Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-09-04

met, before you had heard Of it or i was known
IN Madrid.
need hardly say to you, that in rational con-
yersation between two intelligent men on any
given subject, every remark, suggestion or rePy,
made by one TO the other, must have some poin'
about it--some object In 1.-THE purport 0, "hicn
can be best understood by reference 10 the con-
text. the association of thought or word In which
Il IA used--the preceding idea TO which IS re-
snonse either anirmatively or negatively You
win receolect | was speaking OF the danger from
tbe Romisb Church in this country--its interior
ence in our polticsits having decided the Presi-
dental election, &c. Your remark in reply was
by way of affirmation, as | understood IT, viz
that that church was well posted as to our affairs
in this country--tbat the Popes Nuncio at Madrid
gave you the first information you had OF Mr..
CampbelIs being member of Mr.. Pjerces Cabi-
net before you had received the news, and while
the construction OF the Cabinet was in doubt, and
a subjectof conjecture in the public mind there.
You will please allow me to ask OF you, what was
your object in making that remark 70 me IN I'M
mediate response TO my suggestion, that the eiec-
ton had been carried by the Roman Catholic vote,
In pursuance of an understanding that that church
should be rewarded in return--if IT was not by
corroborating my suggestion, and confirming me
in my impression? Why have mentioned it at all,
If your view Of the matter was q mean your view
at he time of our conversational that the Nuncio
had received his information through the ordinary
channel of the mail And that was the only way
he could have derived 1t lin the absence of prev-
Gus knowledge) unless we resort to the still more
strained suppostion that, an express was forward
ed to him after the arrival Of the steamer at some
European port, in advance of the mail
I assure you my dear sir, am by no means dis
posed to criticise your letter to Mr.. Ellis, as mat
ter Of choice Your reply to him as well as to me,
a. IL. anTx
But inasmuch as you have gone out OF the record
(you will please pardon me for saying so) to con-
trovert aud destroy the force OF the inference
drawn by both of us-that this communication to
you by the Nuncio was confrmatory OF the charge
of previous bargain which had been made-you
cannot, hope, find fault with my attempt, in self
yindcation, to show that inference aow is cor
rect, and your inference then was incorrect. You
say in your letter to Mr.. Ellis, you did not at all
suppose that he (the Pope's Nuncio) had any pre-
vious knowledge of an intention to appoint this
gentleman to Office, or that he knew, or had any
reason to believe it was done in pursuance of any
bargain or intrigue to this effect the part of any
persons whatever" This | can well understand
and this remark, do not conceive, involves any
issue between us, in regard to opinion even. You
say you did not suppose SO meaning of course
at the time the Pope's Nuncio gave you the infor-
nation. 1t is reasonable you might not have at
tributed his prior knowledge to the contamination
of "any bargain or intHgue to this effect" As
you had been for years out of the country and
not thoroughly conversant with all the charges, is
sues, and in the Presidential
election--it is not probable that you should have
suspected foul play. In the next sentence of your
letter to Mr. Ellis, you say--"the inference made,
was referring of course to the time the commune
cation was first made to you by the Nuncio) that
the appointment Of Catholic to this high Office,
being naturally cause OF much interest and salts
faction to the church Of that faith especial pains
had been taken in some quarter to communicate
the earliest intelligence of that fact to the leading
members of the Catholic priesthood"
II Is natural that such should have been, at thv
time the inference drawn by an unsuspecting mind
But here, you will please allow me to request of
you again to try and refresh your memory. OF
course, you must have been surprised having heard
nothing of it yourself; and will you be 80 good as
to try and recollect whether you inquired of him
for the source of his information, and what his
reply? Whether there was then any Geographic
communication to Madrid from Havre or Paris
Whether the mails by the steamer had arrived at
Madrid on that evening! And in case there was
no teegraphic communication, and the mails had
not arrived that evening, will you suggest what
other possible means there could have been by
which especial pains to communicate the earliest
intelligence of that fact could have secured its
transmission to Madrid, unless We suppose an ex-
press in advance of the mails had been despatch
ed 10 Madrid Immediately on the arrival Of the
steamer
You will pardon me for requesting you to be as
explicit as possible for this reason. The presses
and advocates of the ant-American party are at
tempting TO deduce a strained inference from your
letter. They aretrying 10 pervert your language |
into testimony in their behalf They are trying TO
use YOU to combat and disproye the reasonable |
inference non 70 be drawn from the communica- |
ton of the Nuncio to you. They are endeavoring
to represent you az saying that you nor entertain
the impressions which you say you had at that
time, as the only way OF accounting for the Nuncios
getting the information before you or the public
in Madrid feceived it. Some Of the more malicious |
and slanderous Of the anti-American presses and |
partisans affect to rely your letter impugning
my veracity even.
Hoping, and believing that you are not willing |
that your name or your letter should be perverted |
to any such ends / think | may appeal to your
jaStice, well as to your generosity, TO speak out
and forbid any such unfair use TO be made OF what
you have written. May ask Of you Do you in
lend in your letter to say that yo, opinion non is
hat there was no such understanding as that re-
erred to, in regard to the Roman Catholic vote
being given to Mr.. Pierce9 Do you intend to say, |
,our opinion nog Is, that the Pope's Nuncio had |
no previous knowledge Of an intention to /
appoint Mr.. Campbell to office, before the anthem
ic account reached Madrid? should not ask you |
or you present views on these points but for the |
act that the attempt is being made TO represent
'ou as entertaining opinions similar to the inn
,ressions you were under, for the moment, when /
he communication was first made to you. You
will subserve the cause Of truth, and be doing au
vet of justice 70 those who are attempted TO be
yronged, by speaking out plainly and uneqaivo-
ally on these points.
In the concluding sentence Of your letter TO Mr..
Ellis you say, in allusion TO an "imperfet report
Il my speech in Washington"-you "wrote me
tote for the purpose Of correcting the erroneous
Impressions which might 80 readily be made on
he public mind, however unintentionally, from
uch reference to a casual conversation in social
Intercourse, without written statement of the |
acts" False deductions have been drawn from
his part Of your letter. The impression Is attempt
ID to be made, that you requested me to publish
The entire letter, and that | had, nevertheless,
suppressed all but one sentence OF IL.
You will bear me witness, you made no request
Of me in your fret letter to publish the same. You
first spoke Of an inexact report Of my remarks |
In Washington, which you had seen. You then |
20 on to repeat what you bad said TO me. You |
then state what were your impressions at The |