Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1847-03-03
Iowa CI1Y. FEB. 18TH, JS47.

| ueHteHten,-1 nave Lad the honor 10 re
ceise your note bt Yesterday, in whicI
you refer to rua,or, said to be in circu.
lat!on here, that an arrangement, OF
coa'af'on. Is In contemplation, bstweer
certain Wing and Democratic members Of
the Legislature, tpr the purpose OF elect
ing one member d each party to a seal ia
the Senate OF the United States; and asI.
whether, III the event that | should b.
elected by such IN arrangement, | vii &C
cept OF the election.
In promptly replying 10 your enquiry,
gentlemen, and saying tha, wilt not &C
cept ali election brought about by any such
union, or coalition, made either directly or
| Indirectly, by any scheme tina, may be de-
vised to accomplish the object, l do but
| repeat what have often said before, be-
| ginning with the very commencement OF
the session Of the Legislature and what
have pledged myseif 10 on piper, over my
signature, as long Ego Us on the 9th ultimo
| that day addressed communication 10
Messrs. Brown, Whitmore, BIiley and
Lyons. the deleeation in the Legislature
nom the county where | reside, i'll which,
among ether things, said: Being, not
'only unwilling, but determined, not 10 owe
IAN election Of myself to wing snpport, with
'the condition attached t. it that my friends
'are to support Wings, or Wing, iii re-
turn. | take it for granted that no demo-
'erat, who is truly such in principle, will,
upon well considering the matter, be dis
posed to pursue a different course. Il
needs not, | trust, to be pointed out to
any intelligent mind, that any such ar
'rangement, combination, or coalition as
that referred TO, besides destroying en-
'firely the political power of Iowa in the
Senate OF the United States, would be
Setting most pernicious and dangerous
example, and probably strike serious
blow at the union and harmony, md con-
'ssqnen'ly, al the future success of the
democratic party in the State
Such was the language used by me in
letter written, from my home in Fair field,
more than three weeks ago, (aud when
did not expect to be here again during
the wlnter,) TO the delegation in your
body from the county in which | reside
and the contents Ct which letter request
ed Of them, in the event that such a state
Of things should by possibility arise as
might seem 70 them to render il necessary
and proper, 10 make known to their fellow
democratic members.
And now, being here in person, and
the stete of things above referred to hav-
ing, if rumor speaks truly, actually arisen
though | en- unwilling 10 believe that
she does so speak permit me to state
somewhat more at length than did in the
extract above quoted IRON my letter Of the
9Th ulti;no, tie reasons why | will utterly
decline TO accept an election brought about
by such means as those referred to in
your note.
They are these: First, That Iowa is
democratic State, and that decided ma
jcri'y of her people desire to see carried
out the principles Of that party, is not dc,
MED, nor donbted, by any sane and fair
minded man within her borders. This has
been repeatedly pr0ren by The elections !:
but especially and empk7'ic0Iiy SO in the
result Of the last one that has been held {;
whereby the democracy carried, not only
their entire State ticket, bat also both of
their candidates for Congress, and the
upper branch Of the State Legislature, by
handsome majorilies; losing only the
lower branch Of that body--and sir Of the
counties which elected federal members
to that branch being among those that
gave decided majorities to the democratic
State and Congressional tickets! To
consent, therefore, under such Circum-
ssances-,he federal or Wing members
from the democratic counties refusing to
vote the well known will of their consti-
, tuents and some of them disobey;ng The
urittea instructions from those constituents
! to them do so.--that Iowa shall be repre-
senteti in the Senate of the United States
by any man who wW not support those
| principles, but do his sbest TO occrihro,v
| them, is what will never do; nor, by any
action Of mine, be Intentionally instrument
tai in bringing about. | mean to keep my
hands clean of any such transaction.
Second, An election effected by coal-
ton with the Wings, may, and not IN.
likely will--the chances for such result
are at least equal--give Senator to that
party, to put down by his votes the cher