Evening journal., 1915-05-28
JOHN N. clayton ON
ante WAR issues
Wanted to Assist in Making
Up a Party TO Save the
Country
AVERSION TO SITTING
NEAR THE FANATICS

Joshua Clayton, attorney, OF Elkton.
Md. is in possession Of an interest
ing letter from his kinsman. the late
John NJ. Clayton. one time United
4 States Senator and also Federal Sec
J. retary of State, to James Alfred
+ Pearce. father of former Chief Judge
& James Alfred Pearce. which contains
4 correspondence between the two Della
ware and Maryland public men in the
days before the Civil War. Mr.. Pearce
was q United States Senator from
Maryland in the ante-bellum days. He
/ died in Chestertown. Kent county.
The letter is in part as follows:
Chippewa, Del. Sept H. 1855.
Ny Dear Sir: Your kind favor of
( the 18th inst was this day received.
! hope you will lose no time in car
/ rying out your purpose of taking a
! seat in the Senate remote from Wilson
/ and Sumner and near the seat of
! your humble servant About a week
/ ago / wrote to one OF the officers OF
( the Senate to take Mangum's old seat
/ for me, but / should much prefer II
! you would come and take the seat
! where Cooper and Dawsar sat last
/ year to retain my old seat In the
1 corner as to be nearer 10 YOU. Crit
/ fenden spoke of taking one Of those
( seats. but ! do not know what he
/ has finally done. / have a mortal
/ aversion 10 sitting near fanatical
/ abolifionist OF cantankerous south
I ern scccssionist. / believe in the old
( maxim in medic tutissimus, and II
4 Is precisely because the country Is
! now essentially divided into geogra-
! phical factions that / now do not
! know whether have any party. ! am
! an American but not know moth
/ ing" and as the gentleman of the lat
! ter designation have foOlishly split
! upon the rock of slavery and anti
/ slavery, and resolved 20 maintain
( their secret organization. excluding
the outsiders from all participation
in their nominations and other meas
ures. | do not for the present see
how ! can act with them. Under
these circumstances ! feel too weak
10 go alone and will beg you as
my partner to play out your hand
with me, in which case we may make
point II we do not win the game
I expect Crittenden thinks very much
as we do and perhaps there may no
Dther kindred spirits in the Senate
who may assist us in making up a
party that may be useful in these
perilous times TO save the country.
The Nebraska bill was a monstrous
piece of folly, but the conduct OF the
Missouri mob in Kansas and the do
ings Of the Kansas Legislature have
effected much greater evil to the
whole country. especially the south
than any measure hitherto adopted
I do not see how I can sustain such
an outrage as the election of the
Kansas members by violence. l fee
that I ought not 10 sustain IL, and
+ ] think | shall be compelled TO re.
pudiate IL and denounce il.
But I shall not vote for the restora-
tlon Of the Missouri compromise line
My present thought is that Il will be
; best for us to maintain a quiet con-
# servatlve position between the con-
tending factions endeavoring to con-
ciliate all while principle will permit
Z us to do so. standing always ready
/ 20 avail ourselves OF the first pause
+ in the storm to propose some meas.
( ure OF peace Benton writes me that
/ there are three or four southern
! States nearly unanimous for dissolu-
/ iion. But what is worse the northern
people appear TO stand ready TO ac
/ quiesce in that result, and openly tel
/ us that they have become indifferen
+ on that subject.
4 Please inform me what seat yol
j will take. l was informed by some
one that all the seats had been take
except yours and Mangum's. n tina
he true. | will give up Mangum's {
you II I can get back my old seat.
I shall be most happy to see you a
Buena Vista Please present m,
most kindly and respectfully 10 on
noble old friend. Judge Chambers
whom ! have regarded as one OF tn
ablest as well as one OF the hes
men of his time.
I am. dear sir. faithfully yours
(Signed) JOHN NJ. CLAYTON.