Boston, Thursday, 6th Jan. 1853.
My Dear Mann:
— You will see that the Commonwealth has gone into new hands. I was
foolish enough to re-invest in the concern — but I ought not to say foolish
either, for I did not wish to see it go down with dishonour. I wished to nail
the anti-slavery flag to the mast and see her swim or sink with that flying.
Downer, Alley, Sewall, Baldwin1 and myself own
the concern. I have been for some time doing the Spirit of the Press and
helping in my way. How do you like her looks now? I am going to try to get
Wright2 to work. Can you not help us from Washington, or find
someone who will send us an occasional letter? Would you think of taking hold
of the paper after the fourth of March as editor in chief, that is, director of
the political pop-gun, and make of it a cannon? You would be called upon for
only four or five columns a week. We are going to pay our contributors as much
as we can, but that is as yet only one dollar a column; we shall pay more if
the income will allow it.
There is what seems to me a squeamishness among members of
Congress about being known as writers for the press.
If you cannot send us anything, let us know who can.
Ever faithfully,
S. G. Howe.
________________
1 Messrs. Samuel Downer, J. B. Alley, S. E.
Sewall, and J. B. Baldwin.
Mr. Mann once wrote thus to Samuel
Gridley Howe concerning Downer:
“. . . Boston seemed more than half
empty when I found you were not in it. But I saw Downer, who is almost enough
to save a city. If, when Abraham drove that sharp Yankee bargain about saving
Sodom, higgling and screwing and beating down, until he reduced the number of
the righteous to ten;—if the Lord could have been induced to lower his
terms from that number, I can conceive of his saying: ‘Well, if you can find
one Sam. Downer there, I'll spare the cursed city for him. . . .’”
2 Elizur Wright.
SOURCE: Laura E. Richards, Editor, Letters and Journals
of Samuel Gridley Howe, Volume 2, p. 388-9
