50. LETTER L.
MAJOR DOWNING PREVENTS A ROBBERY IN THE SENATE CHAMBER.
Washington City, Dec. 28, 1833.
To the Editor of the Portland Courier, in the Mariners' Church
Building, second story, eastern end, Fore street, Porland, away
Down East, in the State of Maine.
My Dear Old Friend:—We've been in a kind of harrycane
here, and I and the Gineral has had to hold on so tight, to
keep things from blowing away, that I couldn't hardly get a
chance to write to you afore now, though I have wanted to
twenty times.
It seems as if this Congress come together determined to
have a real whirlwind all winter. Mr. McDuffie raves like a
mad lion; I thought when he was making a speech t'other
day that he would stave his bench all to pieces, he slat things
round so. And Mr. Clay is as full of mischief as he can live.
He's been bothering us with some pesky thing or other the
whole time since he has been here. When the Senate sent to
the President for that document that he read to the Cabinet
last September, about removing the deposites, I didn't know
one spell but the old Gineral would a took his cane and gone
right into the Senate room, and drove 'em all out together,
and told 'em to go home about their business. But I talked
to him and pacified him, and got him pretty well cooled down
at last. And then says he, “Major, what would you do
about it?” “Well,” says I, “Gineral, supposin' the Senate
should ask you to send 'em one of my letters, what would you
tell 'em?” “Why,” says he, “I would tell 'em that they had
no business with it.” “Well,” says I, “Gineral, what is the
difference between one of my letters to you and one of your
letters to the Cabinet?” “None at all,” says he, “and I'll
be hanged if they get it;” and he sot right down and wrote
to 'em and told 'em so.
Well, then we sot and smoked a little while, talking about
one thing or another, and at last the President broke out
again about the Senate sending to him for that document that
he read to the Cabinet; and all at once he started up and
catched his hat and cane, and says he, “Major, if I don't put
a veto upon them chaps, my name isn't Andrew Jackson;”
and he whisked out of doors before I had time to think. I had
my shoes off, and my feet up against the jam, but I slipped
'em on as quick as I could, and out after him. But by the
time I got out he was away down Pennsylvany avenu ever so
far, pulling for the Congress house as fast as he could go. I
pulled on after him, and overtook him jest as he was going
into the Senate room. And I took hold of his arm, and says
I, “Gineral, haven't I always advised you well?” And he
stopt and looked round at me, and the rinkles begun to
smooth out of his face, jest as they always do when he looks
at me, and says he, “Yes, Major, I must say that.” “Well,”
[ILLUSTRATION]OLD HICKORY AT THE SENATE DOOR.
[Description: 688EAF. Page 244. In-line image. One man is about to open a door while another man stands behind him with his hand on the man's arm.]
says I, “Gineral, then my opinion is, that you better stop and
think of this business a little before you go into the Senate
to kick up a bobbery. There's Mr. Clay making a speech
now; and if you should make a drive right in among 'em, it
would be like going into a hornet's nest. The opposition, you
know, have the majority, and they'd flock round Clay as thick
as though he was the queen bee in a beehive, and they might
be too many for you.” Says he, “Major, I shouldn't be afraid
of 'em if there was five times as many; but I never did know
your advice to prove wrong yet, so, if you think it's best, I'll
stop and consider of it a little.” After a while I got him to
go back to the house again, and be contented with sending
the letter that they shouldn't have the document. But it was
a good while before I could get him entirely calmed down,
and he seemed to be considerably riled about my telling him
the Senate might be too much for him if he went right in
among 'em. He declared if they sent to him for any more of
his private papers, he'd pull the ears of some of 'em, if he
didn't cut 'em off. “Why, Major,” says he, “I shouldn't be
afraid to meet a whole regiment of 'em.”
I'll write to you again pretty soon, and let you know something
more about matters and things here.
Your faithful friend,
MAJOR JACK DOWNING.
