The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-05-18

for the Presidency, wonder if any man. or SCI OF men,
opened and answered his letters for him. Wnen ne re-
eeiyed letter he answered it himself; and whether
his opinions were right wrong, he expressed tnem
openly and fearessy, without being dictated to by
human beng Tbis was the custom of all our former
Presidents from Washington down to he present tune;
and is the custom of our present Chlei
of State policy he gave them openly and distinctly
On the subject of Abolition which the Wing Committee
will not let their candidate speak out upon, Mr. van
Buren has been most explicit. He has declared his OPP
position to that fell spirit in the strongest terms; ana
stated in advance that he would veto any phi Psseu ~
Congress- interfering with the question of slavery eiter
in the States or in the District of Columbia BUT now
is il with the Wing candidate? There are vast numbers
of Ahohonsts at the North, ana uoush uiey atI a
Troublesome of people, their votes count rs wen as
those of Others. Now the Wing Committee OF Clncin-
natl have come the conclusion that letter written
10 the Abolitonsts, unfavoabe to their views, would
cause the loss of their votes while letter OF contrary
character would cost them the votes OF the soeul.-
Hence the necessity, their part, for avoiding All coI
respondence on that subject for whether they wrote
one way the other, they would be placed in an awful
predicament
1t will be seen that Mr.. Grundy, does not say
that he has your authority for making this de-
claration He says, that before he leaves
the city, he will ask you to estate whether this
committee does not regularly attend their candi-
date to the Post Office, when he goes for letters,
to see that he gets none that not suehas they
are willing that he should receive"
This declaration, coupled with the comment,
made by one, filing SO digni6ed a station, was
intended to make an impression on the public
mind, that Gen. Harrison had been placed under
the charge of committee who examined all his
correspondence, before they permitted it to pass
into his hands, and that for fear he might, ifper
mittedto examine and reply to letters addressed
to him, commit some imprudence, or make some
! ipdt aIxx 10
Post Office, and examine his letters before they
pass into his hands. That Gen. Harrison, who
resides some distance below Cincinnati, may
have authorised his friends to receive his letters,
and even to open and answer such as they may
deem Improper for them to answer, is most proba-
bic. But you will see the difference be-
tween such permission, on the part Of Gen, Harri-
son to his friends during his absence, to open and
answer his letters, and the case stated by MIR.
Grundy, and that they ere as wide apart as
the poles General William Henry Ear-
rison is farmer; he is under the necessity of at
tending to his own private affairs, and he has
not the leisure, if he had the inclination to an
swer the numerous letters that would be addressed
to him on the subject of the Presidential election
that he, or some one for him, should be always
on the spot, to answer such letters as require i'm
mediate attention; and as he resides some dis
lance from the city, it became necessary that he
should attend himself in person, to the entire
neglect of his own private affairs, or that he
should authorize some one else to do it for him.
| Under these circumstances the appointment of a
| Of nc hi
| that duty, because of his confidence in them,
seemed matter of course. Yet, MIR. Grundy's
assertion is, that this committee have shut up
: Gen. Harrison, that they will not let him have
the use of pen ink & paper that he is neither per
mittedto speak write, and that with view
: to prevent him from receiving his own letters
e'they regularly attend him to the post Office, to
0 see that he gets none that they not willing
that he shall receive.n
am aware thatsuchis the character ofthe pre-
sent administration, and that they place so much
reliance on the effect to be produced by the cir
culation of Mr. Grundy's statement, that you
will incur their lasting displeasure, if in your
ply to this letter. you fail to confirm what he has
said. l am aware that your office, among the
most valuable inthe gift ofthe President, depends
upon the answer you may give. am aware too, |
that what is, or should be gilmore Importance to
you, your reputation as man, and christian
may be affected, by placing your name thus be-
fore the public, in connection with statement
on which the party to which youbelong so much |
rely; but beg you to bear in mind, that by |
addressing you this letter, and affording you an
opportunity to relieve yourself from the impu-
tation of having been willing party to it, so far
from being responsible Tor the situation in which
you are placed, act the part ola friend. can
not believe that you AUTHORIZED the which I
MIR. Grundy has made Of your name. 1 therefore
take the liberty of requesting youto say:
Whether Mr.. Grundy was authorized by you /
or justified by any thing you have saSd, to speak
Of you, and of the CINCINNATI committee as he
is reported to have spokens
Whether, so far as you know believe it is
true that this committee stwill not let Gen. Har-
rison have the use of pen, inls and paper" or
hat they have said that che Lhall neither speak
nor write"
Whether it is true that, sfthey regularly
lttend their candidate to the pest office, when he
soes forletters to see that he gets none that are
lot such as they willing that he should re-
,eive.7 II
1t is proper that should say to you that, be-
ieving you have not authorised Mr.. Grundy to
use your name as he has done, and that you can
not be induced to endorse his statement, L have
addressed you under the expectation that, altho'
as friend and partizan of the existing admini-
stration, you would, if the statement was true,
readily endorse it, yet you could not expect to
retain your valuable Office, if you give to it that
and indignant denial which, under
other circumstances, am you would do,
will consider your silence as equivalent to the
most positive and direct denial, not only of Mr..
Grundy's authority to refer to you as he has
ds.a hut also of the truth Of 1,.l,at hn ~