Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-09-27
With regard, your friend.
WILLIAM II. COLLINS.
TO the Hon REvEEpY JOHNSON.
GEN. TAYLOR'S LETTER.
BAroN RoUGE, La, June both,

Baton ROUGE, La, June Doth, 1913.
GENTLEMEN 81 have the honor TO acknowledge
the receipt of your polite communication of the 18th
inst, calling my attention to certain statements, re-
Iallve to my position before the country candi
date Tor The Presidency, which are represented TO
have been made, in the Wing National Conven-
ton, recently held in Philadelphia pending the ac-
ton OF that 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 Louisiana
Delegation who have been, for many years, my
personal friends and neighbors,-wrole TO me- re-
questing my views, before the meeting of the Con
venlon, as to the course | desired my friends to
pursue in that body. In two communications ad-
dressed to them in reply, informed them, in sub
stance, that at my distance from the sccIe il would
be quite impossible for me to give any specific in.
structions upon the subject; that many questions or
contingencies rnigh arise, during the action of the
Convention, the character OF which | could not
foretell and that they must, therefore, assume the
the responsibility of acting for me that felt my
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 I'M
less they should discover an evident disposition TO
treat me unialrly,-which had no reason for sup.
posing would DO the case,-l thought that nv
friends should go into the Convention as they had
been selected by their fellow citizens for this pur
pose but that. having once entered it, they were
OF course, bound, if were not nominated, to sus-
tain and support the nominee, whoever he might be.
and that hoped they would do so heart and soul
hat was candidate for the Presidency, oDly so
far as my friends had chosen TO make me one {. hut
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 nv
| nv onyrc t,b I'll
self 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 electinr 70
that office any one better qualified for its duties than
was, and who was at the same time honest, truth
iu and patriotic, 1t was their duty to 90 for him
ana mat, so far from being disappointed or morti-
fled, | should hail the result with JOY.
! Such, think, has been the LANGUAGE which
have uniformly held on this subject since my name
was llrst mentioned IN connection with it, | reoret
| that have not copy of my communications to
Judges Saunders and Winchester but the above
believe TO be their substance. Under the general
! authority then thus given these gentlemen, shall
deem Whatever statements they may have made to
be right and proper and, confident in their nteg-
Iity and in the sincerity OF their friendship for me
l shall sustain them without qualification l. there
fore, now take upon my own shoulders the respon-
slbliity osthe acts of the Louisiana Delegation in
That Convention, and am prepared to stand by the
Consequences, IN tnelr length and breadth.
regret exceedingly that my friends in Balti-
more whom you represent, should have thus mis-
understood the course pursued by the Louisiana
Delegation in the Convention, and should have n
agned that had abandoned the position which
have uniformly held in my published letters on
this subject.
feel bound, however, TO respect the opinions Of
those who honestly differ with me- and, there
lore, VIII !e feel conscious of no change Of feeling
or inconsistency on my part, cannot expect or de-
sire 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
Ileve | have changed my political views ask nj
man, be he Wing, Democrat, or Native for his
vote take every American citizens interest in
the welfare Of his country, to DO us pure and rs
deep as my own; and have, therefore no robt
and certainly no desire, to influence his action in
the exercise OF the important duty of voting for the
officers OF his Government.
Though have no objection to your circulating
this communication among such of your friends as
may be interested in it, yet request that it NAV
not be published. My aversion TO the appearance
oil my name in the public prints, in connection will
such subjects, is my apology for the request
With great respect, gentlemen,
| | am your obedient serv't.
-, II. TAYLOR.
Mcssrs. CHAs. II. PITTs, JNo. w. WALxen. Tu