Elisha P. Ferry to Richard Yates

Chicago July 17 1862

My Dear Governor,

The idea of a special session is I suppose abandoned.

While I regret this for several reasons yet I think it is sound policy. After the settlement made by you with the U.S. and the act allowing our fourteenth member of Congress to be elected by general ticket, there were no reasons which could have been assigned for calling a special session which would have been satisfactory to the people. If a special session had been called our party would have been divided on

the question of its necessity and expediency. The Chicago Tribune would have bitterly denounced it. This I state from personal knowledge of their intentions.

It might have furnished our political enemies with arguments to use against us at the Nov election. They would have claimed that a special session was wholly unnecessary, that it was called exclusively for political purposes, and that a large expense had been incurred unnecessarily &c.

Now for the future. A favorite motto with me (whether it is a good or bad one I will not say) is, "All is not lost that is delayed."

Both branches of the next Legislature must be secured at the Nov Election, and a majority of the republican members must be "Yates Men" when they are elected.

All members of the present Legislature who are favorable to your Election to the senate must be induced to become candidates for reelection.

This may not be practicable in every instance but generally can be accomplished with a little maneuvering.

Plans must be devised by which your friends shall be candidates in all republican districts. You have warm friends

in each of those districts. They must be posted up in this matter and can bring about the desired result. A little work in this direction before election may save a good deal of labor & trouble after election.

The first great object, however is to secure a republican majority in each branch. This in my opinion will be the most difficult task of all.

Plans are now being secretly concocted in some of the northern counties for another union movement by which the democracy hope to carry the Legislature. They intend to sacrifice every thing to that one end. They will sell

Treas. Supt of Schools county officers & Congressmen for members of the Legislature.

The democrats will select some leading republican in a republican district & promise him a nomination for Congress on condition that he will go into a union movement & use his influence to secure the election of a democratic rep or senator in his county.

I have strong reasons for believing that a plan of this kind is thought of in our congressional & senatorial districts. Church will be

the candidate for congress & Wm M Jackson for the senate.

I have not time or space to give you my reasons for this belief. This matters so far as Church & Jackson are concerned I desire to be strictly confidential. I may be mistaken & I do not want to do injustice to either of them.

We can defeat this movement in our district, but if it is attempted with us it will be elsewhere & the matter must be closely watched.

A friend at Washington advises me that Peck (who is now at Washington) as acting

chairman of state com. will not call or unite in a call for a straight republican convention.

He favors some kind of a mongrel concern. Church (LS) is not in favor of a union convention but insists that the call shall be so broad that all war democrats can come in. This plan might be well enough if the war democrats will join us in good faith but if they only want to get control of the Legislature I will see them d--d before I will even ask them to come in. I have no confidence in them & will not trust them. In my opinion we had better take a straight

forward course make party nominations & stand by them.

If the war democrats join us in any numbers either through a union call or through a plank held out to them [unclear] call they will want a portion of the offices & will not be overmodest in their demands. Dissensions will arise between us and them & even in our own party and the ultimate result will be disastrous to us as it was last fall.

We can carry the state and the Legislature by a strict party vote.

Let us then be content with and adopt that policy.

Your letter to the Prest & your proclamation meets with the hearty commendation of all except semi-secessionists. I hope to see you personally soon.

Very truly yours

E. Peyre Ferry

Hon. E. P. Ferry

Chicago

July 17, 62.

Special session, the next session, about senatorship &c &c