Four days of
balloting have produced not a single change of a vote. Yet it is
confidently believed by most that to-morrow there is to be a coalition.
I know of no foundation for this belief. However, as Mr. Tyler waits
the event of it, he will communicate it to you. If they could have been
permitted to pass a law for putting the government into the hands of an
officer, they would certainly have prevented an election. But we thought
it best to declare openly and firmly, one and all, that the day such an
act passed, the middle States would arm, and that no such usurpation,
even for a single day, should be submitted to. This first shook them;
and they were completely alarmed at the resource for which we declared,
to wit, a convention to re-organize the government, and to amend it.
The very word convention gives them the horrors, as in the present
democratical spirit of America, they fear they should lose some of the
favorite morsels of the constitution. Many attempts have been made
to obtain terms and promises from me. I have declared to them
unequivocally, that I would not receive the government on capitulation,
that I would not go into it with my hands tied. Should they yield
the election, I have reason to expect in the outset the greatest
difficulties as to nominations.
Pages:
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787