Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-08-31
letter from HON. ). S. PendIeton

| last three months numerous *lnWtaNoliS
and REQUESTS from various q 1artcrs,and espe-
tcially from my old District, to take part in the
| discussions now in progress, in respect to the
| Presidential election just coming on, as 1t has
been my custom SO actively to take on all SINH
lar occasions for the last six and thirty years.
Ipropose to answer them all at once, through
the columns Of your paper, it you will do me
the favor to admit this note. -----.--
| 0 For ten or eleven weeks have been confined
| to nv bed with the most severe illness l have
ever experienced and yet am unable to walk
| across nv chamber without assistance; and /
have, in fact, very little hope of being able be-
| tween this time and the first Of November to
address satisfactorily to myself, or to the pub
lie any large popular assembly very small
assemblies | have long since ceased to address.
Were I in different circumstances, 1t would
afford me pleasure to perform my humble role
| in the great drama now in its first acts For
| I am under no restraints, such as emDarass Inc
action Of my ancient friend the Hon. Aezan-
der Rives, in responding to an invitation to ad-
dress the public. I am in no official position
and never again expect or desire to be IN one;
so that no question OF official proprlety and
dignity interfere, with my action, as it does
| with that of my old friend although observe
he SO constructs the actual extent Of the pro-
prieties of his positions as to have no difficulty
| 10 declaring to the public that his convictions
| of duty and his sense of patriotism and public
| policy constrain him to feel an intense solicit
| tudc for the election Of Gen Grant and Mr..
| SCHUYLER Colfax. He announces his PROPOSE
ton without qualification, but his sense OF
official delicacy and propriety forbids the state
ment of any reason which he has for that opin.
! ion. | regret that my old friend, for whom l
have great respect and kind feeling, had not
seen fit to give reason for his opinion, and
shown wherein he has ascertained that Gen.
| Grant possesses one imaginable qualhcatlon
| for civil mag istracy Of any grade, and more
particularly tor the Presidency Of the United
States. IF he had done SO, he might possibly
| from anv source whatever, that Gen. Grant,
| whatever may be his qualifications as soldier
and gentleman, has one possible requisite Tor
a civil magistrate, and that he is not, by all the
habits of his life, the conditions OF his educa-
ton, and the occupations in which he has been
engaged through lie, pre-emmently disqualified
for any civil trust or responsibility, except
| in the mere qualifications CT personal courage
and integrity. Could he have furnished me
such Il reason, it would be the first | have ever
heard of from any respectable quarter what
| ever. 49,. ~. ..-,
Ireler by name to Mr.. Rives, because | know
him TO be a man Of talents aud honorable char
acter, 10 be one Of the highest judicial function
aries of the Commonwealth, elected exclusively
bv The votes of the aulte people, holding his Of
Zee by that tenure, whilst he knows there ls not
one decent white man amongst thousand 10 the
! State Of Virginia, who concurs with him IN his
favorable estimate ofthe qualifications OF Gen.
| 1 fut- hay
more accorded with the very refined delicacy,
TO have either held his peace entirely on the
occasion, or TO have assigned SOME reason tor
tue faith which he proclalms from his
elevated official stand; and which L think
| is not precisely according to the habits OF
his illustrions predecessors. | refer to HIM tor
another reason; that he IS one OF The only three
persons know 10 Virginia-one, purely prI>
yaic gentleman Of business, and the other, a
| DISTINGUISHED General, who have adopted or
protested to adopt bis opinions in favor Of the
| Radical cause, and who is at the same time
worthy Of the notice Of any gentleman. In re-
Ierring to Which party, l mean to be distinctly
understood rs abiding to that most dlmlnutlve
and contemplate faction, called by the Editors
the "Scallawags," and whom hold to be, 10
all RESPECTS immcasurably meaner and more
degraded than are either the emanclpated
| saves, or tGlT iHlCllOfS t!lC icGuill C"lP"'.
| baggcrS. ...-.
i. would afford me particular qualification to
be enabled to enact that role in any part OF my
old district and more particularly in the city Of
! Alexandria, where have on similar occasions
co-oneratod with my political friends 50 often
| in the last thirty years. .o>
/ Although have been tor many years, Just
1 preceding the last past ten years, in occasional
| association and contact with many of the emil
nent public men Of tho North, yet it has singu-
| larIv enough happened that l have never met
| with Gov. Seymour and hence only (for have
outlived the folly of looking out for Presden,,
tial candidates for reason OF actua! or supposed
availability it has occurred that my heart had
been fixed upon the nomination ut the New
York Convention of another and much younger
gentlemen from a different section OF the coun-
| try whom have been accustomed to regard tor
some 1ewyears as amongst the most promising
statesmen [ have known in the country-one
whom have known from his childhood and to
whom have always been attached. But since
the National Convention is oyer | am perfectly
and firmly satisfied that The nom ination Of
Horatio Seymour, esq, is not only among the
best, but undoubtedly, beyond all possible
question, the very best and most fit that could
have been selected in America from any and all
of either the old or the new political parties.
I adopt this conclusion On the authority of
the most reliable men-most reliable for good
Judgment, at least,in the Northern States.
am informed that Willard Fillmore. the last
living Wing President, and franklin Pierce,
the last living Democratic President, concur IN
q cordial support OF Gov. Seymour; that An
drew Johnson, the actual President, and James
| Buchanan, Just dead, concurred in their appre-
citation Of the same gentleman that Judge
Woodward, very distinguished, and lin my
opinion) a very able Democrat, of PenDsylVa-
MIA, entertains, with respect to the personal
| qualifications and character Of Gov Seymour,
precisely the opinion of the embittered and fu-
rious partizan, who was lately the Radical Gov
ernor OF the same State, and that Gov. Pack
| ard, OF the same State, endorses their opinion,
that Gov. Seymour is one of the most accom-