin' to
jump, from now to November, 1876,
we don't kno the patriot as can" Well,
afore l got yure letter seemed to have
a warnin' that my sarvices would be
wantin', and told my darter to pack my
shirt in the old hair trunk, for l was a
goin strait to Washington, cos / felt
that | was needed there. "Why Ma
jer," says Jcrusha, says she, "yure ru-
matiz may come on, and think of yure
age, says she, land what should | do
eff you was laid up sick in that ungodly
place ? Don't 60, Majer," says she,
''yure too old now to go of, nobody
knows where, and yer only darter left
alone, to see arter the farm Wen
Jerushe told me | was too old, my dail-
der rz, and | determined to start right
of. Though | am jam on to eighty
seven, / am smarter than Squire Wig
gins, who got married last month, and
took ',5ridle tower" as his wife called
it, to Washington, SO says /, "Jerushc,
pack my shirt to onct. I've got duty
TO fulfill afore l peg out, and ef can
ade my kintry by keepin my eye on
Grant, line bound to do it. 1t was kind
O Gurus that your letter, all the time
me and Jerushe was argyfying this
pint, was on the way, axing me to do
Jest what | felt ! ort to do-go to
Washington and try to get the old
Ship Of State kind O. put to rites some
how, and tell the Da-book readers
weekly, how / got on with my job.
Well, as sed at the top Of this letter,
your epistol has been dooley red, ana l
accept the proposel to resume, arter
long years of political retirement, the
Majer Jack Downing correspondence
with my favorite old Da-book. l find
lots OF new faces in Washington, and
they are generally wot are called second
class men. The old, ignorant, and de-
luded but honest Abolitionists, like my
ded and gone friend Chase, are not
found here now. These fellers are all
arter jobs, fat contracts, offices, or hev
some swindlin' skeme on hand, and all
their love for the niger is founded on
his vote. Ef the nigger did not sarve
to hist white man into office, there
would be mitey little said about ''our
colored brother" to-day. I've had talks
with Sammy Cox and Fernandy Wood
over the Dimekratic futer, and the tidle
wave of Nov. 4th. and I must say l
kant eggsac.ly tathom these so-called
Dimekrats. Sammy is as smart as they
make up. but his principles are rather
Nv the Ingy-rIbber kind. to be contract
ed or stretched to suit the policy nv the
hour Now, on the question of the
nigger ballots, Sammy says he "sees no
objection to Dimekratic votes, white,
black, ring streaked, specified, or any
other hue; but when the other side con-
troll, he says, ''all this political lever
age, then he diskivers cogent reasons
why this ere Republic should be siis-
tanned by an intelligent and virtuous
white suffrage" While me and Sammy
was discussin matters, my old friend,
Fernandy Wood, come, gravely, and
withhis general "dig," saunteriug thro'
the readin' loom, with his hands behind
him, and kuowed me TO onet. "Majer,'
says he, in his calm, cool stile, as pol
ished as a pianerl case, Il am glad, to
meet you in Washington agin. It's ten !
years, / think, sense We had the pleas
ure of your society. You know / often
met You at Linkin's. where. you was al
ways a welcome visitor, well as myself"
said Fernapdy, with one of his cold but
smiles I bowed and shook