| Summary: | In the letter the men discuss the recent election of Raphael Semmes to the position of county probate judge. The U.S. authorities have prevented him from taking office, and the bar association now asks the president to allow Semmes to assume his duties. They describe all the functions of the office (which handles wills, estates, deeds, revenue, internal improvements, and marriages), explaining that "it is difficult to conceive how the office can, even for a brief period of time, be dispensed with without irreparable injury to the public." They also add that "The office is not one of political influence, nor is it one of high honor. It was sought for Mr. Semmes by his personal friends, as a simple means of affording a man of intelligence and personal worth a support for a large and dependent family."
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