Crawfordville [Ga]., Mch. 18th, 1860.
Dear Smith, Your letter of the 14th inst. was received last night. The catalogue of books came duly to hand. It was from that that I gave Mr. Shockly the information about where he could get Niles’s Register, and he authorized me to get some one, I named you, to purchase the set for him. But I did not know who sent the catalogue to me at the time. Your letter however to which you allude giving me the information that you had sent it did come after a while. I got it just before going to Greene Court the past week. It was delayed somehow and somewhere, I know [not] how or where. It is safely at hand now however. This I state that you may not be uneasy about it, as you express some anxiety on that point. The letter gave me a good deal of information on subjects that I was glad to be informed about, and I am obliged to you for it. I have been a good deal annoyed by the use I have seen made of my name in connection with the Charleston nomination, particularly in our own State. An effort has been made to get up a sort of “a tempest in a tea pot” here between Mr. Cobb and myself. Now this I need not assure you was all against my will and wishes. I have done all that I could to prevent any reference to me whatever. And I have felt truly mortified at hearing as I have that Mr. Cobb’s friends thought I was at the head of the opposition to him. This is utterly groundless. How little do men who so talk know of what I have done to harmonize that opposition. Our convention is just over and to my surprise the December recommendation of Mr. Cobb was voted down! This only shows the strong opposition to him in the state that nothing could allay. The truth is Mr. Cobb is not the choice of the Democracy of Georgia, not as between me and him but as between him and any other prominent man of the party. He would be the weakest man that there is any probability of being nominated so far as the State of Georgia is concerned. This is my deliberate judgment; it is needless to say why it is so. I regret that it is so. I give the judgment with no pleasure for I esteem Mr. Cobb highly and would support him warmly. As for any individual rivalship with him I scorn the imputation. I have none of it. I do not wish the office and have no personal favouritism for any other one over him for it. But what I say is simply what I believe to be the naked, un-sophisticated truth. Mr. Cobb’s friends ought to be able to account for this fact without attributing it directly or indirectly to me. Did he not try his strength with his party for the Senate when he and they thought his election almost certain, and yet instead of getting the nomination by a 2/3 vote he did not get even 1/3 I believe. I was not then acting with the party, and was openly for him with the opposite party then against any other man of his own party. I mean I did with the opposite party with which I acted all I could for him if the election came into the Legislature between him and any other of his own party. I preferred him to all others of his party. I have always esteemed him highly and have been on good terms with him personally. All this I say to you, for it is the truth. But I do not wish you to say anything of the opinion I have given of his standing in the State, for my motives would be questioned by an ignorant uncharitable world and I would not have him injured even to the extent that my opinion, if known, would do it. I wish him to keep hold and maintain all the strength he has got. I would do or say nothing to weaken it. Whether he or his friends would act the same magnanimous part by me I know not and care not, for I have no wishes to be gratified or vanity to be flattered. I feel as independent of the world as any man ever did. Had my name been presented to our late convention I have no doubt it would have been substituted for his by a large majority, much larger than the vote against his recommendation was, for I know several of my warmest friends voted for him, knowing it was my wish, and I had written several letters to particular friends urging them most positively and earnestly not to offer my name or permit it to be offered. These are the facts; but I have not time to say more.