Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-07-07
TUESDAY EVENING, JULY =, 1871.

determined TO the practice of my profession
IN Halifax County, N. C., my former home.
on cannot have forgotten, that in your letter t.
your friend in Raleigh, YOU stated that you would
continue to act politically with your former friends
Inc character of that letter, justified the belief ha
You could not mean to include the President of the
Omteo states IN the xprcssion-'. former friends "
Every man who read tn t letter, must have cvn-
cuced, that you could frankly support the Pres.
iaent consistently with the unequivocal denunci-
alton OF him contained in it. AS expected to re-
TURN to N. Carolina in the event above alluded to,
haa some right TO inquire into the political course
iheIy 10 DC pursued by you, if elected. According
| " addressed Il letter to JESSE A. BYSuM, Esq Of
Halifax, asking to be informed whether it was un-
derstood in the district that YOU would sustain the
RESIDENT, and whether any measures would be a.
dopted to elicit from you a decided expression on
Tue SUBJECT. took occasion, nlso to state, that
| was the opinion ofmany in this city, YOU could
not support Gen. Jackson consistently with the
| tenor OF the communication to your Raleigh friend;
ana that II was said if you gave pledge to shat
ehect' IL would place you before the people, as u
man wiiihg 10 sustain AZ candidate for the Pres
ioency, an individual whom you yourself had pub
iiciy denounced as capable of inviting you TO the
commission of a dishonerabe act. Whether my
letter had any agency in extorting from you, such
pledge, am not advised; nor is it material to nv
present purpose. Mr.. Bynum has informed me
by letter, dated the 24th ult, that my communica-
tion.o him was exhibited to you. The follsyinp
eSs@let, describing POUR and his conduct upon the
occasion, is from Mr.. Bynunl's letter to me:-
He (Mr. Branch) commented on IL in most ui-
ruent manner, in public speech that he made to the
people, in tckich you dssdiLed as being noto-
rious drunkard and gambler and other ebithets of
equal odium-I replied, and defended your charac-
ter and the propriey of your letterstatcd that it
only called for information, and simply stated
what tho opinion at Washington, relative to |
his communications, &cc.-that had, for some |
time. known both yourself and family-that had |
never heard any thing before alleged to your preu
dice" &c. SO.
Knowing this charge against myself to be utterly
false call on you through this paper for explana-
ton, that may vindcate my character in 4 man.
ner public that in which it has been wantonly
traduced. Ihave long been appraised Of your iabil-
ity to bo imposed upon by any skuking and sneak
ing sla nderer, who would crafty your tondness for
istening to secret scandals but L was not aware
That you could be duped to the extent indicated by
your speech.
Your hostility to me, commenced from the mo-
ment declined to recognise in you any right to
regulate my private associations.
You we'll know, that 1 value nothing more than
my good name; and SHOULD deserve the appellatons
it is said you bestowed upon me in the speech, if
omitted TO repel the SANDER, from whatever quarter
it may come. demand, therefore, to be informed ,
whether you Will avow the expressions repeatedly
Mr. Bynum. 1t is submitted to you to determine I
whether your sefrespect and sense of justice, do
not require you designate the individual Off any
who, you must in cool moment be satisfied, has S
borne false witness against me. Yield me the infor-
nation, which you c;nnot justly withhold, and
you shall be convinced that your strange crcdulity 7
been abused; and shall that high place
N your esteem, which you voluntarily protested '
occupied; so late even the 10th of las | a
May, when you, acting Secretary of the Navy, pro-
noted me- ga notorious 2runkard," &c, to the sta
ion now fill in the public service. ,
/ am, respectfully, &c
THOMAS l. RAGSDALE.
H., D.,