If I were a
"whig" I should begin this letter by a Phillipic against Amos
Kendall, in this, that your much valued favor of 16th Dec. '38 did not reach me
until the news-papers had brought such intelligence as rendered it probable that
my answer would not find you in Washington D. C. the further information
received by me induced me to send this to your home, a place hallowed in my
memory by associations of friendship and kindly feeling.
I will not pretend
that I do not regret the decision of the House of Reps. in the Wisconsin Ty.
case, yet my regrets are mitigated by the assurance that your interests will be
advanced by your presence at home and that the happiness you will find in the
midst of your amiable family will greatly exceed all you could have hoped for
at Washington that hot bed of heartlessness and home of the world's worldly.
Although I have seen
on former occasions a man's best feelings used as weapons of assault against
him, I had not conceived that the disinterested sacrifice you made to support
Mr. Cilley and the pain and difficulty you encountered because of your
connection with that affair, could be arrayed against you, and I am glad to
perceive that you have not recoiled with disgust from a constituency so little
able to appreciate your motives.
Doty is too cunning
to last long, and the "little man that writes for the news-papers"
will probably find himself too poorly paid to play into his hand again
The President in
refusing your appointment as Govr. of Iowa pursued the same shackled
electioneering policy that caused him to call an Extra session of Congress and
covered the financial part of his last message with the spirit of Banking, a
policy which may divide the Democrats take from the banner under which the
State right's men would have rallied to their aid, but can never propitiate
Bank whigs or Federalists; as the head of the democratic party I wish him
success, but he had sowed indecision, a plant not suited to the deep furrows
ploughed by his predecessors. You perceive that when I write of politics I am
out of my element and naturally slip back to seeding and ploughing about which
I hope to talk with you all next summer.
It gave me much
pleasure to hear that I was not forgotten by Dr. Linn1 and Mr. Allen2
I esteem them both, and I love the Doctor.—I have written to you I scarcely
know about what but it all means I am interested in whatever concerns you and
wish to hear from you often. My health is better than when we parted, and I
hope to visit Sinsinawa next summer looking something less pale and yellow than
when we met last winter
Present my
remembrances and kindest regards to your Lady and believe me to be
Sinsinawa
* George Wallace
Jones (1804-1896), an American political leader, was born in Vincennes, Ind.,
April 12, 1804; was graduated from the Transylvania University in 1824, studied
law and served as clerk of the U. S. District Court for Missouri in 1826-1827.
He removed to Sinsinawa Mound, Michigan Territory (now Wisconsin), in 1827;
served in the Black Hawk war on the staff of General Henry Dodge; was a
Michigan delegate in Congress, 1835-1836, and a Wisconsin delegate, 1837-1839;
Surveyor General of public lands for Wisconsin and Iowa from January 29, 1840,
to July 4, 1841, and from January 3, 1846, to December, 1848; U. S. Senator
from Iowa from December 7, 1848, to March 3, 1859; U. S. Minister to Bogota
from March, 1859, to July, 1861. Shortly after his return from Bogota Jones was
arrested in New York on a charge of disloyalty based on a friendly letter to
Jefferson Davis and was imprisoned for sixty-four days in Fort Lafayette, when
he was released by order of President Lincoln. He died in Dubuque, Iowa, July
22, 1896.
1 Lewis Fields Linn, United States Senator
from Missouri, 1833-1843.
2 William Allen, United States Senator from
Ohio, 1837-1849.
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