Congressman Rutherford B. Hayes to William Henry Smith, February —, 1867

Private and Confidential.

WASHINGTON, D. C., February —1867.

MY DEAR SIR:—Since writing you early last week I have received a good many letters from Cincinnati and the drift of them all is to confirm me in the correctness of my offhand impressions. I wish, therefore, to have it known that I decline to allow my name to go before the Union State Convention. Of course I feel flattered by the favorable way in which I have been named, and greatly obliged to my friends for their partiality. I would very much enjoy, I am sure, to make the canvass, and I do not pretend to be indifferent to the honor. If I had no place such as the one I now occupy I should quite willingly take the chances of getting a nomination. But under the circumstances, as I said in my former letter, I ought not to resign without the approval of the people who sent me here; and there is, judging by my correspondence, no general desire that I should do so. I shall write no letter for publication and of course want my decision made known without any "flourish of trumpets" or the assignment of reasons.

This letter is marked "private" merely to indicate that I don't want it to be published.

Sincerely,

R. B. HAYES.

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH,
        Columbus.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 3, p. 40