Lincoln, Yates, Herndon, and Jayne sign note to John M. Palmer: "It is our judgment that whether you do or do not finally stand as a candidate for Congress, it is better for you to not to publicly decline for a while. It is a long time till the election; and what may turn up no one can tell." Abraham Lincoln et al. to John M. Palmer, 1 August 1856, CW, 2:357.