Daily national Democrat., 1858-09-01
II. CUMMINGS, Esq, Garden Ranch,
GARDEN RANCH, Butte Co.,

august zoLHj 1000.
Hon. G. II. BRYAN, DEAR SIR: Yours of
the 24th inst, requesting me to give the
reasons of the conversation between my.
self and the Hon j. c. McKibben, at the
time the late State Conventions were in ses-
sion at Sacramento, has been received As
your object is to subservc ct cause of
truth and Justice" by correcting the false
statements of "the newspapers of the day."
and especially of the Marysyile Express, from
which the above extract is taken, | most
cheerfully comply with your request l do
do SO the more readily us Mr.. McKibben and
myself are old acquaintance and friends, but
differ, somewhat, politically, and l am the
last man who would do him injustice, or al
low Others to do it, by preventing or falsify-
ing any remarks made by me in debate
In order to set this whole matter right be
fore til people, | will state the facts which
have become public as they occurred, accord
ing to my recollection.
On Friday morning, July 9th, the question
of the nomination of candidates came before
the Convention The names of John Currey
and o. L. Shafter were presented for the
Judgeship, A debate sprang up in relation
to Mr. Currey who had just been nominated
by the Anti Lecompton Democratic Conven
ton; the debate took a wide range. covering
the whole ground of the nomination of the
candidates of that Convention. | took part
in that debate and was opposed to the nomina.
tim of MesSerS Currey and NcKi6ben. in
sead of for 1t, as the Express states. In that
debate, which was somewhat earnest and ex-
citing, | stated that one reason, among 9th
ers, why the Republican Convention should
not nominate Mr. Currey and Mr.. McKibben
was, that McKibben did not desire the nom.
indtioa Of or Convention, for he had So sta
ted to me the evening previous. lie said in
substance that, "he did not wish the nomina
ton of the Republican Convention, he wished
them to let him alone, he was in the midst Of
II fight with the Administration party,
who had read him and his friends out, and
cast them oyerboard he stood upon the Gin
cinnati platform, while the Administration
party had left it, it was aOar bettceen them and
he was confident of victory, believing that
the people of California wonld sustain him;
if the Republican Convention approved of his
course in Congress, and wished to endorse it
in resolution, and to vote for him at the
polls, it would be gratifying to him, but he
did not IRISH them to nonindte him."
The above was the substance of Mr.. Nc
Kibben's conversation with me, and to which
referred in that debate But in the excite
ment and rapidity of my remarks, acciden
tally, and unintentionally. used the Germs
Democratic party and Administration party
as synonymous, and thereby placed Mr.. Me-.
Kibben in a false position, as it represented
him as being ont Of and at ~ar NTH tie Demo
cratic party. My attention was called to
that fact by some of Mr.. McKibbens friends,
who were strangers to me.
saw that if allowed the matter to pass
/ - al 7 81, 1o "a
to Mr. McKibben, and myself also, rs well as
the public at large l Immediately arose in
the Convention and requested the privilege
of making an explanation Judge Tracy,
who had the floor, gave way, and | mnde it,
and called the attention of the reporter TO ii
in particular, who took it down and publish
ed it in the Sacramento Zee the same eve
ming, and very correctly. | have not copy
of the Bac and cannot give the explanation
verbatim.
Respectfully yours