Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1848-10-05

clarations similar in spirit 10 those which distinguish
his second Allison letter:
BATON ROUGE, La, June 29th, 1S49.
Gentlemen-l have the honor TO acknowledge the
receipt OF your polite communication OF the 18th
instant, calling my attention to certain statements
relative TO my position before the country as a
candidate for the Presidency, which are represent
ed TO have been made, in the Wing National Con
veniion, recently held in Philadelphia, pending the
action ofthe body by Judge Saunders, of Louisiana,
in the name of the delegation from that State, and
requesting to be Informed whether such statements
were made by my authority. | have to inform you,
in reply. that, on their way to that Convention,
Judges Winchester and Saunders, of the Lou
isiana DeIegation,-who have been, for many years,
my personal friends and neighbors,-wrote to me
requesting my views, before the meeting of the
Convention, as to the course | desired my friends
to pursue in that body. In two communication
addressed to them in reply, [ informed them, in sub
stance, that at my distance from the scene, it would
be quite impossible for me TO give any specific in
s]tructions upon the subject; that many questions or
contingencies might arise, during the actions of the
Convention, the character of which | conld not
foretell: and that they must, therefore. assume the
responsibility of aching for me;-tha ifeItmy honor
and interest safe in their hands, and that whatever
they should see fit TO do, | would most cordially
approve.
| substantially informed them. further, that, ur-
less they should discover an evident disposition to
treat me unfairIy-which | had no reason for sup
posing would be the case-I thought that my
friends should 60 into the Convention, as they had
been selected by their felIow-citizens for this pur-
pose; but that, having once enteredit, they were of
course. bound, IfI were not nominated, TO sustain
and support the nominee, who ever he might be;
and that I hoped they would do so heart and soul.
That | was a candidate for The Presidency only so
far as my friends had chosen to make me one; but
that having been placed in my present attitude to-
wards that subject, without any agency or act of
my own, directly or indirectly, | did not feel myself
at liberty, by any such act. to withdraw myself: that
my friends, in whose hands | had ever been. could
do SO whenever they should see fit; and finally, that
if they could succeed in electng to that Office any
one better qualified for its duties than | was, and
who was at the same time honest, truthful and pa
t%riotic, it was their duty to go for him; and that, so
far from being disappointed or mortified, should
hail the result with joy.
Such. ! think, has been the language which I
have uniformly held on this subject since my name
was first mentioned in connection with it. | regret
that | have not a copy of my communications to
Judges Saunders and Winchester; but the above,
| believe, to be their substance. Under the general
authority then thus gwen these gentlemen, | shall
deem whatever statements they may have made to
be right and proper; and, confident IN their integrity
and in the sincerity OF their friendship for me, /
shall sustain them without qualification. |, there's
fore, now take upon my own shoulders the re~
sponsibility of the acts of the Louisiana dele
CATION. in that Convention, and am prepared to
stand by the consequences, in their length and
| feelbound, however, 10 respect the opinions of
those who honestly differ with me; and, therefore,
| feel conscious of no change of feeling or
inconsistency on my part. I cannot expect or de-
that any of my friends, whom YOU represent,
should do violence to their own sense of right and
wrong. by supporting my election, while they be-
lieve I have changed my political views. | ask no
man, be he Wing, Democrat, Or Native, for his
vote. ! take every American citizens interest, in
the welfare of his country, to be as pure and as
deep as my own; aud | have, therefore, no right,
and certainly no desire, to influence his action in
the exercise of the important duty of voting for the
officers of this Government.
regret, exceedingly, that my friends in Bal
Fimore, whom you represent, should have thus mis-
|, Understood the course pursued by the Louisiana
delegation in the Convention, and should have i'm.
agined that | had abandoned the position which I
have uniformly held in my published letters on this
Though l have no objection to your circulating |
this communication among such of your friends
as may be interested in it, yet request that it may
not be published. My aversion to the appearance of
my name in the public prints, in connection with
such subjects, is my apology for the request.
With great respect, gentlemen,
E. @9a am your obedient servant,
II" 4. TAYLOR.
Messrs Chas. II. Pitts, John w. Walker. Th.