Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-10-22
Response of the New York Collector
IExNreDoNALp, Eaitor,


of New York. to the official letter of Secretary
Guthrie. requiring him to recognize the Soft
division of the party as good democrats, and to
bestow upon them the share in the public Offices
to which they are numerically entitled. An ear
ler answer.Judge b. tells the Secretary. has been
prevented bv the pressure of official business and
by confinement to a sick room. The letter Is
manly and dignifed in its tone should hive
expected from the character of it writer,bui tells
some plain truths TO the clumsy and oflieious
Secretary, which will not be felt the ess.becnuse
of the gentlemanly terms in which they are
couohed.
Judge b. reoites the substance of the complaint
and the instructions Of the Secretary, reminding
him that he does not object that the apprentices
are not proper persons for the places they occupy
or that they are not sound democrats sincerely
attached to the principles Of the party and firm
supporters of the administration " but that all
sections of the part, had not been properly
garded. He declares that the Office which 10
holds was neither solicited nor desired by him,
and that he only accepted il because he war ns-
sured that the President earnestly desired II.
Referring to the Secretary allusion 10 .thc }nl-
timore platform and the Inaugural address," he
tells him that there is mot word in either about
distributing offices among different sections of the
party .'If the President OF his appomtees,n
saws Judge b., care pledged to any such dstri-
| button, YOU must look To other document Ia
find evidence Of the obligation document
which have never seen" He admit. the justice
of the rule That all democrats who cordially united
ON the platform in $50 and are sincerely attached
to the principles Of the party should be regard
ed as eligible to offee-and asserts that he has
acted upon it:-''but your lctter,' ho says to
Mr. Guthrie, proceeds upon the ground tbni
should go beyond the inquiry whether nppli-
Giants for Office are good dcmocratsnov aud as
pertain TO what section they formerly belonged.
and then make such distribution 81 Offices be
ween the different sections that no one Of them
yin have just cause Of complaint lite not only
impossible he continues. to administer such
pie as that with uceess,but the consequence ofa-
opting il must be that shall never have one dc
ocratio party, united upon broad bnsis Of prin-
pie. but mere combination of sections held to
.ther by no better bond than the love Of office,
ID ready to fall to pieces the moment one SEC
N thinks itself aggrieyed in the distribution"-
observation true in itself as it is severe and
nging 10 the SECRETARY
Judge b. next enters into an explanation to
ye that the section in whose behalf the Sccro-
interfcred had received its full proportion of
offices but adds at ispossihlc that am mis-
en- in supposing that the ireesoil section has got
full share Of the places for in distributing the
offices in my gift, which have for the most
gone among the rank and file of the party
We neither had the time the inclination TO
1ueh by way OF investigating the antcccdents
en- who were supposed TO be all right now:''-
h we take 10 be an intmation that the See
y and his colleagues in the government might
oy themselves about more important mat
e remainder of the letter we give in the Ian
in which il was written:
reference to your remark upon tho recent
re of the party at Syracuse, that .thp III
could and ought to have been prevented -
nough for me 10 say that, not only Ind no
ia bringing about the division. hut |
prevent il. My counsel was given in ia
the united action of the conventions and |
y hoped that harmony would prevail
government officers chnrgeabc with
pok place at Syracuse, the burden must
those who were thereof whom three
pm this cty-nnd not upon the Collector
at home attending TO the duties of his
,ot state these things by way of apology.
'e none To make nor by way of counting
II | have none to ask
peak of "the reunion ofthe party in lsi
union was supposed to have been thor
emented III the great and triumphant
1852 Although ardently desired a
fiji could be effected upon principle |
proved the mode in which the attempt
to bring about that desirable end |
hem and think still, that those who had
he democratic standard in Isis and
State and national governments into
of the IA hIps should Il
return again to camp without cx-
dtions, and should then be treated
most kindness. The party would then
strong, and We should have heard no
sections. But very different course
d; and the free soil leaders came back
came at all under league or trent
hem and few leading democrats
|nger bond of union than an agree
dc the offices. The arrangement was
po principle. The free soil leaders
liberty to adopt the course which
|; and instead of again hosting the
ner, they marched into the demo-
with their own sectional colors fy-
became an Independent element in
indeed, your letter proceeds upon
pat the party has all along been d-
ctIons; and consequently that &C
be balanced between them in the
offices. All experience proves that
on was formed in Is49 can never
cemented. Sooner or later it will
The cohesive power of patronage
Ave that which has within itself the
ssolution. 1t is not therefore. any
pishment that the reunion was
late Syracuse Convention
que Of 1919 had been broken, and
Is had again become separate par
well as substance, it became ne
u citizen of New York to make
cen the two tickets which had
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