Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-02-16
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JOHNSON
1.-THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN or

The Milwaukee Wisconsin, says 1.-THE
following letter from President johnson
to Hon. George w. Jones, formerly a
member of Congress from Tennessee, has
fallen into our hands, having been cap
tured at the South. As il was written at
the opening of the campaign of eighteen
hundred and sixty, it will be read with
interest, especially as it gives an insight
into the SCREENINGS of Democratic leaders
of that day for the Presidency :"
WASHINGTON CITY, March Is, 1852.
"FTend Jones / have received and
lust read your historic account of the
compromise of eighteen hundred and
fifty, as published in the Lincoln Jour
nal, it is concise, clear and conclusive
the most 50 of any explanation l have
ever read on the subject. You will please
accept my thanks for the copy you have
sent me, and I think l shall make good
use of il in a short time.
"You, no doubt, have seen Davis and
Browns resolutions in reference TO the
power of Congress over the subject OF
slavery in the Territories, and the pas
sage of a slave code, etc. Davis is trying
to cut under Brown, but, in fact, tits the
same thing.
''For my own part, I can see no good
AAldl Il " b1AAAt jul VI AAAEAAA az. AAAAo AAAAAtT
except division and distraction of the
Democratic party. As to laying down
tenets for the Democratic party, in the
shape of abstract principles, or the mere
passage of resolutions by the Senate, J
think it is not a part of its official duty.
If the Senate assumes the ~prerogative Of
putting the slavery plank into the Demo-
cratic platform which is to be adopted at
Charleston, / do not see any good reason
why il should not make a whole, and
hand il ove TO the convention in COM
plete and perfect form, and ave the con-
ventiOn the trouble of performing the
work; and then 20 step further, and
nominate the candidate Of the party,
and make the people take the nominal
ton without regard to his being accepta-
bic or not. confess that ] am sick and
tired of proceedings Of this kind.
1.-The whole Senate, both sides I think,
are aspirants for the Presidency at this
time, and how many outside the Senate,
the Lord only knows. Andin the means
employed 10 be President the interest
and will ofthe people seem TO be the last
thing thought of or consulted.
Douglas and friends are making a
desperate effort, and ne will go into the
convention stronger than n n man.
Some here, who assume to be posted up
in matters Of this kind, say that he can
not be nominated, and if nominated can
not be elected, and that he will, when he
ascertains this fact, become magnani-
nous from necessity and withdraw from
the contest, and dictate the nominations,
and leaving himself a living candidate
with some chance of success in eighteen
hundred and siXty-four that he would
prefer a course Of that kind to success
before the convention in the spring, and
defeat before the people in November.
"If Douglas can not be nominated, the
nomination will fall upon some South
ern man, and that Southern man will be
the man who can come nearest to carry
ing Douglas strength, and who is most
acceptable to his friends in convention.
The man, not the strongest man in the
South butthe man whoCancarryth eSOuth
andis acceptable TO the Northwestern and
Northern Democracy, is the man in the
South who will get the nomination, if it
falls upon a Southern man. My own
opinion is now that if the Convention in
corporate sone new planks into the plat
form, and the friends of Mr.. Douglas find
he can not be nominated, they will with
draw, and make an independent nomina-
ton, and run him upon their own hook.
Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, is
burning up with ambition, and is nearer
consumed by IN internal heat than any
mar l ever saw, except John Siidell, of
Louisiana. What JEFF. will do if he is
not nominated God only knows. Old
Buck seems for the candidates by turns
sometimes for one and then for another,
and so or think he is always for the
weakest man, until he comes to u up,
and then is for the next weakest, hoping
that they will be strong enough to defeat
a nomination, and then il will devolve
on the convention to nominate him, vet
he disbelieves it all the time.
Seward, l am satisfied, will now be-
come nominee Of the Black Republican
party if not, the party will be broken
up, for the great bulk of il is for him
and they intend to make an extraordi-
nary effort to secure his election. l
thought, some little time back, that they
would be driven into the nomination Of
some other candidate, but have changed
that opinion now.
Ihope you will go to the Convention;
you can, no doubt, do much good there,
and might save the party from taking
some imprudent steps which might prove
fatal.
Ihave never seen the time when you
were so much needed in the House of
Representatives as at the present time.
[ did not sit down to write you a letter,
but TO thank you for the article referred
to.
lam your friend,
M~TaD NM TnuVN~9n<~ -