F. Hassaurek to Richard Yates

Cincinnati March 5th 1861:

Hon. Richard Yates

Governor of State

Springfield Ill.

Dear Sir! Having had the honor of making your acquaintance at St. Louis & Jacksonville, as you will perhaps recollect, during the excited but interesting campaign which is now behind us, and having been treated by you with a kindness and distinction which I have not forgotten, I may perhaps be excused for addressing these few lines to you in a matter in which I am personally interested. I have tried, as you kindly gave me credit for, to do the best I could, to promote the republican cause in Illinois. Whether I was successful in my efforts or not; whether I have made the impressions and wrought the changes which I desired to make and to work, I must leave to those to determine who remained there after I had gone. At all events I have endeavored to be useful, and, wherever I spoke in your state, our friends gave me the assurances that they considered themselves under obligations to me for what I had done. Whether this was a mere complimentary phrase, or whether it was intended to mean something, I must, again, leave to others to determine. But it may be that the time has

come, when I may take the liberty of calling on those friends with the request to redeem their assurances. I am not an applicant for anything; for, if my services to the republican party should not entitle me to be recognized, I would have too much self-esteem to ask for any favors. But I desire to place the administration in possession of the facts at least, so that it may be able to appreciate whatever little value my services might have had. I do not think that it will be immodest on my part, if I ask our friends in the states which I have canvassed during the campaign, to say (by letter or otherwise) whether they consider that I have benefitted the republican cause in their respective states, and to what extent they think that I have done so. Am I entitled to such a testimonial at the hands of the republicans of Illinois? To you as their standard bearer I leave the decision of this question. If you should feel disposed to answer it in the affirmative would you be willing to say so in a letter to the President? If, however, you should come to the conclusion to answer it in the negative: I hope you will treat this letter as a private one, and dismiss the subject from your further consideration. In either event you may rest assured that those feelings of high regard

which I have entertained for you, ever since we first met, will remain unchanged, and that our short, but pleasant meeting, will retain its place among my most agreeable reminiscences. Your truly

F. Hassaurek

P.S. I may add here that the Republicans of Ohio & Indiana have put me in possession of the most flattering endorsements; and it is a matter of great importance to me, to ascertain whether the Republicans of Illinois consider the services which I have performed in their state, to be deserving of an endorsement.

F. Hasaurek.

Cincinnati Ohio

For office