The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-10-04
With regard, your friend,
WIN. III. COLLINS.
To the Hon. REvERDY JOHNSON.
GEN. TAYLOR'S LETTER.
IcoPY.l

Baton ROUGE, La, June Doth, 1913.
GENTLEMEN II have the honor 10 acknowl-
edge the receipt Of your polite communication
of the 18th instant, calling my attention TO GER
tain statements, Relative 10 my position be-
fore the country as candidate Tor the Presl-
dency, which are represented TO have been made
in the Wing National Convention recently
held in Philadelphia, pending the action oil
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
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 L desired my friends 10 pursue
| in that body. In two communications, adj
dressed to them in reply, informed them, In
substance, that at my distance from the scene,
liz would be quite impossible for me TO give
any specific instructions upon the subject; that
many questions or contingencies might arise,
during the action of the Convention, the char
acter of which could not foretell; and that
, hey must, therefore, assume the responsibility
n, citing for me; that felt my honor and inter
est safe in their hands, and that whatever they
should SIC fit to do, would most cordially APP
prove.
substantially informed them further, that,
unless they shout discover an evident dlspo-
sition 10 treat me I1ialriy,-whlch had no
reason for supposing %oiid be The CASE
thought that my friends sho,,li go INTO Tue Con
vention, as they had been selected oy their lei
low citizens for this purpose; bu, that, having
once entered il, they We're, of course, FOUND, n
III til nd sill
the nominee, whoever he might be, and tilt
hoped they would do so heart and soul. Thai
was a candidate for the Presidency, only so
far as my friends had chosen 10 make me one;
but that having been placed in my present at
| titude towards that subject without any agen-
| CIV or act of rly own, directly or Indirectly, 1
did not feel myself at liberty, by any such act,
to withdraw myself; that my friends, in whose
hands had ever been, could do whatever they
should see fit, and finally, that if they could
succeed in elecling TO that office any one better
qualified for its duties than ] was, and who
was at the same time honest, truthful and pa
triotic, it was their duty to go for him, and
that, so far from being disappointed or morti-
fed | should hail the result with joy.
| Such, think, has been the language which
| | have uniformly held on this subject since my
name was first mentioned in connection with
Ill. It6Icl ludb nave uOb NOpl Va SOih
municatons TO Judge Saunders and Winches-
ter; but the above 1 believe to be their sub
stance. Under the general authority ih'n thus
lgiven these gentlemen, | shall deem whatever
Statements they may have made TO be righ'
!, and proper: and confident in their integrity
and IN the sincerity Of their friendship for me,
[ shall sustain them without qualification. l.
therefore, now take upon my own shoulders
the responsibility of the acts OF the Louisiana
!. Delegation, in that Convention, and am pre-
pared to stand by the consequences, in thei
length and breadth.
| regret exceedingly that my friends in Bal
timore, whom you represent, should have thus
, misunderstood the course pursued by the Lou
lisiana Delegation in the Convention, and should
; have imagined that had abandoned the posi-
ton which have uniformly held in my pub
7 llished letters on this subject.
feel bound, however, TO respect the opin
lions of those who honestly differ with me ,anC
therefore, while feel conscious of no chang
of feeling or Inconsistency on my part, can
mot expect or desire that any OF my friends
: whom you represent, should do violence Y
their own sense of right and wrong, by supper
ling nv election, while they believe | hav
: changed my political views. i ask no man, 1
e he Whg, Democrat or Native, for his vote.
. | take every American citizens interest in tn
welfare of his country, 10 be as pure and a
deep as ms own, and | have, therefore, n
] right, and certainly no desire. to influence hi