The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-09-26

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correspondence, and the appearance over his
signature of replies to single and detached
questions relative to his position before the
public. The letter ia a corrected narrative of
the series Of circumstances which resulted in
his becoming candidate. 1t presents in a
compact form, all the matters bearing upon
the subject, and exhibits Gen. TAYLOR in his
proper character-true to HIMSELF 10 his friends,
and to his country
EAST PAsCAGoULA, Sept. i, 1913.
Dear Sir,-On the 22l day of April last, l
addressed you letter, explaining my views in
regard to various matters of public policy, lest
my fellow-citizens might be misled by the ma
ny contradictory and conflicting statements in
respect to them, which appeared in the Journ-
ais of the day. and were circulated through
out the country. now find myself misrepre-
scented and misunderstood upon another point,
of such importance to myself personally, if not
TO the country at large, as TO claim from me
candid and connected exposition Of my rela
tons TO the public, in regard to tho pending
Presidential canvass.
The utmost ingenuity has been expended
upon several letters and detached sentences
of letters, which have recently appeared over
ocal attitude towards the various parties into
which the people are divided, and especially
towards the Wing party rs represented by the
National Convention which assembled in Phil
adelphia, in June last. Had these letters and
scraps of letters been published or construed
in connection with what j have heretofore said
upon this subject, | should not now have TO
complain Of the speed with which my answers
to isolated questions have been given up to the
captiOus criticism of those who have been made
my enemies by a nomination which has been
rendered to me without solicitation or arrange
ment of mine, or Of the manner IN which
| lected passages in some of my letters, written
in the freedom and carelessness of confiden-
| tial correspondence, have been communicated
to the public press. But riven from the con-
text, and separated from n series Of eXplana.o-
~ facts and circumstances which are, so far as
this canvass is concerned, HISTORICAL they are as
deceptive as though they were positively fab
relations. | address you this letter to correct
the injustice that has been done me, and the
public to the extent that am an object Of in
terest to them, by this illiberal process.
! shall not weary YOU by an elaborate reel
tai of every incident connected with the first
presentation of my name as a candidate for
the Presidency. | was then at the head Of the
American army in the Valley of the Rio
Grande. | was surrounded by Wings and
Democrats who had stood by me in the trying
hours of my life, and whom it was my destiny
to conduct through scenes Of still greater trial.
| My duty TO the army, and to the Republic,
whose battles we were waging, forbade my as
suming position of seeming hostility to any
portion of the brave men under my command
all of whom knew | was n Wing ia princ-
pie, for made no concealments of my politi-
cal sentiments or predictions.
Such had been the violence of party strug
giles during our late Presidential elections, tina!
the acceptance of a nomination under the va
rious interpretations given to the Obligations
Of a candidate presented to the public with a
formulary of political principles, was equiva-
lent almost 70 declaration of uncomprOmis
ing enmity to all who did not subscribe to its
tenets. was unwilling to hazard the effect OF
such relationship towards any of the soldiers
under my command, when in front Of an enc
nv, common TO us all. 1t would have been |
unjust in itself, and 1t was as repugnsnt TO my |
own feelings as it was to my duty. | wanted
unity in the army, and forbore any act that
might sow the seeds of distrust and discord in
its ranks. have not my letters, written at the
time before me, but they are all OF one import,
and in conformity with the views herein ex-
pressed.
Meanwhile was solicited by my personal
friends and by strangers, by Wings and by
Democrats, to consent to become a candidate
was nominated by the people in primary as
semblies-by Wings, Democrats and Natives.
in separate and mixed meetings. | resisted
them all, and continued to do so, till led to be-
lieve that my position assumed the aspect of
defiance of the popular wishes. yielded on
ly when it looked like presumption to resist
longer, and even then, should not have done so
had not the nomination been presented TO me
in 4 form unlikely to awaken acrimony or re-
produce the bitterness of feeling which attends
popular elections. | say it in sincerity and
truth, that part of the inducement 10 my
consent was the hope that by going into the
canvass it would be conducted with candor if
not with kindness. Ii has been no fault Of
mine that this anticipation has proved vain
one.
After permitted myself to be announced {
for the Presidency, under the circumstances l
above noticed, | accepted nomination after /
nomination in the spirit in which they were t
were made irrespective Of I
parties, and so acknowledged. No one who n
Ieined in those nominations could have been t
deceived as to my political views From the a
till now, have declared myself to be '
, Wing, on all proper occasions. With this t
distinct avowal published to the world, did | 4
not think that had right to repel nomina- d
lions from political opponents, any more than v
had right to refuse the vote o. a Democrat c
1t the polls; and proclaimed it abroad that {,
should not reject the proffered support of any il
BODY of my fellow-citizens.-This was my po- h
ition, when, in November last, returned to Il
he United States; long before, either Of the Il
,reat divisions of the people had held Ma a
ional Convention, and when It was thought b
doubtful if one of them would hold any. N
Matters stood in this attitude till spring, Il
when there were so many statements in circu- d
alton concerning my views upon questions Of
National policy, that felt constrained to cor io
ect the errors into which the public mind was CT
alling, by more explicit enunciation of prin- W
iples, which did in my letter to you in April CT
ast. That letter, and the facts which have G
etailed as briefly as a proper understanding
fthcm would permit, developed my whole pO- II