The within slip from your paper of the 4^th I cut from^out^ and inclose to you merely to say, to you, I think it does great injustice to Judge Davis–2 He is my intimate friend of more than twenty years standing; and I think I know him– I think no movement against Lovejoy is led on by him; though he has some friends who wish to give him the nomination. The charge that he has no sympathy with the vitalizing principle of the Republican party, is surely a mistake– He is rather ahead of, than behind, you and me, in that respect– I believe he did not vote for Lovejoy in 1856; but I do not believe he tried to keep a single other vote from him–3 That he feigned sickness, and lay at his room to have voters brought to him and persuaded to vote against Lovejoy, I do not, for a

---

moment, believe– I was with him great part of the time, and I never heard of, or suspected any such thing– And then it is so out of character with him— he never feigns any thing– Far more than most men ^he is bold, and outspoken, in every thing–^

As to the approaching canvass I think I may say I know Judge Davis expects Lovejoy to be nominated, and intends to vote for him if he is nominated– At least I understood this to be his view and feeling when I last saw him about five weeks ago.4 He does not pretend to conceal his preference for any one of several other men, which, I presume, is his unquestionable right– The week of your last City election Davis and I were together at court in ^one^ of the counties of Lovejoy's district–5 The Douglas democrats were then making a bold push at him, and each of half dozen others to induce some one of them to run against Lovejoy without a nomination— they promising to have no candidate of their own

---

and to give their support– I personally and absolutely know, that Judge Davis did more to suppress that movement than any other man–6 He and I afterwards concurred in the belief that the opposition to Lovejoy, unless worked off through a convention, would somehow break out irregularly, and, perhaps do mischief— he, however uniformly expressing the opinion that Lovejoy would be nominated–

I wish to take, and will take no part between Lovejoy and his rivals— or opponents– Many of the latter are my very best friends; and yet I would have been gratified if they had allowed him to take a second election without a contest– I think it would have made all smoother now, and smoother for the future–

I write this chiefly, however, to express my regret that articles like the inclosed should appear in our own Republican papers, planting poisoned thorns in to

---

rankle in the bosoms of our own best men–7