My dear Sir,
letter enclosed.
has the courage of a lion and the obstinancy of a
mule. He can neither be frightened, coaxed, nor diplomatized into anything. He
rarely asks advice and never follows it. He consulted me as to the propriety of
replying to Alumnus, and entered into the contest in opposition to the most
earnest circumstances. He communicated his doctrines to reply and exhibited the
reply itself to no one but his wife. He will lie in the tracks without moving a
muscle, and I am not certain that he does not covet the crown of martyrdom.
succeeds in the election, you make his future. He understands
this too well to think for a moment of resignation. Sparing him at the present
will gain the free soiler, new strength at
the South,
which the charge of persecution for opinion sake will add to the tempest of
excitement which is sweeping over
the North.
If you proceed to extremities, at once, I would avoid a political issue, and
assume the ground taken by the Faculty and approved by
the
Trustees, in the Arch Bishop case, a violation of the usages of the
institution, not as a free soiler, but a partisan.
to advocate a dissolution of the union on the public stage. In
the matter of politics, no one knows when, and what issues may arise, and
freedom of speech on religious and political matter must be restrained, if
restrained at all, very skillfully.
, was I understand permitted by the Secretary, to
append some remark to his name. He is a great admirer of
Hedrick
, & has I fear written something foolish, or
worse. If so & you publish, as the appendage ought not to be then, strike
it out, and suffer him to illuminate the benighted world, in a separate
article. If you think proper to do so, you may prepare a history of the
proceedings of the Faculty, in such form as you may consider
most advisable without confining yourself to the
removal.Yours very sincerely,