I have this moment received your very short note asking me if old Taylor is to be used up, and who will be the nominee.  My hope of Taylor’s nomination is as high—­a little higher than it was when you left.  Still, the case is by no means out of doubt.  Mr. Clay’s letter has not advanced his interests any here.  Several who were against Taylor, but not for anybody particularly, before, are since taking ground, some for Scott and some for McLean.  Who will be nominated neither I nor any one else can tell.  Now, let me pray to you in turn.  My prayer is that you let nothing discourage or baffle you, but that, in spite of every difficulty, you send us a good Taylor delegate from your circuit.  Make Baker, who is now with you, I suppose, help about it.  He is a good hand to raise a breeze.

General Ashley, in the Senate from Arkansas, died yesterday.  Nothing else new beyond what you see in the papers.

Yours truly,
A. Lincoln

DEFENSE OF MEXICAN WAR POSITION

TO REV.  J. M. PECK

Washington, May 21, 1848. 
Dear sir: 

....Not in view of all the facts.  There are facts which you have kept out of view.  It is a fact that the United States army in marching to the Rio Grande marched into a peaceful Mexican settlement, and frightened the inhabitants away from their homes and their growing crops.  It is a fact that Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, was built by that army within a Mexican cotton-field, on which at the time the army reached it a young cotton crop was growing, and which crop was wholly destroyed and the field itself greatly and permanently injured by ditches, embankments, and the like.  It is a fact that when the Mexicans captured Captain Thornton and his command, they found and captured them within another Mexican field.

Now I wish to bring these facts to your notice, and to ascertain what is the result of your reflections upon them.  If you deny that they are facts, I think I can furnish proofs which shall convince you that you are mistaken.  If you admit that they are facts, then I shall be obliged for a reference to any law of language, law of States, law of nations, law of morals, law of religions, any law, human or divine, in which an authority can be found for saying those facts constitute “no aggression.”

Possibly you consider those acts too small for notice.  Would you venture to so consider them had they been committed by any nation on earth against the humblest of our people?  I know you would not.  Then I ask, is the precept “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” obsolete? of no force? of no application?

Yours truly,
A. Lincoln.

ON ZACHARY TAYLOR NOMINATION

To Archibald Williams.

Washington, June 12, 1848.