University of Virginia Library

37. LETTER XXXVII.
MAJOR DOWNING TELLS HOW MR. CLAY PUT A STOP TO THAT FUSS IN
SOUTH CAROLINA, BESIDES HUSHING UP SOME OTHER QUARRELS.

Dear Cousin Ephraim:—I got your letter this morning. It
was a shame for them are Legislater folks to skulk off without
paying you for your apples. But they are the worst
folks about standing to their word that I know of. They've
promised me an office more than twenty times, but some how
or other, come to the case in hand, their votes always went
for somebody else. But I don't care a fig for 'em as long as
I've got the President on my side, for his offices are as fat
again as the Legislater offices are. The President's offices
will support a man pretty well if he doesn't do anything at
all. As soon as Mr. Clay's tariff bill passed, the President
called me into his room, and says he, “Major Downing, the
nullification jig is up. There'll be no fun for you in South
Carolina now, and I guess you may as well let Sargent Joel
march the company back to Downingville, and wait till somebody
kicks up another bobbery somewhere, and then I'll send
for 'em, for they are the likeliest company I've seen since I
went with my Tennessee Rangers to New Orleans. And as

for you, Major Downing, you shall still hold your commission,
and be under half pay, holding yourself in readiness to march
at a moment's warning, and to fight whenever called for.”

So you see, Cousin Ephraim, I am pretty well to live in the
world, without any of your land speculations or apple-selling
Down East. I can't seem to see how 'tis they all make
money so fast in that land business down there that you tell
about. How could all our folks, and Bill Johnson, and all of
'em there in Downingville make a thousand dollars apiece,
jest a trading round among themselves, when there ain't
fifty dollars in money, put it all together, in the whole town.
It rather puzzles me a little. As soon as I see 'em all get
their thousand dollars, cash in hand, I guess I'll give up my
commission, and come home and buy some land tu.

But at present I think I rather have a bird in the hand than
one in the bush. Our Congress folks here cleared out about
the same time that your Legislater folks did, and I and the
President have been rather lonesome a few days. The old
gentleman says I must n't leave him on any account; but I
guess I shall start Joel and the company off for Downingville
in a day or two. They've got their clothes pretty much
mended up, and they look quite tidy. I should n't feel
ashamed to see 'em marched through any city in the United
States.

It isn't likely I shall have anything to do under my commission
very soon. For some say there'll be no fighting in
the country while Mr. Clay lives, if it should be a thousand
years. He's got a master knack of pacifying folks and hushing
up quarrels as you ever see. He's stopt all that fuss in
South Carolina, that you know was just ready to blow the
whole country sky-high. He stept up to 'em in Congress,
and told 'em what sort of a bill to pass, and they passed it
without hardly any jaw about it. And South Carolina has

hauled in her horns, and they say she'll be as calm as a clock
now. And that isn't the only quarrel Mr. Clay has stopt.
Two of the Senators, Mr. Webster and Mr. Poindexter, got as
mad as March hairs at each other. They called each other
some pesky hard names, and looked cross enough for a week
to bite a board nail off. Well, after Mr. Clay got through
with South Carolina he took them in hand. He jest talked to
'em about five minutes, and they got up and went and shook
hands with each other, and looked as loving as two brothers.

Then Mr. Holmes got up and went to Mr. Clay, and, almost
with tears in his eyes, asked him if he wouldn't be so kind as
to settle a little difficulty there was between him and his constituents,
so they might elect him to come to Congress again.
And I believe some of the other Senators asked for the same
favor.

So as there is likely to be peace now all round the house
for some time to come, I'm in a kind of a quandary what
course to steer this summer. The President talks of taking a
journey Down East this summer, and he wants me to go with
him, because I'm acquainted there, and can show him all
about it. He has a great desire to go as fur as Downingville,
and get acquainted with Uncle Joshua, who has always stuck
by him in all weathers, through thick and thin.

The President thinks Uncle Joshua is one of the Republikan
pillars of New England, and says he shall always have
the Post-Office as long as he lives, and his children after him.

I rather guess, on the whole, I shall come on that way this
summer with the President. But wherever I go I shall remain
your loving cousin,