The Writings of Sam Houston, Volume VIII

WRITINGS OF SAl\-1 HOUSTON, 1860

60

unauthorized by me, and opposed to my well known opinions. In a letter written March 25, 1860,2 I said: "If my name should be used in connection with the Presidency, the movement must originate with the people themselves, as well as end with them. I will not consent to have my name submitted to any convention, nor would I accept a nomination, if it were tendered me, and procured by contrivance, trick, or manage- ment." The people alone have the nominating power, as they have that of election. If they declare for me, I desire that they do so with- out the aid of "contrivance, trick, or management," on the part of any of my friends. Thine truly, Sam Houston. 1 The Stcmdard, June 2, 1860; The New York Hera.Zd, May 30, 1860. The He,·ald does not state to whom the letter was written; the salutation is merely "Sir." • John H. Manley was born, March 6, 1821, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He read law with his maternal uncle, William Haywood, of Raleigh. In November he married the daughter of Hon. D. Henry, Democratic candi- date for the governorship of North Carolina. In 1852, he and his family came to Texas and settled at Galveston, where he remained until 1855, when he moved to Harris county, where he engaged in railroad building and other enterprises until January, 1859. He then withdrew from busi- ness enterprises, and opened a law office in Houston. At the same time he became editor of The Standard, and he was a member of the Eighth Legislature of Texas, 1859-1861. See DeRyee & Moore, The Texas Album for the Eighth Legislatm·e, 126-127. He was a firm friend of Sam Houston, and was one of the leaders who drew up the resolutions at San Jacinto, and was prominent in stirring up Houston sentiment in other states. The New Yo1·k Herald, May 30, 1860, devoted practically the entire first page of its issue to a long account of Houston's acceptance of the San Jacinto nomination for the Presidency. This paper also gave an account of a large and vociferous rally of Houston's supporters in New York City. There a large crowd assembled about the statue of Washington in Union Square, accepted the San Jacinto nomination with speechmaking and other orderly but noisy evidences of their approval of the Texas choice of a Presidential candidate. Men from many states were listed as lead- ers of the meeting, among whom were: A. H. Mickle, ex-mayor of New York; Joseph L. White, New York; William D. Rankin, Pennsylvania; Clinton Roosevelt, New York; Jeremiah Clemens, Tennessee; and Henry C. Gardiner, of California. The list of Texans present was also long. On this roll we find the names of• John Hemphill, Ben McCulloch, L. D. Evans, D. D. Atchison, and John H. Manley. As may be expected the speeches that were recorded all praised Houston, the man, and extolled his many virtues and abilities as a guardian of public welfare. Printed copies of several campaign songs were passed about through the crowd, so that all -

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