William Pickering to Richard Yates

Dear Browning - I have recd another letter from Genl Pickering which is so rich I send it to you.

Richd Yates

Albion Edwards Co Ills

June 10th 1861

To His Excellency

Richard Yates

Govr of Illinois.

My Dear Sir,

I am sorry to acknowledge I feel compelled to trouble you a second time, about any one subject. But the truth is, I feel so deeply grieved, & so downright angry, and indignant at the toadyism of those Republicans (towards our opponents) who have the impertinent & consummate Impudence to urge, advise & recommend you to appoint a Douglass Democrat for U.S. Senator, that I feel as if the very ground upon which I walk ought to cry out against my remissness, neglect, or indifference, were I to remain silent, and see you blindly misled into the gravest error, blunder, & crime, that you could possibly commit, under the vile pretence that it would be "Patriotism" on your part to reward with the highest honours, and most lucrative moneyed compensation, the most bitter, most unscrupulous, vindictive, vituperative & most villainously lying slanderers, both of yourself personally, as well as of all your personal & political friends, supporters, & defenders, & of our most holy political faith & principles. Such "Patriotism", of rewarding your Enemies, & disappointing and punishing all your friends who have stood shoulder to shoulder in helping you through the long struggle to repel all the slanders & vicious onslaughts of our political assailants, & the Enemies of Truth, would most surely be the same sort of "Patriotism" for which Judas has

become immortalized throughout all time, and Eternity? and all that would be wanting on your part to secure to yourself a parallel immortalization with Judas, after you have in like manner followed such treacherous advice that has been treacherously given you, to appoint a Douglass Democrat for Senator, would be be for you to follow the example of Judas all the way through by going & hanging yourself also, then the parallel act & picture would be complete. But you would become equally eminent with Judas, by the single act of appointing a Democrat, without hanging yourself, any more than by doing that one vile act of treachery & Treason, Jeff Davis, and Benedict Arnold, would not be one grain more conspicously preeminent as Traitors to God & their country, than you would instantly become by appointing a Democrat, and however strange it may seem, I am coolly convinced that those very men, both Republicans & Douglass men, who are now tempting you with that treacherously poisoned advice, all full well know, they are tempting you to do that basely ungrateful act towards your friends, who are rightfully entitled to enjoy all political honors, by virtue of the Republican Majority in this state, all those men who so advise you, know full well that such an act, so done by you, at this time, would be your Moral & your political Death & Destruction. You would become equally contemned & despised, both by all Republicans & by all Democrats, and the wilfully blind, or foolish, or rascally men, who now offer you such abominably wicked advice, are no better than the heathenish wife of old Job, when she peremptorily advised her own husband Job to "Curse God, and die." Governor Yates, I am not in

the least degree afraid that you will either now or ever be guilty of of such a wilfully deliberate act of treachery & High Treason against all your firmly fixed & life time principles, & against all the just & righteous claims of the whole Republican part of this State & throughout the U States, against your Country & your God!!! Not one bit am I afraid of your ever being guilty of such a terribly suicidal act of base treachery & Treason. I have known you too thoroughly, too intimately, & too well, ever since you & I first met as Brother Whigs together, & always stood side by side, & shoulder to shoulder, in the House of Representatives as brother members of the minority of that day, yes and ever since that day down to this hour, (altho you would not veto the Convenn Bill) I know you too thoroughly well, to doubt your good faith, & your Integrity of moral & political honour & honesty towards yourself, your own good house, & your own lasting fame through all History, to entertain the least degree of suspicion about the manly, straight forward, promptness with which you will perform your Duty of appointing a U. S. Senator, and what I have thus lengthily written, is solely for the purpose of expressing my utter disgust, my real anger, & Indignation against all such base advice as that which is now given to you, to go & "Curse your own household & your own Israel" !!! Who is it that now dare advise you thus to "Curse & blight the Republican party of your own State, & of the United States Senate", by filling the Rebels seat, thus made vacant by the most solemn Act of God??? Who is it??? Why Douglass held his seat by & through fraudulent apportionment, he was a minority candidate, Lincoln had about 5000 majority votes in Illinois more than Douglass in the election of 1858. for my seat, now vacant. Douglass was the Cats paw of the Southern Rebels in 1854 when he helped them to repeal the Missouri compromise!!! Douglass helped the Rebels to bring on all this War of Rebellion!!! they bribed him with the false hope of making him their Democratic President. & for these reasons you are advised to reward his Chief Captains & supporters, I am sick of all this flattering, lying, toadyism of Douglass.

Your true friend.

Wm Pickering

P.S. Will you allow me to lay my suggestions before your consideration, of the high claims that our old veteran white headed friend Cyrus Edwards, & Mr Browning have upon the confidence of the majority party of Illinois. - Two more trusty men two more patiently enduringly faithful men cannot be found on Earth, I love them both with a Fathers & a Brothers abiding love, and the Republican party owe to each & to both of them vastly more than will ever be rendered to either of them, for their long life of faithful labours have been generously given to aid the cause of political & moral truth, & they have never been honoured or rewarded with any other position that that of hard work

I trust your strong love of justice will lead you to choose between these two good, & amiable, as well as reliable men.

All other Republicans whom I have heard named as aspirants for the honor of being appointed U.S. Senator, are all young men some of whom have already enjoyed a reasonable share of public honors, one senior aspirant was entrusted to represent the dignity & the rights of Illinois at Washington last February, & was fairly weighed in the balance, & was most unfortunately for himself & Illinois found wanting. that was surely honor & trial enough for one man to carry through life, no matter however acknowledgedly great & good in almost all other respects, we all know that old dignitary to be.

In venerable appearance, in dignity, & suavity of manners & gentlemanly deportment & in rightful voting, no man living could more gracefully represent Illinois than our good old Patriarch Cyrus Edwards, of Virginia or Maryland born, & of Kentucky raised, by a worthy old sire, who had been the patron, tutor, & friend, of attorney Genl Wm Wirt.

And for modesty, good sense & moderation, based on solid & firm principles of political sincerity to the Republican cause, & to the Constitution of the U.S. nobody's speeches & remarks in support of his votes would read better than Mr Edwards, & for seniority of claim, Mr Edwards stands our unrivalled Senior in Illinois and from a Boy, I have loved & cherished a deep rooted love & veneration for honoring the truly good old men before they leave this world to go to their everlasting rest from toils & labors.

There is a beautiful fitness towards our State, & towards Mr Edwards, that stands unequalled & unrivalled both ways, and his appt would reflect ever lasting honor & credit, both upon yourself as Govr, & upon our whole State, & upon our President, that would stand now & for ever, superior & above all other appts that can be made from Ills & when I wrote last I did not think of him - and I am sure we owe no greater debt of Gratitude to no man, than to Mr Edwards, & I believe Mr Browning will thus far agree with me

But if Mr Edwards should for any reason be sent to the Grave unhonored & unrewarded - Then Sir, Mr Browning stands without a rival as the Senior Claimant, amongst a host of Junior aspirants, no matter how worthy they may all be as his Juniors, still they are his Juniors, only, & no more!!!