Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-07-21
Letter from William II. Welsh,


EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, OF PENNsYL- +
WANNA, TO THE HoN. RICHARD NAUX,
ELECToR AT LARGE.
York, Pa, July 10th, 1860
My DEAR SIR Il have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of
the 9th instant; which, however, it was
my privilege to see in the daily papers,
before you furnished me with a printed
copy I. am glad you have adopted this
public method of answering my brief note,
as it enables Inc to lay before the people
in the same manner, my reasons for act
ing with the majority Of the Democratic
State Executive Committee at its last meet
ing. Had you contcndcd yourself with
simple refusal to accedc to the compromise
proposed by the State Committee, l would
have remained silent; but the ground you
have publicly taken, demands from me
respectful answer, in justification Of myself
to those who placed me in the responsible
position l now occupy towards the D.
mocracy of Pennsylvania.
The public will look in vain throughout
your letter, for any tangible objection to
the proposed compromise, on the score of
expcdicncy, policy, or principle. The one
and only point in your communication, is,
that the State Committee acted "without
any authority The qustion of fjurisdic-
lion is thus raised in your own mind; and
is promptly decided by yourself, without
argument, in your own favor.
Now, with all your political knowledge
.and 1 am willing to conc.dc to you the
most enlarged experience, and the highest
integrity of purposc-I am afraid you
have failed TO learn what, really, me the
"ccrtain specific duties which belong to II
State Committee, Certainly, have no
wish to extend the powers Of the one over
which | have the honor to preside; nor
do | desire to shield any action of my own,
under the broad and general terms Of tho
resolution which authorized its appoint
mcnt, and for which, ! believe, you COR
daily voted in the Reading Convention.
But | take it, that State Committee is
fully "compctent' to act upon all qucs
tons which involve the working machinery
of the party for whose benefit it was spc-
cally created as well rs to arrange and
direct all the details Of organization, and
to propose and effectively carry out all
measures which tend to secure successful
results in an impending strugglc Hence
it was, that the National Executive Com.
mittcc appointed by the Democratic Con
vention which met at the Front Street
Theatre, in the city of Baltimore, without
any other authority than the implied pow
er contained in the resolution which crca
ted it, assumed the right to make Il nomi
nation for the Democracy Of the Union
when Benjamin Fitzpatrick declined tc
accept the Vice Presidency on the tickc
with Stephen a Douglas-and the adop
ton of the resolution by the same Commit
mlttce, in reference to the power of it
members over Electoral tickets formed b,
bodies entirely separate and distinct from
that which gave it political life, clcarl,
shows that the gcntlcm en- who compos
that organization have 10 very narrow o
contracted ideas Of the authority and "spc
cihc duties of an Executive Committee.
You say, in your letter, that 'thc Read
ing Convention gave no power to its Com
mittec TO compromise the integrity ofDcm
ocratic princi pies, the Democratic organ
zation, or Democratic candidates.. Thi
is strictly true. But while your premise
are correct,your conclusions are falIaciou+
No torturing Of language, no ingenuity o
expression, can fasten such an intcrprota
ton upon the compromise rccommcndc
by the State Committee. Com let us rca
son together, and see how far the Com
M ttee $ resolution bears you out, in tn
position you have thus voluntarily assum
cd.
You as n candidate for Elcctor, arc bu
the creature of the Reading Convcntion.-
Equally so, is the State Committee. Yol
are both the offspring Of the same parent
Without any assumption of power on tn
part of either, it is your conjoincd duty t.
ondeavor to arrange the machinery of th
State organization, so as to make it mos
potent and efficient against the forces o
the common enemy. lie who fails in TIL
; high duty, is false TO the sacred trust re
posed in him by the Convention Thor.
oughly imbucd with this feeling, a maiori
ty of the State Committee resolved, if pos
siblo, to propose some plan for united nc.
ton, which, if accepted, would enable tn
Democracy of Pennsylvania to assist il
the defeat of the Rcpublican candidate.