University of Virginia Library

LETTER XVIII.
In which Uncle Joshua discovers remarkable skill in the
science of politics, and advises Mr Downing by all means
to stand as a candidate for governor.

Dear Jack — I never felt nicer in my life than I did
when I got your last letter. I did think it was a kind of
foolish notion in you to stay down there to Portland all
winter, and then hire out there this summer. I thought
you better be at home to work on the farm; for your
father, poor old gentleman, is hauled up with the rumatize
so, he wont be able to du hardly a week's work this
summer. But I begin to believe Jack knows which side
his bread is buttered yet. For if you can only run
pretty well as a candidate for Governor, even if you
shouldn't be elected, it will be worth more to you than
the best farm in this County. It will be the means of
getting you into some good office before long, and then
you can step up, ye see, from one office to another till
you get to be Governor. But if the thing is managed
right, I am in hopes you'll get in this time, and the
Downings will begin to look up, and be somebody. Its
a very good start, your being nominated in that are paper
down to Brunswick. But there's a good deal to be
done yet, to carry it. I'm older than you are, and have
seen more of this kind of business done than you, and of
course ought to know more about it. Besides, you know
I've always been reading the papers. Well, in the first
place, you must fix upon the name of your party; I'm
thinking you better call it the democratic national republican
party, and then, ye see, you'll haul in some from
both of the two clever parties in the State. As for the
Jacksonites and Huntonites, I wouldn't try to get any

support from them; for after such rigs as they cut up in
the Legislater last winter, the people back here in the
country dont like 'em very well. I think it would hurt
you to have any thing to do with 'em. Then you must
get a few of your friends together in Portland, no matter
if there aint no more than half a dozen, and pass some
patriotic resolutions, and then publish the duins of the
meeting in the paper, headed the voice of the People:
and then go on to say, at a numerous and respectable
meeting of democratic national republicans held in Portland
at such a time, &c.

Resolved unanimously, that we have perfect confidence
in the exalted talents, the unspotted integrity, and well
known patriotism of Mr Jack Downing, [or perhaps it
should be the Hon. Jack Downing] and that we cheerfully
recommend him to the people of this State as a
candidate for the office of Governor.

Resolved, that his well known attachment to the interests,
the principles, and usages of the democratic national
republican party, eminently entitles him to their
confidence and support.

Resolved, as the sense of this meeting, that nothing
short of the election of that firm patriot, the Hon. Jack
Downing, can preserve the State from total, absolute,
and irretrievable destruction.

Resolved, that a County Convention be called to ratify
the doings of this meeting, and that the democratic national
republicans in other counties be requested to call
conventions for the same purpose.

Resolved, that the proceedings of this meeting be published
in all the democratic national republican newspapers
in the State.

We will then get up such a meeting in this town, and
pass some more highly patriotic resolutions and send
'em down, and you must have 'em put into the paper
headed A VOICE FROM THE COUNTRY. And then we must
get a few together somewhere, and call it a county convention,

and keep rolling the snow ball over, till we wind
up the whole State in it. Then, ye see, about the first
of August we must begin to pin it down pretty snug in
the papers. Kind of touch it up some how like this:
extract of a letter from a gentleman of the first respectability
in York County to the central committee in
Portland. `The democratic national republicans here
are wide awake; York County is going for Mr Downing,
all hollow: we shall give him in this county at least a
thousand majority over both Smith and Hunton.' Another
from Penobscot: `three quarters of the votes in
this county will be given to Mr Downing: the friends of
Smith and Hunton have given up the question, so satisfied
are they that there is no chance for them.'

Another from Kennebec: `from information received
from all parts of the State, upon which perfect reliance
may be placed, we are enabled to state for the information
of our democratic national republican friends, that
there is not the least shadow of doubt of the election of
Mr Downing. It is now rendered certain beyond the
possibility of mistake, that he will receive from five to ten
thousand majority over both the other candidates.'

If this don't carry it, you'll have to hang up your fiddle
till another year. And after the election is over, if you
shouldn't happen to get hardly any votes at all, you
must turn about with perfect indifference, and say the
democratic national republicans didn't try — made no
effort at all — but will undoubtedly carry the election
next year all hollow.

P. S. If you get in, I shall expect my son Ephraim
to have the office of Sheriff in this County, for he's got
some of the bean poles left yet, that he sot out to carry
to market last winter. The other offices we'll distribute
at our leisure.