The Arkansas banner., 1844-07-17

did. AndsI myself most heartily respond to your affirmative answer. (Cheers.l' Never had you-never had the democracy of the State--indicated a disposition to bestow such a trust upon me; and, until they had done so, 1 should have been assuming what, ill my judgment, no man has a right to assume that was permitted to place myself before a convention of the democracy of the Union, and attempt to gain a nomination. Cheers. ] Thatwas enough. But, ,fellow-citizens, was stopped by stronger reason. You had your democratic brethren throughout the State had, with peculiar unanimity, and none more heartily than sel--designated another ono of our distinguished democrats as their first choice for the first office in the country. GA voice: s'Tmee cheers for old Matty. .n- Laughter.) Enough on that topic.
 And so with respect to the nomination for the second office in the government, which was rendered to me in manner so generous so magnanimous-as 10 be entitled to my everlasting thanks; and these feelings of gratitude feel, and have attempted to express to that body as I now do to you; yet felt myself no more at liberty to accept that honor than the former, had it been offered :; and an additional reason, particularly strong, nterposed itself without our agency. It was a new question. refer to the annextion of Texas to the United States. Mr. Van Buren (Mr. Wright continued) had, upon the call of delegate to the convention, addressed to the public letter giving his opinions on that question. That letter was not acceptable to a large portion of the democracy in one sec ton of the country. The opinions he en- ertained constituted one, and principal one, of the objections to his nomination. Upon the most mature consideration of the subject, with all the information did possess, or was able to collect, l was compelled to approve of his letter in my judgment At the time of the sitting of the convention, had made up my mind; l had no instructions from you or from those l represented. Our State had never acted upon that question. was left to form my own judgment ol its merits. That judgment was that could not vote for the treaty then presented to the Senate. That vote was soon to be given. It could not be known to the convention, and it would have been unfair on my part to accept a nomina- lion when believed that act would meet the disapprobation at least of a large number of that body. Slight cheering.) Promptly, then, I declined the nomination on that ground Another point influenced me strong ly, and mention 1t because fear l may be subjected to the accusation that miB of feeling influenced me because my iavorte candidate had not been selected. If know myself, no such feeling was present with me at any moment. Cheers. But did not feel that when you and the great body of the democracy of the State had expressed and sent up to that respectable body, representing the democracy of the whole country, pre- ference for candidate for the first office, and when that candidate had not been se- lected-I did not feel that l had right to assume, either that l was your choice for the second office in the peoples gift, or that had right to designate the man.
 felt further-and if erred, you certainly ought to know 1t, and certainly stand respon- sible for the error-l feared that we might be charged as having required the second nomination to coneiate us to the support of the first, differing as it did from that which we preferred. Cheers And never-no
 
 subjected to such suspicion, much less could l subject your patriotism and attach mcnt to the democratic cause and it's princi- pies, to such imputatien desired to leave you free, knowing, or at least acting under the impression, that my democratic brethren throughout the State would lonorablv and ardenlly redeem the pledge they had ever made that they would support the nomina- tions of the convention. Loud cheers. l desired that your support should be given in that frank, manly and honest manner, and not from the assumed fact that an humble lellow-citizen of yours had been placed upon the ticket; and now feel assured it will be so, and that Polk and Dallas will receive as cordial support as world Mir. Van Buren, or iiiy other man of the country. Enough, then, as to myself and ourselves; and if you will pardon me for very few moments long CT, (go on-go on,) while l speak to you of my personal acquaintance with James K. Polk, Cheers will relieve you from any further remark upon matters merely personal. My acquaintance with that distinguished statesman commenced in the year 1s27.- Then we were entering upon that fiery con- ilict which resulted in the first election of the patriot Jackson. (Tremendous cheering. ] found Mr. Polk in the House of .Represen- tatves, where l was honored with seat-.a young member of the body, and young man in age-a confidential friend of General Jackson, and showing daily, by the discre- ton of his course, the soundness of his prin- ciples, and the ardor of his exertions, that he deserved the confidence of that venerable man. Cheers That acquaintance con- tinued with considerable intimacy, to the second election of Jackson in 1892, on to the election of Mr. Van Buren in 1886, and has suffered no relaX'on since that time, but has been kept up by constant cones- pondence, although MT. Polk has been with. drawn to the affairs of his own State; and l can cheerfully and proudly say to you, that when Mir. Van Buren's nomination ceased to be question, no mans name had been used, no mans name could be used for that pur- pose more consonant to my feelings, than