Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-11-02


this Congressional District and ofthis State,
to ponder we'll before they support any 9TH
'er than the National Nominee. We ask the
patriots Of all parties to reflect before they
throw their votes away, in voting for a'can-
diaate who has no prospect Of being e.
lected.
Gee. N. Sanders, Yancey and the
Vice Presidency. hteg'
New YoRK, Oct. %, 1860.
Editor Charleston ,Cours2,s-Sir: am
surprised that an earnest and sagaclous ed
itor like yourself could be led 50 far astray
as to give serious color to a rumor which.
on little investigation on your part, would
have proved to have grown out of some
playful words of mine at a private dinner
party. ss.--ss
Although the remarks I made sprang out
of the moment, without previous thought,
and were only responsive to the spirit Of
good humored political rail!ery which pre-
vailed around the table, / am quite willing
that all I said on the occasion and after,
shall go to the public. My words, though
casually spoken. at most only pointed out a
way by which The Vice Presidency could be
won and the Democratic party saved. laa 1t!
| In only two instances, the second being
merely a laughing allusion to the first, did
I ever either loosely or seriously speak in
Mr.. Kancey's presence Of his chances for
the Vice Presidency. The mere mention
of the parties. present on the first occasion,
with a simple statement Of what then said,
out Of which it has all grown, will be suf-
icient guage to the absurdity of the whole
story. eg#a aaa lss.asEd 0i Err.
The gentlemen were, frst. the generous
host, Mr.. D.. D. Flower; time, the Thurs
day before the Baltimore Convention. On
his right, Vice President Breckenridge. -
On his left, Gel y. W. Forney of the Press.
Between him and myself, Mr.. Yancey -
These, with Gen. John Cunningham, Of
Charleston, Mr.. Albert Pike, Of Arkansas,
and several others Of equally opposing
spheres, composed the party.
The conversation and speeches naturally
turned towards the approaching convention
Being called on in trrn, I observed, referr-
ing to the Vice Presidency, that Democratic
usage gave the Vice President to the mi
nority, and instanced that at Cincinnati the
Douglas party demanded and obtained the
nomination of Major Breckenridge as Vice
President, after they had~been beaten on
the Presidency That there was no CUES
ton as to who was the minority chief in the
present contest, Douglas had, in his last
speech, signally pointed out Mr.. Yancey !;
and that felt authorized to say that the
majority, with whom 1 had the honor to act,
would generously follow the wise acknowle
e1gement in Sc Of this precedent, and ale
low the minority again to indicate the Vice
President. That Mr.. Yancey had bravely
wen the position by breaking up the con
vention at Charleston, and that he had
gained everything possible in that direc-
ton. That his star would now lead him
to harmony, and to the preventing any more
breaks in the Democratic party That [
would suggest platform as substitute for
both the others on the slavery question,
which Mr.. Yancey and his followers could
honorably accept That the platform l
would have him adopt would be to require
fifteen Oh twenty thousand inhabitants in a
territory before giving to it legislative pow
ers. This is the manner, length and breadth
of nay Weep residential proposition to Mr..
Yancey. It is for Mr.. Yancey and not my
self to say, what consideration he gave to it.,
and what effort he made, if any, on the line
of its suggestions.
| Before leaving Mr. Hoover's, Mr.. Yam
cey came to me, and said he would like to
make complimentary visit to Mr.. Doug
las with me, at time when he would be
most at leisure. By note the next day |
informed Mr.. Yancey that | would call for
him at his rooms at ten in the evening
Arriving at the appointed hour, I found,
with Mr.. Yancey, Messrs Baxter, Hubbard
and Fisher, Of Va, discussing the politics
of the day. / asked Mr.. Yancey signi6-
cantly if he had been considering the Vice
Presidential project, abiding Of course to
what had occurred at Hooyer's. He arch
ly indicated in his reply that he had now
higher aspirations. In the same vein, I,
abiding to the speedy arnihilation Of Har-
rison and Taylor, rejoined that, as Douglas
friends were much more numerous and en-
thusiastic than theirs, he could, certainly.
count upon his being killed off in less than
six months. do not pretend to give the
precise words, but the sense is exact, with
out stretching or shrinking. We soon left
for Douglas found him surrounded by
friends, and spent a pleasant hour, without
a word on the Vice Presidency from Doug
las, Yancey, or any Of the party. I drove
Mr.. Yancey back to his lodgings. Thus
ended our interviews. When alone with
Mr., Yancey, our political conversation was
entirely on the platform-no allusion by
either to the Vice Presidency.
I regret that any Virginia gentleman
should 50 overstep the line of social ethics
as to make grave report, with the inten-
ton Of injuring Mr.. Douglas politically, out
of the fragmenta.y words Of careless con-
versation between others, of the scope and
bearing of which they were entirely igno@
rant, not being eognizant Of its antecedents;
thus making possibly necessary this public
explanation Of what has been SO astutely
misrepresented.
trust that the Courier, and other jour
nails which have given such wide spread cir
culaticn to the irregular statement OF the
Virginia gentlemen, will publish my expla-
nation, in justice to Mr.. Douglas.
Respectfully.
At Nashville, Tenn, Oct. 20, Mr.. Doug