N. Niles to Richard Yates

Belleville Ill.

Dec 8 1864

Dr Govr

I saw Miller representative from Washington yesterday. He is for you warmly---enthusiastically as I am happy to say your friends generally are. He will go up early to work for you.

I am told by Capt. Porter of this Co. who knows Barnsback of Madison that he is for you. I have had some fears of him owing to the general uncertainty of Madison in general and for Gillespie in particular

whom I surmise to be for Palmer. I hope that Metcalf will make all right

One good sign of your success is that Koerner declared himself to me for you. he is always for the winner of the race.

Our paper the Advocate is out for Palmer. This I Suspect is prompted by Baker who is a philosophical statesman with a supreme indifference to man as an individual & to the whole capoodle of politicians in general with a conscience which is almost as much in his way as that of Underwood at the same time with a great amount of policy in his composition---a good fellow

in his way strong & weak He is one of those who took the studs and balked on the subject of which I wrote you and on which your reply gave me infinite satisfaction

Governor, dissipate all fears of friends and hopes of enemies I had intended never to allude to the subject again. I wrote to you with the same freedom that I wod talk with you over a bottle of wine

I considered the duty of friends to burn each other's letters as soon as read. I formed a very unfavorable opinion of John Brough when he told me, as he did once, that he always kept every scrap of writing the he

ever recd from his correspondents. Business and carefully prepared letters may be should be preserved for their contents but when men talk to each other in [undress?]--their thoughts ought to have no more enduring record than the memory---for a general rule such is mine.

Mr. [Eysenmyer?] is going to take a box of his native wine Virginia seedling & Concord to drink after your election in Springfield---to you. I hope to be there with him and that we shall have a good time celebrating a real triumph

Yrs Truly

N. Niles

Niles N.

Belleville Dec 8/1864

Has seen Miller Repr from Washington. and he is warmly and enthusiastically for you, and will work for you.

Is told that Barnsbank is for you of whom he had some fears. Thinks that Gillespie is for Palmer but hopes Metcalf will make him all right.

Koerner has told him that he was for you, which is a good sign---as he is always on the winning side.

Their paper is out for Palmer, which he thinks is the work of Baker, a philosophical man with a supreme indifference to politicians

Further remarks friendly &c