Southern shield., 1840-07-31
NORTH BEND. o. May l2, l04O

1eH. w III. IlSuly h1"'iSoi'
 NORTH BEND. O. May l2, le40. Gentlemen-
 have the honor to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your letter of the 18th of tebrua- ry, conveying the proceedings of meeting of the Whig members of the Legislature, convened in the capitol of the State on the 22d oi that month
 l beg you to believe, Gentlemen. that 1 am deeply impressed with the honor, which has been conferred upon me by the distin- guished body, whom on this occasion you represent The great object of both my civil and military life has been to serve my country, to the utmost of my abilities, and to obtain its appreciation The hope of this has ofter cheered me in circumstances of great difficulty and embarrassment. You will pardon n,e, trust if in this let ter go somewhat beyond the mere pur- pose of acknowledging the receipt of your making a few remarks, which circumstan ces scean to require from me, in respect to declaration of opinions, or pledges, as to my future conduct. required of candidates for high offices.
 My public life, not now short one, is before the country, My opinions on i'm portant subjects, have been expressed from time to time, as those subjects have arisen and since my name has been mentioned among those froaa whom selection might be made for the office of President have in several letters to friends, fully and frankly avowed my sentiments. Farther than ttis, l cannot suppose intelligent per sons could desire me to go The people of this country do not rely on professions, promises and pledges. They know, that If candidate Is nnprincipled he will not scruple to give any pledge that may be re- quired of him, and as little will he hesitate to violate 1t. have already made public the principles by which should be govern ed if elected President, so far as relates to the proper Executive duties of that office But almost innumerable applications have been made to me, for my opinions relative to matters of legislation, or even to the proper mode of conducting business in the two Houses of Congress- My published letters to Mir. Williams, and Mr Denny will show, that do not consider the Presi- dent constituent branch of the Legisla- ture; yet it is impossible to read the letters that have been addressed to me, without believing that many of the writers had adopted the opinion, that the Presidential office was the proper source and origin of all the Legislation of the country; an opin- ion, in my judgment, at war with every principle of tfle constitution, and of deep and dangerous consequence The preva- fence of such sentiments, more than almost .SI ,kfps, Jato the whole sdbstantia! power of the Govern ment in the hands of single man; a ten- dency which, whether in or out of office, feel it my most solenan duty to resist.
 1 have declined therefore to give any further pledges or opinions oh subjects which belong to the fstare Legislation of Congress-because,
 lst. l conceive for the reasons given in my letters 10 Mir. Williams and Mir Den ny, that Congress should be left as much as possible untrammelied by executive in- fluence in the discharge of ifs Legislative functions; and that better guarantee for the correct conduct of a Chief Magistrate may be found in his character and the course of his former fife, than in pledges and opinions given during the pendency of doubtful contest; and that, although re- cognizing the right of the people to be ir,- formed of the leading political opinions of the candidates for office or trust, yet as it regards the subjects upon which the Legis iature may be called to act the pledges and opinions should be required. if repaired at all, of the candidates for Congress-
 2d. Because, the habit of considering a single individual as the source from which all the measures ef government should em- anate, ss degrading to republic, and of the most dangeroustendency.
 Sd. Because, upon all tae questiors in regard to which under any circumstances, it would be at all proper for me to make answers my sentiments have already been fully and clearly given to the public, in a manner to entitle them to credence, as I conceive that no honest man would suffer h's friends to publish documents in his name which were not genuine. or contain ing opinions which he was not then willing to end orse.
 Accept gentlemen, the assurance
 ofm high regard
 w. H. HARRISON.
 Messrs. VERRLANcK,