Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-10-16
Letter from n. p. Willis about the
Presidency.

The following is an extrsc. IRON a private
letter written by N. P. Willis, Esq. The
gentleman who hands it TO us a.ksd per-
mission TO publish ID, as Furnishing addition.
al evidence which way the intellect Of the
country is leaning, and as sho wing also how
the present contest appears to those habit
ually neutral in politics, but who are ava
kened by the peril of the times to give q
voice 10 the question Of the Presidency:
'.We all turned out the other evening To
hear Curtis's stump speech for Fremont, at
Newburg. A five mile drive in the night
air was quite venture for me, and did it
more for interest in the cause than With any
expectations of eloquecce from 'Howadii.'
l thought he was quite too handsome and
well dressed boy for popular oratory And
l continued to think SO, for FIVE minutes or
80 after he began, and then {, tell the truth
forgot all about it! He engrossed me So
completely with his subject that lost sight
OF what was to critieise. When he got
through drew long breath, and for thu
first time remembered that must get back
to personal considerations, and tell my pre-
Vious Curtis how much admired the pres
ent stump speaker. It was really very fine
-seli-possessed, logical and rational enough
to inspire absolute confidence; and ye. iioR
and then bursting into the full tide OF sls-
quence unrestraned. 1t comes natural to
the boy! He was born an orator.
81 find myself for the first time in my
life, interested for a political candidate, or,
should rather say, perhaps, in q candidate
without his politics. / have hitherto Ito
account somewhat for my apparent want Of
patriotism) thought the country under q
headway which made almost any steering
safe enough. 1t seemed to me of very LITTLE
consequence Ito any body but office seekers)
neither wing or a democrat was at the
helm-publc opinion, besides, being alto.
gether too wide awake, in SO educated =
country, for either bluOder or sin of pi-
lotage to be more than approached. So cou.-
Plete was this confidence in Americas ado
le'eent vigor and correctiyeness of 'consti-
tution,' that (would you believe itD nevsr
voted in my life.
''But, with the events Of the last wear or
two, and with all the intellect of the coun-
try at work upon the gre question at issue,
l. would be hard to remain longer blind or
insensibe. And vet, SO Godgey are are po.
lItIcal theories, SO insecure are party plat
forms, and, above all, SO often may the chan
glng tide Of events require present decision
with little or no.reference to party theory
or party PLATFORM that, il seems to me,
we should look most ifnot only to tie guam
t.t3 OF the mIR-Hhat Our candidate is, by
nature and culture, rather than to what his
party processes, or his platform promises.
"fou see, in this last remark, the ground
upon which shall give my virgin vote for
Fremont. He is one OF those rare men,
lure to do well in all emergencies-not on
y with brain lofty enough at the main
mast, and heart sound and true enough in
he hold. but with that deep keel of common
'ense which has regulated the perilous aayi-
cation by all the great pilots of the world, g
the most signal quality of Washington, a.
neng others,) and which alone can ensure
rue sa'ling and no capsizing, in these stor-
ny times. Fremont is both lofty minded
ind wise-bota incorruptible and sagacious
--b1th fealleSsly Independent and modest !,
y deferential. In fact, it seems to me hs
was born for the crisis on which the coun-
ry is now balancing, and that he has had
by the overruling providence of God) pre-
;isely the training and discipline to fit him
or his work. That be will be our next
President have no doubt; but | mean to
10 all in my power, hereaSouls, to add my
rrain of sanI tn Uhat 7 frnst -, N \. q.
mountain of majority ~. Y. Post. If