TO WILLIAM H. HERNDON—­LEGAL WORK

Washington, January 19, 1848.

Dear William:—­Inclosed you find a letter of Louis W. Chandler.  What is wanted is that you shall ascertain whether the claim upon the note described has received any dividend in the Probate Court of Christian County, where the estate of Mr. Overbon Williams has been administered on.  If nothing is paid on it, withdraw the note and send it to me, so that Chandler can see the indorser of it.  At all events write me all about it, till I can somehow get it off my hands.  I have already been bored more than enough about it; not the least of which annoyance is his cursed, unreadable, and ungodly handwriting.

I have made a speech, a copy of which I will send you by next mail.

Yours as ever,
A. Lincoln.

REGARDING SPEECH ON MEXICAN WAR

To William H. Herndon.

Washington, February 1, 1848.

Dear William:—­Your letter of the 19th ultimo was received last night, and for which I am much obliged.  The only thing in it that I wish to talk to you at once about is that because of my vote for Ashmun’s amendment you fear that you and I disagree about the war.  I regret this, not because of any fear we shall remain disagreed after you have read this letter, but because if you misunderstand I fear other good friends may also.  That vote affirms that the war was unnecessarily and unconstitutionally commenced by the President; and I will stake my life that if you had been in my place you would have voted just as I did.  Would you have voted what you felt and knew to be a lie?  I know you would not.  Would you have gone out of the House—­skulked the vote?  I expect not.  If you had skulked one vote, you would have had to skulk many more before the end of the session.  Richardson’s resolutions, introduced before I made any move or gave any vote upon the subject, make the direct question of the justice of the war; so that no man can be silent if he would.  You are compelled to speak; and your only alternative is to tell the truth or a lie.  I cannot doubt which you would do.

This vote has nothing to do in determining my votes on the questions of supplies.  I have always intended, and still intend, to vote supplies; perhaps not in the precise form recommended by the President, but in a better form for all purposes, except Locofoco party purposes.  It is in this particular you seem mistaken.  The Locos are untiring in their efforts to make the impression that all who vote supplies or take part in the war do of necessity approve the President’s conduct in the beginning of it; but the Whigs have from the beginning made and kept the distinction between the two.  In the very first act nearly all the Whigs voted against the preamble declaring that war existed by the act of Mexico; and