Year: 1866

Having been elected Dy you dS yout
ernor in November last, for term, which
will expire on the 1st of January next, and
believing that my administration has met
vo,ir approval, I announce myselfa cann-
date for reelection in August next.


: T do not propose to canvass the State The
constant pressure of Executive duties, many
of which grow out of our anomalous poiltl-
cal condition, require my constant attentloh.
IF the practice of canvassing the State at any
time be a wise one, / am sure l could not do
it at this time, without detriment to the pub
lie interests. Nor do 1 deem it expcdient to
address to you an extended circular. my
past life and actions furnish the best guar
anty you can have as to my future CONDUCT
Into them invite your candid scrutiny.


Upon some of the matters now engaging
public attention, deem it my duty to pre-
sent you my views.


I think the chief attention of a State Ex-
ecutive should be directed to State affairs
but in our present unfortunate condition 1T
is proper, and it will be expected that shall
give you my views on national affairs.


AS part of my early education, was re-
uuired to commit to memory and rehearse
that portion of the farewell address of the
father of his country, in which he so earnest
ly warns us to Indignantly " frown upon the
| first dawning Of any attempt to ALLEVIATE
any portion OF our country from the rest
This became a fixed sentiment with me. The
| preservation of the Union has been the polar
star of my political life. In the circular by
which announced myself as u candidate tor
the honorable position which L now I'LL, L
referred to the fact that had offered, in the
House of Commons in 1881, resolutions de
| nouncing notification; that as Senator In
the General Assembly of 1S60-'61, in a for
lorn minority, constantly combatted every
thing which thought tended to disunlon;
voting in May, 1851, with only two others,
| l<>f (N,n I rat
also to circular which addressed to my
constituents in January, 1861, when the ques-
ton of Convention or Convention was to
be decided by their votes, in which urged
them not to be deceived by the cry that the
Convention was to be called to "saCe the
Union" that it was called to destroy it. y
| then circulated among my constituents the
celebrated speech of Andrew johnson, then
Senator from Tennessee and now President
of the United States, in which he denounced
with equal fervor Northern disuniOnism md
Southern disuniOnism. l concurred with him
then as cordially as do now.


In nv circular of last October. stated to
YOU that had always looked back on my
course in all these instances with great salts
faction In the ensuing election many OF
YOU who had always concurred with me, and
many who had formerly differed with me in
these views, voted for me. All who voted
had recently renewed their allegiance to the
United States by taking the oath prescribed
in the Presidents amnesty proclamation. L
entertain no doubt that they took this oath
with the honorable and sincere purpose
faithfully to observe it. All desired that
our former relations with the Union should
be speedily renewed. Regarded the cordial
vote for me by many of those who had main
tained the doctrine of secession. as in accor
dance with their recent pledge of loyalty to
the United States, and as token of respect
for my consistent political record, and hence
l received their support as alike credltable
to them and to me.


l declared in my circular to you last Fall
and now repeat, that if elected, as far as
nv official position would enable me to do
it. both from inclination and conviction of
duty. should endeavor to soften the ami
mosities which have grown ont of the hor-
rible war; now happily ended. Ifsome of us
have grievously erred, grievously have all of
us atoned for it. l shall endeavor to encou-
rage a spirit of mutual forgiveness,-ar return
to habits of law and order, and steadfast at
tachment to the Union, which made us so
great and prosperous people while we adj
hered to the counsels of Washington" I
have endeavored to act in conformity to these
promises.


l refer to these prominent points in my
political record and the circumstances under
which you did me the honor to elect me last



sion which many have sought to make, at
home and abroad, that my election was a
disunion triumph. The imputation is grossly
unjust to me, and as believe equally unjust
to everybody who voted for me.


NV conduct in the discharge of my admin
istrative duties is known to you; and have
so recently had occasion, in my message to
the General Assembly, to present my views
in relation to State policy, which message
was very extensively circulated throughout
the State, that deem it unnecessary to re-
iterate them.


Wise policy requires, in order to restore
prosperity and order, that every citizen
quietly and industriously pursue his occupa-
tion and obey the laws of his country while
they are in force, however distasteful some
of them may be. If we would have peace
and plenty we must look for them as the
fruits of order and industry. The wisest
legislation without these will be unavailing !;
and with them, the worst legislation will but
retard the return of prosperity.


We are, as think, unwisely and uncon-
stitutionally excluded from the National
councils, but the results of war have made us
powerless 1t is unwise to indulge in de-
nunciations of the dominant power, and not
inconsistent with real dignity and proper rself
respect to abstain from intemperate remon-
strances. Let us quietly pursue our several
avocations and hope that Providence will





to counsels becoming magnanimity and wise
and generous craftsmanship.


The great object of all good men and wise
statesmen should now be to mollify the pas
sions which have grown out of the late con-
flict, and by all their influence to endeavorto
restore cordial reconciliation between the lately
alienated sections. The good of our whole
nation requires sincere. and uniUersGl recon-
ciliation. This can not be if prescription and
mutual elimination be INDUCED. The sub
lime injunctions of holy writ which forbid
the indulgence of maevolence, are universal
in their application.l


In such convulsion as that from which
we are emerging, many will have received
grievous injuries No good can spring from
the indulgence of revengeful feeling. Let
every good citizen exert himself to repress
it. Both philosophy and our religion rank
forgiveness and charity among the chiefest
of virtues and as there are few of us who
have not occasion to ask forgiveness for our
own acts let US be merciful to each other


Ifyou shall re-elect me as your chief magls-