CHESTERTOWN, [MD.], October 17, 1856.
MY DEAR SIR: I fear
that I shall not be successful in the money affair. There is a shyness about
all investments not promising immediate returns and profits. Indeed money is
scarce in proof of which I may mention that one of the wealthy men in
Balt[imore] is taking deposits on call at 5 percentium. One great difficulty is
that the mortgage for the proposed loan is not preferred but comes in for paper
with so much more. I will make one more trial and if that do not succeed will
abandon any further effort.
I cannot give much
hope of our political matters. There will be gains for B[uchana]n in some of
our counties but the old Whigs generally swallow with a blind faith the resolves
of the convention, Donaldson and all. They are besides confident that Filmore
will be elected if not by the people at least by the H[ouse of] R[epresentatives]
in which they say democrats and republicans will prefer him each to the other.
The success of the former ticket in Penn[sylvani]a encourages them, they say
that the Fremont men there will fall into Filmore's support being satisfied of
their inability to elect a ticket of their own and consequently will nominate
none. They say the proposed plan of "Thad" [Thaddeus] Stevens will
not prevail but will be scented by the Filmore men and that the Black
republicans will surrender at discretion to them, as they have to the K[now]
Nothings. I have made several speeches and shall make two more but I do not
think that I can accomplish much except to alienate old friends and make
my social as well as political relations anything but pleasant. The Whigs here
are talking strongly of Virg[ini]a as likely to go for Filmore.
The Florida election
gives them encourage[men]t in the South and the Mayors election in Balt[imore]
gives them exulting confidence of success in this State. Shortsighted they seem
to me and blind to their own interests. What think you of all these
calculations which I have mentioned? We do not know the condition of things at
the West. Ohio is of course fanatical in the extreme and Indiana seems
doubtful. Can you give us any hopes in that quarter. The most we can hope for
with confidence is that the election will go to the H[ouse] R[epresentatives]
and what then? There's the rub. It is a fortunate thing that the democrats have
carried so many members of Congress in P[ennsylvani]a and the legislature and
that some gains have also been made in Ohio. This will enable us to hold the
moody heads in check in Congress until perhaps the delusion may abate.
I read with pleasure
y[ou]r speech at Poughkeepsie. They called on me to report one of mine made in
Worcester C[ount]y, [Md.], but I cannot remember a two hours speech made
without notes and tho' I might write a speech it w[oul]d not
be the speech. This state would I believe submit quietly to
the repeal of the Kansas act and only growl a little at the essential
modification of the fugitive slave law. If I were a young man I should sell my
property here and look for a new home among a more southern people. The
labouring men of our City sustain the Know Nothings because they wish to banish
the competition of foreign labourers, So I am told.
* A Representative
in Congress from Maryland, 1835-1839 and 1840-1843; in the United States Senate
from 1843 to 1862.
SOURCE: Charles
Henry Ambler, Editor, Annual Report of the American Historical
Association for the Year 1916, in Two Volumes, Vol. II, Correspondence of
Robert M. T. Hunter (1826-1876), pp. 198-9
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