hole JTo. 888.
Tarbovbugh, (Edgecombe Coiin'ty, JT C.J Saturday, March i i, 1843
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BT O EOROS E HOWARD,
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From the Raleigh Register.
AN ADDRESS of R. M. SAUNDERS.
To the People of North Carolina.
I had promisci at a proper time, to make
a full and explicit explanation of the Iran-
actions connected with the Lite election of
United States Senator. This explanation
1 deem alike due to others, to myself, and
to the public. And as my Congressional
term is about to expire, I avail myself of
this occasion to make good my promise. I
have now been nearly thirty years active
ly connected with the politics of the coun
try. It has been my good fortune during!
this long period, to have enjoyed the con-
fidence of the Republican party, and I
should deeply regret the just forfeiture of
that confidence by any act of my own. 1
flatter myself, the facts I shall here detail,
and the revelations I shall make, will satis
fy the public, my course in regard to the
election of Senator, has not been without
excuse, and those friends who stood so
firmly by me, were influenced by no fac
tious motives. I know my conduct was
denounced as anti-republican, as leading to
discord and disunion while I was accused
of courting the WhigsSupport for the mere
love of place, and the gratification of a sel
fish ambition. To each of these charges 1
plead not guilty, and put myself on the
country. 1 assert on the contrary, and ex
pect to show, I have violated no rule or
usage of the Republican party -I have b
no act of mine produced either disunion or
disoord in its ranks and so far from seek
ing to gratify a mere personal ambition, I
had been led into the matter by what 1 had
the right to believe, and did believe, to
have been the wishes of the Democratic
party. Under this conviction, I resisted
What I felt well satisfied did exist, a hidden
and secret combination against me per
sonally, and a design to proscribe me po
litically because of my preference for a par
ticular individual for the Presidency. How
farthis belief was well or ill founded, you
can judge from the facts I purpo.e now to
detail.
There appeared in the Richmond En
quiier an Editorial article pending the
election, calculated and intended to do me
an injury; holding me up as pressing my
claims for past services, and desiring to
''slip iu" through the aid of Whig votes
1 gave to a friend a brief statement of facts,
to induce the Editor to do me justice in the
correction of his article, with the request
hot to publish the statement, as it might
provoke a newspaper controversy. The
Editor disregarded the request, refused to
correct his article, but published the state
ment as ua communication " I received
from the Editor of the Standard, a letter,
dated December the 8th, saying, he appre
hended, in the event of my election, there
might be a wih to publish what might ir
ritate the public mind;but, says he, "I shall
leave it to yourself and Mr. Brown to pub
lish such matter as you may severally
think the case requires, under your own
proper signatures." I expressed myself
satisfied with this course, as the proper one
l'i a contest between friends; & yet, in the
next paper appeared an article with pro
fessidns of respect for me, but condemnato
ry ot my friends, and of their conduct, ad
v'sing my withdrawal, and their support of
Wr. brown. Again, in the inquirer of the
20,h, (the election still pending) appeared
"A Statement" by D. K. McRae, Esq .
anda letter from Mr. Cardwell, which, at
a proper time, I promised to notice. I am
thus particular in these references, because
these papers are under that political bias.
which, as ! expect to show, lays at the foun
dation of this concerted opposition to me.
As I have said, 1 had been drawn inu.
'his matter by what 1 believed to be th
wishes of the democratic party. I proceed
to state what occur fed before the meeting
f the Legislature, to show the truth of
this assertion: Soon after the result of our
State elections wre known, I received sev
eral letters in regard to my being a candi
date for Senator. I answered none of
theie letters, but resolved toawail the pub
lie m inifestations on the subject. On my
return home, I was still pressed to Be a
candidate, and Irom what I saw and heard,
believed the indications decidedly in mv
favor. I recieved letters from the E len
ton and Newbern districts, expressing a
wih for me td run, arid the belief that" 1
wax the choice of the democratic party.
To on-; of these letters 1 gave the fir-t as
sent to the use of my name, should it be the
pleasure of my friends to bring it forward.
That htter, from an intelligent gentleman,
and in a situation to know something of
public sentiment, assured me, "that in our
part of the State, there was but one opin
ion amongst our democratic friends. We
argue, that Mr. Brown, without any par
ticular sacrifice or exertion, had enjoyed
the honors the party could confer, for a
length of time, which should s itisfy him
That neither Mr. or Mr. have
made the sacrifices which you havu done,
and common justice could not allow their
claims to come in competition with yours."
rrom dill rent quarters, I learnt there wer
several gentlemen ready and willing to be
taken up, if there should he found th least
prospect of success. 1 heard nothing then
of t his party obligation to restore Mr.
Brown, which was so strenuously pressed
afterwards, as to render it treason to op
pose him. The claims of these would be
candidate were passed by; the public
voice was in mv favor, and then arose thi
clamor about restoration. 1 herd th
Cape Fear country was expected to be
against me and as I had received a strong
vote in that part of the State when a candi
da!e for Governor, I could only account
for this expected opposition on two grounds:
btrst, a prelerence lor some tavonte ol
their own; and, secondly, hostility to me,
in consequence of my known preference
of Mr. Calhoun for the Presidency. The
West, as I understood, were almost unani
mous for me, and in my own section of the
State, I believed myself the choice. Under
these circumstances the General Assem
bly met. In the early part of the first
week of the Session I was engaged in
Court, and did not even visit either branch
of the Legislature. Mr. Brown was a
member of the Senate, and had, as I learnt,
been active, with the aid of his friends, in
securing the promised support of such as
were thus to be approached. I here were
several other important elections pending
before the Legislature, and which were
made to bear upon that of Senator. In the
latter part of the week, a meeting of the
democratic members was called. This
meeting as was supposed, was for the pur
pose of organizing with the view to future
action. But those who were in the secret
knew their game, and were at once for bu
siness, i hat Mr. nrown was apprised ot
the object of the meeting, is evident from
the fact that he was not present, but in the
Senate Chamber, where he was advised
with, as to what was passing. This 1 learnt
from one who sw him there in consulta
tion with his friends; whilst I knew noth
ing of what was going on until informed of
the result. As to what transpired in Cau
cus, l must relv upon the statement ol
those, who were present. 1 give that of
Mr. Wilder, which is confirmed by sever
al otheis, and which is the understanding
of my friends as to what did take place.
'On Friday night, the 25th of November,
rsavs Mr. W.)a meeting was called of the
democratic paity. As soon as the meeting
was organized, it was proposed that we
.".hould ballot for a candidate for U. S. Sen
ator. I opposed this motion, and asked
for a postponement of the subject until the
following Monday night. In this I was
overruled, and four ballots immediately
look place. But before the ballot com
menced, the meeting adopted the follow
ing Resolved, That no one should be
considered the democratic candidate un
til he got votes enough lo elect in the
Legislature,' eighty-six being a majori
ty on joint ballot, and the whole number
of Democrats being ninety-eight. At the
first ballot, Mr. B. got 4, and you 35
all of whom gave way except eleven. The
meeting then adjourned to Monday next.
At this meeting you got 31, Mr. B 51.
After the second ballot, it was moved that
the meeting be discharged from the further
consideration of the subject. I think the
quetion was not taken on this motion in
consequence of the remarks of one of the
members from Caswell, who said, he had
not despaired of uniting when the feelings
f members had cooled down.' Under
these circumstances, your menus were
much surprised whert Mr. Cardwell the
next day, nominated Mr. B., without in
orming any one who had voted for you of
lis intention: thus cutting themselvesloos
ml shutting tho door of reconciliation ii
ur faces. The morning after Mr. B.V
lomination, I proposed to Mr. Cardweli
hat you should not be put in nomination,
if Mr. B.'s friends would withdraw him.
This proposition was rejected;"
TiV day after the first Caiicu I savV
i those who had supported me, and inquired
wneiherthey left . bound by What had
transpired! it sotne thing Was at an end my friends to give way. -Mine made no
so far as I was concerned. They replied, : calculation of the sort but as the otlier par
they did not, and should support me, if I ty had brought t'"e democrats into tnat
was brought forward; I also learnt that pe licament, les dved to leave it with the
five of my friends had been absent and thejr j Whigs or not, as they might see fil This
would not attend a caiiclis. I well knew manner of :ippe ding to the House Mr. B.
the advantage Mr. B. had gained but 1 s on saw was a false s'ep & calculated to do
resolved to try and undo what had been! him injiry Hence his application to Mr.
done a far as practicable. But I soon j McRae, whd says: For reasons of my
found, upon mingling with the members, a;ovn 1 had voted neither for Mr. B. or
iMiuniiauuu ami an mnuence operating a
g tinst me, of which before I had no con
ception. In the first place, 1 heard the
cry of "a split,'" and.in order to prevent
that, it was necessary to lake up a third
man. This hypocritical cant 1 well un
derstood, and knew the source from whence
it came It was the voice of one who
said ''Brown is for Van Buren Saun
ders is for Calhoun you will have to elect
me. to prevent a split. Gentlemen may
disclaim the influence of the Presidential
question yet I am bold to declare, but for
my known preference for Mr. Calhoun, the
opposition to me would not have come
irom the source it did, or been half so in
veterate. This opposition was too dis
tinctly marked and too easily traced, for
me to be mistaken as to the malign influ
ence which controlled and directed it.
More than one member had the candor to
say, they could not vote for a Calhoun
-nan 'Phis the more cautious and crafty
sought to conceal and suppress. I saw
men who had been my warm personal
and political friends, because of their differ
ence in regard to the question of the Piesi
dency, now decidedly opposed to me. I
found the whole Cape Fear country, as had
heen predicted, in active opposition. The
few exceptions were soon driven off or
threatened as to the consequences. Why
was this? Certainly not because I had
been opposed either to its men or interest.
I appeal to the delegation of more Counties
than one, to know if the information I had
received of their people's being for me was
true. They could not deny but it was so,
and they themselves had come to Raleigh
prepared to support me, but had here
been told, "the party," was bound to res
tore Mr. Brown. One member had the
candor to admit, to use his own emphatic
language 'The big lawyers were against
me, but, as he knew, the people were for
me;' and yet he had not the firmness to
resist this secret influence against me
Such was the argument under cover of
which the honest and unsuspecting were
misled and deceived. The combination
out of the Legislature, whose influence op
erated within, saw their advantage and
did not fail to use it. Men whom I knew
and s'and ready to name, who had been
wilting to run themselves, resorted to
inis argument oj restoration. l nis was
the point upon which Mr. B. rested his
claim, and the only one his friends openly
pressed in his favor. I could subscribe
neither to its justice or force. It is easy e
nough, alter the ramparts are carried, to
find men to plant the flag on the highest
tower. The difficulty is to find those rea
dy to go into the breach, to take the front
rank, regardless of consequences. Mr.
Brown had been engaged in politics, ami
wascensuied by the vote of a Whig Legis
lature. He did notresign to the Legisla
ture, but to the people. I was on the
Bench, and had no desire again to enter
the political arena. It was my wish that
he should be the Democratic Candidate for
Governor and I so declared at the time.
But a Convention of the Democratic party
dtcided otherwise. 1 well knew by relin
quishing the seat on the Bench and accept
ing the nomination for Governor, the task
1 was undertaking. But my political
friends had placed me upon the Bench and
1 resolved lo relinquish the honor and its
emoluments, when called onto do so. Mr.
Brown says, he was turned out of the Sen
ate by the vote of a Whig Legislature 1
say, I was kept out of the Governor's of
fice, by the vote of Whigs, at the ballot box
The account was then fairly balanced and
if any thing, the difference was in my fa
vor. Under this view of the matter, I
thought the party were under no greater
obligation to restore him than to elect me,
and as such I resolved to enter the contest.
The second Caucus was held on Monday
ninht. the 25th November. Un the npxt
day, Mr. Brown was nominated by Mr.
Cardwell, with a proposition to ballot, on
that day two weeks. But, as Mr. Avery
savs, thts message did not go until near
12 o'clock on the next day, the 30th. In
the Senate it was laid on the table, when
motion was made and carried to vole on
.he Friday following, you being then nom
inated. When this proposition came to
.he House it was opposed, but carried, by
Veas 72, Nays 39; your friends voting for
md Mr. B.'s against it" It is idle to say,
ifier these occurrences, that Mr. Brown
vas not either privy or knowing to the fact
f his nomination. It was the friends of jority, required the Caucus candidate to re
Mr. Brown and not mine who appealed j ceive votes enough to elect on joint ballot.
trom the Caucus to the House. Neither,
according to this rule, was entitled to the
Caucus nomination. By appealing to thel
lJuse, they prevented the union uporiany
third party. I h y calcul d d on lorcmg
Gen. S. in Caucus; but on the morning
subsequent to the second Caucus, Mr. B.
took me aside in the lobby of the Houe,
and, as I understood, ak.-d my advice as
to the best course to pursue. I without
hesitation told him, I thought the safety of
the party in the Legislature as well as in
the State, depended upon the mutual with
drawal of the two candidates, and thus
leaving to the party to select one updil
whom it could unite. On the eve of the
same day Mr. B. called on me and re
quested me to bear to Mr. S. a communi
cation containing the proposition I desired.'
As to the time when this advice was asked
and the proposition made, Mr. McRae is
clearly mistaken. It was not, as he says,
the morning after the second Caucus, but
the day following, being the morning after
Mr. Brown's nomination. The time no
doubt escaped Mr. McRae's recollection,
as it may not have s emed important to
him, but it was highly ma:erial, as explain
ing this part of the transaction. He says
:t was in the morning of the same day, on
the eve of which he handed me Mr. B."s
communication. That is dated November
30th, and my reply Thursday morning,
December 1st. The second aucus was
on Monday night, November 28th. On
Tuesday, the 2yth, Mr. B. was nominated,
ami on Wednesday, the 30th, he applied to
Mr. McR. But he did not. make his pro
position to withdraw until after my nomi
nation, and after the proposition of Mr.
Cardwell to vote in two weeks had been
voted down in the Seriate and the vote
had been carried in the House, by Veas and
Nays, to ballot on Friday: from all of
which Mr. B. saw my friends' would Stand
firm, and that he was in a minority. Henee
I sid to his proposal for the withdrawal
of both "Had your proposition been
made at a proper lime, it would have been
favorably received; but after the door has
been closed by your action, and the ques
tion is no longer an open one. I consider
the proposition as too late to be entertain
ed." And here I must correct another er
ror into which Mr. McRae has fallen. He
says he "understood me to express an ex
pectation of being elected" by the Whig
vote. He no doubt so understood me.
but I expressed no such expectation. The
conversation with Mr. McRae. I marie a
note of the next morning. It is as fol
lows: 0n opening Mr. B.'s letter I re
marked to Mr. McRae, the pioposition
came too late. He said he hoped not, as
he had supposed the matter wodld be ami
cabl -adjusted as he feared my election"0 lv,r- vv"g- en tnetr letters
by the Whigs would injure me and our phtl1 be seen, the public will be qualified to
parti. 1 answered, the partv was not so
easily injured, as neither Mr. B or myself)00 nagger ate, i give an exiraci irom.
were such big men as to break it up; and as
to myself, I must decline taking his advice, j
as 1 understood he was not one of mv
l
friends." Here the conversation ended; ,
my promising to give a written answer j
i next morning
on
the next morning
But to proceed with the narrtaive. On
Friday, the day fixed for the ballot, as I
had been charged with being selftSh, I sent
for Mr. Biown, and proposed to refer the
whole matter to ten members, five to be se
h'Cted by . eaeh. and to abide the result.
Phis being ngreed to, and the men selec
ted, they were informed they were to de
cide which ol the two snould be the dem
ocratic candidate, and in the event of their
not being able to agree to say whetbef
both should be withdrawn. 1 give the
statement of Mr. Dobson as to the result of
the conference. 'As soon as it was dis
covered that we could not agree on the first
proposition, the friends of Gen. Saunders
proposed to withdraw both gentlemen,
which was positively refused on the part of
Mr. B.'s friends, and the only alternative
was to return them both to the House."
On the next day two ballots were had; on
Monday a third, and on Tuesday morning
I left for Washington City, leaving but
one injunction, that an election rniiSt be
made, and if that could not be effected
with mv name in nomination, to withdraw
it. Such is a true and faithful account of
this election. The result is known and ol
that I do not intend to say any thing. If
! others are satisfied with their course and
the public is Content, so am I. I have
said, neither my friends or myself violated
any rule or usage of the democratic party,
in bringing my name forward; and if any
ill feelings arose, we were not responsible
for it The rule adopted in Caucus, where
i Mr. Brown's friends claimed to have a ma
This was no new rule in our Caucus pro
ceedings. In 1S3C, when Judge Strange
wis elected; He baucul then, required!. A
unaniriius vote because at that time ihfi
Demncais Had. si majority of one only, od
joint bailor, 'fhefille is intended to pro
duce unanimity and to preventthat Ji7"j
djout which so mucH ii laid. If neither
Mr. B. or myself could unite the partyj
th.m try a third man. My friends had my
full assent to withdraw my name, provi
ded it was done b-.fore. a nomination. This,
was proposed and declined, arid if either of
us threw ourselves upon the House, so as
to let the Whigs decide, j va"s not the first
to do so The rule, or rather the practice;
in olden times, was different. Then we
had no caucus to Select Republican candi
dates; when we had a majority in the Leg
islature. E.;h man was left to nominate
and vole for whom he pleased, provided
he was a republican. A Cadciis was only
ies;rted td, when nee-'Sary to unite upon
some candidate before tile people. And
even in cases of ihis kind, Caucuses were
reluctantly tolerated,' the people choosing
to settle the matter in their own way, at
the b illot box It niay He$ t am loo old
fashioned a Republican to yield submissidii
to ihese new party obligations; so exacting
in its demands, and so inexorable iri its en
actions that Spirit of party which can td
day "vote a Patriot black," to-morrow,
a Courier w hiie."Vhen the voice of a
majority of the people is heard, I bow td
their will and submit to their choice. But
when 1 saw and heard men say, they doubt
ed not I was the choice of the; State, and
that 1 was their choice"; but the party wal
bound to restore Mr. Brown, in order to
ielieve him from Whig censure when I
heard and saw others opposing mej who
had said, "they believed Mr. B. not fit for
the station, but that a majority seemed for
him" when 1 saw and believed myself
opposed, as 1 most sincerely did, because
of my personal preferences relative to ari
other election when 1 saw, heard; and be
lieved these things, I should have been
alike treacherous to the eountry, and false
to myself, could i have submitted quietly
to a majority, thus constituted and obtain
ed. Again, when I knew letters Had been
written,, designed, and intended to influ
ence the election, and that, not by citizens
of the State, I felt it my duty, as a North
Carolinian, with the blood and pride of H
native son, to resist, and that unto death.
And here let me explain 1 had heard let
ters were written by General- Jackson
Mr. Senator Wright and Benton, each ex
pressing a preference for Mr. Brown's
election. The letter Of dgnef'af Jack sort
I have seen, and i s date explains its con
tents. It was written in answer to one
! informing him of the result of our August
j elections; He had no reasons' at the time
'to bel eve I was to be candidate, as 1 had
said to him a few years ago, when he eX
presed a wih to see me in the Senate, t
was not in a situation to serve, even if 1
could be el cted. 1 understand Col. Ben
ton has admitted he write a letter, and that
he vvas fdr Mr. B. 1 have' heard nothing
appreciate tneir conrems. 10 snow mai i
smS,e ,ei,er a'""gs- "u.crs, ui"g me
same ,anSuaKe' ana nal irom a gentleman
on mespoi, arm a witness io wnai ne ae
.,11 ii . r . 1 1
SLri,'es
How is it, that so many of tHe;
leading men of the party are opposed vtr
you? I hey flocked here from every di-'
rection, and used every effort to induce
your friends to dee t. Letters in abun-
dance were received, many from the wird
vorkeis in Washington City, urging upon
the demociats to prevent vour election.''
But my great offence has been my wil-
lingne-s to be elected bv a Whig tote.- '
Much better, says the High-Priest, thaf
you should have a Whig elected by Demi
ocrats, than a Democrat by Whigs. Oir
this point, I defy the malice of the most
vindictive. I was placed in a situation
where I cod Id not object,- though 1 did. noft
court the Whig voie. The vote I received
from that quarter was a voluntary act, with--dut
any promise or assurance, diiect or in-';
direct, and from me they expected no favor,;
save only such as citizens of the State they
had the fight to chtm. 1 hey supported
me OH the same grounds that the Democrats
in the Legislature of Louisiana, j ined irf
the election of Judge Porter over another'.
Whig. I stood pledged, if elected, and
my conduct should not give satisfaction td
the great body of the democratic party, ;tof
resign before our next elections. But, may"
I ask if mine would have been the first case'
in our State of a Senator being elected by
the vote of his political opponents? In
Weldon N. Edwards, the Senator from5
Warren, claims to be a relation of Mr:
Brown's po sibly within xhefmrth decree.
uul assigns that as aground of pi elerence
tor him over me', whose friend he has pro
fessed to be for more thn twenty years;
Let not that Senator deceive himself.
His reason for the support of his cousiri'
will be considered by the public as puerile,',
as his course towards Hie has been' illiberal'
and : .V ' " --.''i
1-i
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