Presidential candidates : containing sketches, biographical, personal and political, of prominent candidates for the presidency in 1860

Preface

The sketches in this volume vary in length and minuteness, not from a disposition, on my part, to withhold facts, but because a few of my subjects are too cautious to allow their private history to go before the public ; nevertheless, the work contains full and accurate details of the private and public history of our " Peesidential Candidates" — not one of whom has any idea of the position I have assigned him.

In selecting candidates, of course, I have followed my own judgment — ^had I made use of everybody's, I might fill a dozen volumes. I have sketched the prominent men who have been named in connection with the Presidency in 1860. Messrs. Buchanan and Pierce I have passed over as men who have gone through a campaign — and through a Presidential term — and the people know them. It is the men who have not run the race for Presidential honors — the new men — of whom the public would learn something, or I have

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IV PREFACE.

made a mistake in writing this book. The general reader will easily find in the volume the position of any candidate on the issues of the day ; and possibly, beside, interesting personal details which show the character of the man.

The Author.