Tuesday, April 3, 2018

J. W. Burney to Congressman Howell Cobb, January 31, 1845

Monticello [ga.,] 31st Jany., 1845.

Dear Sir: Many of our citizens had assembled at the Post office this morning to hear the Texas news. When we saw the measure had passed the H. of R., and that Messrs. Stephens and Clinch had voted with the rest of our delegation there was a general exclamation of “well done good and faithful servant”. Our Whig friends joined in the expression of their joy. I beg you to tender to Mr. Stephens (to whom I am not known) my sincere thanks for this vote. The question is vital to us. His superior love of country to party entitles him to great credit. Can it be that Judge Berrien1 will not pursue a like course? Now is the time for him to show himself to be above party influence. Do all, all work to carry this great question through the Senate. We are satisfied here with the Resolutions as they passed the House, tho we would have preferred the Missouri Compromise being stricken out. But concessions must be made, and the people of Georgia will agree to any thing reasonable on the subject to get the country.

I have troubled you too much already, but felt as if it was my duty to say this much.

We shall now look with great anxiety to the other end of the Capitol for favorable action.
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1 John McPherson Berrien, Senator from Georgia, 1825-1829, Attorney General in Jackson's Cabinet, 1820-1831; Senator again (as a Whig), 1841-1852.

SOURCE: Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, Editor, The Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1911, Volume 2: The Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb, p. 62

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