Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1860-06-30
And let me honor one grateful recoI-

| Jo"i iule, udu ouices 10 give, my nam
was never thought Of; but when in ~
-43 we were hoplessly out of power,
was honored with the party nomination
for State printer. When we came t,
have State printer to elect again, a.
well as to nominate, the place went tc
Weed as it ought, yet it was wortl
something to know that there was once
time when it was not deemed toe
great sacrifice to recognize me as be
longing to your hous ehold.
If a new Office had not since beer
created on purpose to give it's valuable
patronage to H. J. Raymond, and en-
able St Johns to show forth his Times
as the organ Of the whig state admins
tration, should have been still more
grateful.
In le49 your star again rose, and ny
best hopes were realized i'll your elcc-
ton to the Senate. l was no longer
needy and had no more claim than de-
sire to be recognized by Gen. Taylor
| think [ had some claim to forbear-
ance from you. What received there
upon was most humiliating lecture in
the shape of decision in the libel case
of Redfield and Pringle, and an obliga-
ton to publish it in my own and other
journals of your supposed firm. I tho't
and still think the lecture needlessly
cruel and mortifying. The plaintiffs,
after using my columns to the extent
of their needs or desires, stopped wri-
ting and called on me for the name of
their assailant. I proffered it to them,
thoroughly responsible name. They
refused to accept it, unless it should
prove to be one Of the four or five best
men in Batavia, when they had known
from the first who it was, and that it
was neither of them. They would not
accept that which they had demanded.
They sued me instead for money. and
money you was at liberty to give them
to your hearts content
l do not think you was at liberty to
hnmiliate me in the eyes Of my own
and your public as you did. If am
not mistaken, this judgment is the on
ly speech, letter or document address
ed to the government in which you ev-
er recognized my existence. [ hope I
may 60 down to posterity as embalmed
therein. I think you exalted your own
judicial sternness and heartlessnes un-
duly at my expense. I think you had
better occasion for the display of these
qualities when Webb threw himself ul-
tlmately upon you for u pardon, which
he had done all he could do to demerit.
I have publicly set forth my view Of
your and our duty with respect to fu-
sion, Nebraska, and party designations.
[ will not repeat any of that I have
referred also to Weeds reading me out
of the whig party, my crime being in
this as in some other things, that Of
doing to day what more polite persons
will not be ready to do till tomorrow.
Let me speak Of the late canvass. I
was once sent to Congress for ninety
days, merely to enable Jim Brooks to
secure a seat therein for four years. l
think l never limited to any human be-
ing that I would liked to have been
put forward for any place. But James
w. White-you hardly know how good
and true a man he is-started my name
for Congress, and Brooks packed the
delegation and thought I could help
him through. So was put on behind
him. But this last spring, after the
Nebraska question had created new
state of things at the forth, one or
two personal friends, of no political
consideration, suggested my name as
a candidate for governor, and [ did
not discourage them. Soon the per-
sons who were mainly instrumental in
nominating Clark, came about me and
asked if I could secure the Know Moth
ing vote I told them I neither could
nor would touch it. On the contrary
1 loathed and repelled it. Thereupon
they turned upon Clark. / said moth
ing-did nothing. A hundred people
asked me who should be run for gov
ernor? I sometimes indicated Patter-
son. [ never limited at my own name !;
but by and by Weed came down and
called me to him to tell me why he
could not support me for governor. I
had never asked nor couted on him for
support. I am sure Weed did not
want to humiliate me, but he did it.
The upshot of his discourse very eau
tiously stated was this: If I were a
candidate for governor, ! would beat
not myself only, but you. Perhaps
that was true, but as | had in no man
ner solicited his or your support, /
thought it might have been said to my
| friends rather than to me. I suspect
it is true that I could not have been
elected governor as whig; but had
he and you been favorable, there would
have been a party in the state ere this
that could and would have elected me
to any place without injariug myself