Herald of the times. [volume], August 11, 1831, Image 2

About Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846

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and suspicion could contrive, or creduli
ty couldpbo prevailed upou to embrace.
What are these shadows which have
been thus embodied? ‘At the succced
ing session Mr. Calhoun’s (riends held
meetings for the purpose of addressing
you to remove Major Eaton.”’—Three
things are necessary to be proved to
maintain this charge and bring it home
tome, Ist. That Mr, Calhoun had a
class of friends distinct from yours, 2d.
That they held such meetings, And 3d,
That 1 was privy to, and gave aid or
eountenance to the measure.* As tothe
first, I know of nosuch class. Asto the
second, 1 know of no such meeting, Ana
thirdly, I, of course could have given it
no aid or countenance. Ify however,
there was such a meeting, its character
and objects must be sulijects for proof; &
itit did address you, the names must
show that it would scem only to have
been a conspiracy of your own [riends to
rorsuude vour head in opposition to your
weart. Be this as it may, you have my
denial of all knowledge of it; and my de
mand for proof on this point cannot be e~
vaded.
Then ‘Mr. Van Buvenwas denounced’!
When? 1o what manner? And by
whom? And how am [to be responsible
forit? Ttistrue I did not coter into the
views of those who were generally sup
posed to constitute your confidential
political council, by exerting myself'to
promote him for the succession; nor did 1
follow the supposed changes in your
mind, asto the propricty of using your
power to promote the election of your
successor; but T gave to Mr. Van Buren
a fair and just support in all of his oflic
ial acts, which were presented for my
co-operation; mnor have his personal
friends the slightest ground to complain
of my treatment to them, I eannot, how
ever, be responsible for what others said
of him; my relation to you or to him, did
not require that I should bear so unrea
gonable a burden; nor was it your cus
tom to hold him, or any other of your
friends accountable for the denuneiations
against me, which were so carefully laid
on your table day afier day. {f such a
rule had been adopted, it onght, at least,
to have been made known, that each
might understand what was required, and
have the opportunity ol sharing its bene
fits.
The next charge in order is thus an.
nounced* “Arrangements were made in
Congress to embarrass the measures of
the acministration in that body.” I beg
leave to require, as a matter of obvious
justice, that the particular object of'these
imputed arrangements be specified; by
whom they were made; and what motive
has the alleged actors to embarrass the
administration? And, lastly, at what
point was I connected with them, whut
act of this nuture was done, or advice giv
en by me, and what motive could I have
for embarrassing the measures ot the ad
ministration with which I was connected
It does not belong to the human mind to
act without motive ,—even jealousy itsel|
will not believe all the evil it hears of the
object of its suspicions, unless the evi
dence be corroborated by the appearanee
of some rational motive to control then
actions. In this ecase; 1 can imagine
none. It remains, therefore, for you te
show how this charge can be made tg
reach me. Here 1 leave it with my un
qualified denial; whatever form or shape
It may assume,
“The Calhoun Telegraph, and Ing
ham Sentinel evireed their disaflection.”
Again I demand the evidence. Let the
columns of these papers be examined ftor
the fact of their disaffection. The for
mer was deemed the paper of the Admin
tration, and the only %iticle which, up t
that pericd, I have heard of having beer
ascribed to such a feeling, the editor say:
was dictated, in substance from your owr
lips, and approved in form by you hefore
publication. Asto the latter, 1 have hac
no political correspondence with its edit
ors {rom the time of my appointment tc
that of my removal. Those gentlemer
(and none who know them will doub
their word) will bear me out in this dec
laration. I admit that I regard them a:
my personal friends, They have long
conducted in the capital of Pennsylvania,
the leading paper of the political party
with which I have always been connec:
ted. They are men of tried moral anc
politicalintegrity. Had I been engagec
in any of the purposes thus attributed te
me, it is scarcely possible that I shoule
not have corresponded with them, and
gome others of their editorial brethren i
Pennsylvania, or elsewhere, on these
subjects, All are now at liberty to pub.
Jish whatever I have written in respec
to this or any other matter contained ir
your charges,
Next: “The appointment of Mr. Bald
win was denounced.” This from you i
most unexpected, to whom it must be well
known that, in all your conversations on
that subject, whatever my preference
might have been, | refused to say any
thing to depress Mr, Baldwin, and it is
with great surprise, notwithstanding all |
have before scen, that [ am made respon
sible for the denuncintion. What may
not be proved when such evidence is re
lied on?
The expose proceeds: “Remote edi
tors were sounded to bring them out a
gainst your re=election.”” The only evi
dence which I have seen or hieard of in
lup(l»ort of this charge, is a statewent of
Gideon Welles, of Hartford, Ct. who,
though he was “shocked and astounded”
at the alleged suggestion, it since ap
rearn, had, some tune after, written a
etter to the same gentleman whom he
charged with making it, sending his best
respects to Mr. Calhoun, and expressing
*I will not require of you to prove thut I was
present or *‘ln the company’' of the conspirators
his own private opinion that you ought '
not, on principle, to stand another poll
It is a remarkable fact, that this same
witness, now so much relied upon to sus
tain a far fetched assault upon me, had
written another letter to the same person, |
soon aflter this shocking overture was
said to have been mage, in whith he
said, among other things of the same
kind, that Major Eaton was a disgrace l
to your adininistration, So much for this
charge, and the witness; but if'all he
says, in the face of his letters to the con- |
trary be true, he only testifies to a con
versation with another person, of which '
none pretends that 1 had any knowledge.
Of its supposed object I never heard till
it was brought out by Mr. Welles' peri
lous statement. But if there be ground
ol offence to you in sach an act it must he
found i the supposition that, contrary to
the generul expectation, you were then
anxions for a re-election, und had seized
upon and laid up the mere expression of
‘a doubt of its expediency as evidence of
base designs against yourself and your
administration, It is surely an act of
supererogation {urther to deny and ask
for vroofs in such a watter, |
The bast and most prominent allegation’
at this period, is that My, Calhoun came
out with a “horrible plot,” and ‘when this,
Issue was made with the Presilent, he
tound his Cabinet divided, and an entire
re-organization was determined on.” 1
shall not inquire by whom, or for what
purpose, this plot was begun, but I may
emphatically demand in what point it can,
by the remotest possibility, be brought in
contact with any act ol mine, official or
otherwise, 1 have reason to know that
it was not the preface to the correspon-,
dence, nor the letters in ity which made
the issue so personally offensive to you,
The first was revised by your particular
friend, and every expressionin which he
thought liable to such interpretation was
erased at his suggestion; and long after
the letters were written, you had intima
ted your unwillingness to receive mr. Cal
houn, as vsual, aud invite him to your ta
ble, if he would leave a card for you, |
know through the same channel of com
mon friendship, that he objected to any
attempt at reconciliation without explan
ation, which should remove the canse of
the difference; adding, that his honor
and integrity had been impugned, pnd,
- until this matter was explained, there
1 could be no cordiality in your intercourse,’
" and that he could not submit to an osten
sible reconciliation with one who perse
v vered inmaintaining such unfounded as
- persions against his character, You
~ were willing to be reconciled after all the
- offence contained in the correspondence
' was [ully before you; consequently the|
- issue spoken of as ‘made with (yoursell)
L personally,” must have been made by
- the publication, not by the matter of the |
' correspondence, This could not be
- changed by ite transier to the printer’s
* k. The whole iniguity of this “‘horri
v ble plot” is therefore displayed in the act
[ of publisling the correspondence. From'
+ this cause alone, it would seem that you
- tound (your) cabinet divided, and deter
» mined on itsre-organization. All this is
now placed at my door, as the consum
» mation of an accumulating series of plots
» and conspiracies, of which my letter of
» the 21st ult. is considered an act. 1
- cannot content myself with mercly re
' questing the proofs of my connexion with
this alluir, but must be permitted to de
mand how, when, and on what points,
" were the cabinet divided; either by the
+ matter of the correspondence, or the pub
¢ lication of it? Was it, or any meagure
- connected therewithy ever bronght be
- fore the cabinet, or introduced into their
v deliberations? Was any act of the gov
-1 ernment intluenced by it, or could any
s one be made to depend on the specula
-1 tive opinions of the cabinet members, as
*to the propriety of having that document
I in possession of the public, rather than
- confined to the desks of Mr. Calhoun &
» yourself? Yet such is the alledged
i foundation of the horrible plot which com
t pelled youto “determine on an entire re
- organizaticn of (your) cabinet.” The
a responsibility of which, now it scems,
r 18 to he manly thrown on me. [ have
y already proved that the origin of this
| whole drama was but a phantom, and it
-1 is now demonstrated that the immediate
I cause of its catastrophe is something, if
I possible, less substantial, The history!
» of the world, | am sure, eannot furnish
I such another exhibition of preposterous
I cuspicions and imaginary conspiracies; of
v oagents for espionage and wformation, to
* colleet and report matenials; ot such la
- mentable eredulity for their reception, &
t_reckless temerity in determining matters
I‘()fhigh moment on grounds =0 baseless as
| have been thus shown to have pervaded
- your council chamber, alinost from the
8 first moment you entered ity until your re
| organization was carried into effect, 1
) beg leave to pause here and inquire, if
these alleged causes for the re-organiza
" tion of your cabinet be the true causes,
s what are we tounderstand from the let
[ ters of the Seeretary of State and Secre
tary of War, in which are given their
'~ reasons for their voluntary resignations?
- If the re-organization was a primary de
~termination of your own, grounded upon
the series of events indicated in your
manilesto, and ripened into maturity by
the publication of the correspordence
with Mr. Calhoun, wherefore is it that
the Secretary of State gave one reason,
and the Secretary of %Vnr another, for
their retirement neither having the slight
est reference to any of the causes you
have assigned? | will not pursue the
~ pregnant topie further than to remark,’
~ that, as there is an obvious error in the
- reasons given for the re-orgamzation of
& part ol the cabipet, there may also be
one ia those given as to the rcmlindvr.}:
HERALD OF THE TIMES.
Amid so many embarrassing and irrecon
cilable inconsistencics, 1 apprehend the:
public will be ready to conclude that the
true reason has within it something deem-|
ed 8o revolting to the moral sense of the
American people, that it cannot be ap-|
proached; and hence the labored and in-|
congruous cxplanations which have been
attempted, l
- My great offence, ns alleged nt this
crisis, it seems was, in having “taken,
sides with your adversaries,” which, 1
suppose, also embraces my associates
who were invited to resign ; but, itis ad
‘ded, that heing a representative of Penn-'
sylvania, I was “entitled to respeet,” and
was therelore “wreated with kinduess to
Ahie last,” and, in the nextline, the public)
are told that you gave me eredit for my,
‘eapacity and fidelity, The kind trc:n-i
ment and respeet were not, however, for,
dhese qualitics, but because you were un-|
‘willing that Pennsylvania should suppose;
you wished to put “a mark of (lis;zr:u-ci
upon me.” 1 um, indeed, gratified at]
finding that I owe to my nuative state,
rather than to your insincerity, the +Kind
ness and respect” with which I was said’
to be treated. But to what feeling am L
to attribute your testimony of my “capuci
ty and fidehty 1 If that testinony wis,
sineere, what becomes of the bluck cata-|
Hogne of previous plots and base designs,
porteayed in your expose ! It Le not
sineere, yon have promulgated to lhc;
American peop'e, whose Chiet .'Ju:'iatrmc|
vou are under your own hand, that which
s 1 vy * . |
you did not believe ! Which alternative |
shall L ehoose in pursuing this discussion?|
1 eannot make a choiee and wiil drop the |
curtain, leaving to the Listorian of this,
part of yoar life to seek for other hghts
to solve the paradox, or invoke a patriotic,
tear to blot out the record of it. Tt now
appears certain, however, that I was re
tained in office most reluctantly, notwith-|
standing my “eapacity and fidelity,”
‘merely because you were unwilling 10,
mortify Pennsylvania by letting her sup
pose that yon wished to put “a mark of
disgrace” upon me. 1 now perfeetly |
comprehend this annunciation in another
point of view. It identifies the declara
tions which from time to time, emanated
from those who were alledged to be in|
vour special confidence, and to have con-/
stitated your most influential couneil. It
was deelared by those persons that I had
no share in your confidence, that you
would be glad of a pretext to remove me,
and that you had endeavored in vain, by
;“cnnrlly hints,” to let me know that you
‘wished me to resign, and relieve you from
the responsibility of the act, to all of
which, it was added, T was utterly iusun-:
sible. Itis also evident from this admis-)
sion, that, although 1 was, during all this
period, laboring with the most intense|
‘assiduity for the country, and for the ben
cefit of your fame, that you were secking.\
xwith searcely less diligence, for some pre-|
text which would enable you to encoun-|
ter, with safety, the political hazard of
‘mortifying Pennsylvania by putting “a;
!mnrk of disgrace” on me. It further ap
|pears that, while these things were dnin,«.r,'
(the persons, above referred to, were car-/
rying their warfare against me into the
papers of Pennsylvania. One nl'lllcm.l
at least, was conducting the influence of
your name into the elections inthat Slutc,l
to the disadvantage and injury of one of
!ynur own political friends, and for no|
‘ntiu:r reason than because he was my|
'personal as well as political friend 5 and
'ilu be an enemy of mine, and of the a(l-;
‘miuistration of my native State, was
Jknown to be the direct passport to tllcl
;t'm'ur of this Couneil, I say, while lh(-mei
tand many other such things, which I
(might disclose withont violating the rule!
1 have preseribed, were daily at wurk,’
you “treated me with kindaess to the
dast ! I reposed on your imputed
[frankness and sincerity, treating the
“malign influence” which surrounded you'
'with silent indifference, determining that,
it was not less due to your character than|
'to mine that [ should not seem to give,
eredit to the assumed authenticity of acts|
;sn discreditable to your fame, and that 1|
should expeet from yourselfalone the uu-i
iy information upon which I could actin
such a case, not indeed in “courtly hints,”
but in the honorable ingeunousness of re
publican frankness and simplieity, Itis
now proved, by the docnments so often
!l'cfcrre(l to, that the character which I
“had thus formed, and thus relied upon,|
‘was but an object of my imagination, and
‘that, instead of the “respect’” with which
1 was “treated to the last,” coming from
the heart, it was but a covering for tlnc‘
deep rooted hostility, which was only rc-!
pressed through fear of “mortilying|
Pennsylvania,” and that T have been,!
‘during the whole period of my political|
ceonnexion with you, an object of your|
Jungualified, and, now, undisguised enmi-|
ty, ns well as a subjeet for the suspicious
and serutinizing espionage of those who,|
it now appears by the verification of
their sayings, acted wnder your sp(wifllf
authority. Teannot but deplore that you,
have made it necessary for me, inmy own!
defence, thus to speak of these things ;E
but, sinee 1t is so, I rejoice to find, in the
labored assault upon me, such clear in-!
ternal evidence of the truth as it is. But)
you allege that you “offered (me) n posit
ton of dignity and trust, quite equal to
(my) deserts.” It is true you oflered me
the mission to Russiay but, after what
ilms been now secen, ean any doubt in
‘what light 1 must have understood that
offer, at the time it was made ? and, al
though you have been wnalle to find any
‘motive for my refosal bot “ambition and
interest,” there are not a few, 1 trust,
‘who, looking into their own hearts can
‘realise that when oflice is tendered to
beguile integrity, it cannot be honorably
'ncccptc:l j till less could T have accepted
it as a sop to reconcile Penneylvania to
the agency of an inmate of your lnouse-}
hold in forming a new party there for
the benefit of your designated successor.
“Awmbition and interest !"—the former
seeks high station, and the latter emolu
ments : both were offered, but “‘the cir
cumstances” in which ¥ found myscli"
placed forbade the acceptance, and I
sought only retirement to domestie life,
not imagining that this was to be turther
disturbed.
I now pass to the sequel of this extra
ordinary document, in which I find a la.
hored attempt 1o adduce facts in support
of an idea previously ineuleated, viz: that
I was the aggressor in all the differences
which existed in your imagination, and
was sceking to the lust for some “pretext
for a quarrel to carry home to Pennsyl
vanin.” What are these facts? Noon
after £ had appointed certain oflicers in
the custom house of Philadelphia, disre
garding the oflicious and improper inter
ference of the Seccond Auditor of the
Treasury, who, as I was informed, had
been some time on a politieal visit to that
city 3 and after T had heard that the per
sons who formed his cirele there, spolke
of wy appointments as unwarranted in
my then situation, ! received anote from
you, in which you designated me as “Aet
g Seeretary of the Treasary,” not only
on the ou'side, with marked pecaliarities,
but also in the body of the note T could
not suppose it to be an inadvertence. It
was not recurring to a familiar address
from an unusual one, but the reverse;
and being the first time you had ever ad
dressed me o that manner, carried, as 1
thought, on its tace, evidence of deliber
ate intention. T'he notes which passed
between us on the occasion have been
published 5 and I am content that an im
partinl public should decide, from the
face of our two first notes, even uncon
neeted with the visit of Major Lewis to
Philadelphia, which of us has the appenr
ance of “sccking cause of offence™ in this
transaction.
"T'he next factis, that T wrote an angry
letter to Mr. Barry, informing him that I
had heard that one of his Assistants had
suid the Department held a certain bond
in terrovem over me. I will publish this
correspondence also, though an incon
siderable item in this serap of history,
from which it will be readily determined,
whether the disposition to quarrel began
with me, or those who had entertained a
purpose o injurious to wmy character, us:
to have it believed that the silent repose
which I was looking to, must be attribu
‘ted io the base motive of avoiding the|
payment of a debt to the Government.
I could not doubt the report, and wrote,
‘not “an angry,” but respectful note to,
Mr. Barry, stating what I had heard, and’
requesting him, if he supposed I was in
debted to the Department, to bring suit,|
as [ could not believe that he would mnk(e:
the collection of a debt depend on snch
considerations, lis reply was mainly in
the same temper, although 1 thought he
unnecessarily introduced some political
matter into his letter, but it was not of
fensive 3 nor, though I declined the dis
cussion, did I reply to him in that feeling.
I suppose he had misapprehended a sin
‘gle pointin the case, and explained it for
his information 3 but his last letter con
vinced me of the truth, not only of what
I had heard as to the threat ; but that it
had been written to give all the efieet he
could to the object of 'he original declara
tion of his subordinate. 1 saw too, in
that letter, a germ of the feeling since so
fully disclosed, and disposed of the mat
ter as 1 thought it merited, without fur
ther notice. I should have deemed these
incidents too unimportant for such notice,
but for that which you have given them.
‘They certainly constitute no proof of a
~disposition in me to “seek cause for a
quarrel.” They are of the same charac
ter with the absurd imputations as to the
publication in the Telegraph, with which
I bad no more to do than Major Eaton
had ; and because 1 would not disavow,
under a menace, I am represented by
you as the aggressor; and because 1
‘would not present myself without defence
to lis pistols and stiletto, or neglect my
duties to eall in aid the civil authorities,
I have become, in your judgment, a
“threatener ofthe peace ! To the mind
which has long been perverted by the
workings of suspicion and passion, it is
‘diflicult to present the most clear and
‘sober truths with efiect 5 and T may not
|huve satisfied yon of the injustice of any
jof your suspicions. 1 can therefore, on
;ly add, that nothing was farther from my
‘intention than to have had any difference
‘with you, or any member of the Admin
istration, on my retirement from the gov
ernment. lam not to expect, however,
‘that either arguments or evidence will
now produce a change in your opinions,
‘or dispel the error which has <o unhap
pily enveloped your short earcer in civil
station, and so effectually blighted the
[air prospects which attended your in
"duction linto oflice.
| You will observe that I have confined’
‘my remarks almost exelusively to the.
effects: have but tonched the «-orruptingl
cause of all the diseases of your mlminis-l
tration. Nourished by a deplorable in-i
fatuation, its operations have been most
‘extensive and mjurions, Had | mmsen-l
ted to bring my family within the sphere
';nfits influence, 1 shonld have been a
mong the chielest of your favorites 3 Imt"
[ would not thus consent to expose them,
and therefore have, as it appears, cxpc-‘
rienced the ¢fforts of your secret and
abiding hostiliy., |
- I now take leave of your erpose, and
[proceed to reply to your letter by Mr.
(T'risty already referred to. I eannot but
regret to find the same apparent misap
i'prclwnsinn of the nature and ohject of
~my letter ofthe 21st ultimo still existing,
which had pervaded vour previous pro
ceedings on this subject. ‘T'he represen- |
tations 1 made to you of the transactions
of Maj. Eaton and others, was not in
duced by any alleged injury done to mc.",l
“T'his was distinetly discluimed. The ob
jeet was simply to bring to yournotice m‘
meditated outrage against the majesty of‘l'
the law, which | deemed discreditable to|
the Government, and considered it to be |
my duty to lay before you, Iu further
ance of this objeet, 1T suggested Mll’ll‘
f!n'muinuul facts as 1 thought necessary
flu enuble you to give a direetion to any |
investigation you might order, whic-h"
'would most readily diselose the whole |
truth, T'he facts presented by me for
your consideration, were, that Maj. Fa
ton and Mr. Randolph had resolved to
assault me s that, for effecting their ob
jeet, they oceupied, as a rendezvous, |
certain lower rooms in the Treasury |
Duilding, near which, as the head of the |
Departinent, I wust necessarily pass in
’!hu discharge of my official dutics 5 that
the oflicers occupying these rooins., “‘l‘!l,‘
'nnc other, were in the company of I\fnj.'-
Eaton and Randolph, whilst they were
thus awaiting an opportunity to muke
qhe intended assault. T further stated,’
that the priucipal persons thus engnged, |
vizs Eaton and -Randolph, with a re
‘l(-.ruin-(l force, beset my dwelling for two
suceessive nights, indicating by words, ac
tions, and armmnent, hostile designs.
'All these matters are brought before
,ynu, believing that all who had in any
‘manner aided or given countenance at
ithc time to the designs of the priucipal,
‘were guilty of a high offence against the
Haws of the country. The matters for
Anvestigation under this statement of |
facts, were simply as follow: '
I 1. Did Eaton and Randolph, or eci
‘ther of them, arm and lie in wait for the
|pupose alleged, or for any other eriminal
purpose ! !
2, Did they use the rooms of the
Treasury building as places of rendez
‘vous for such a purpose ? 5
3. Were the officers who occupied
those rooms present while they were so
employed by Eaton and Randolph, or
!cillncr of them? ;
4. Did Eaton and Randolph, with a
recruited armed foree, threaten an ns
sault on my dwelling, for two successive
nights till a late hour?
If so, then is all T have stated true to,
the letter. I am sure it will not be con
tended that it did not concern the char
acter of the Government, to have a se
vere serutiny made to ascertain the truth
of such allegations 3 and, if found to be
true, to know especially how it had hap
pened that any persons, much more those|
in your particular confidence, should have
dared to occupy the rooms in the "U'reas
ury Department, in order to make an as
sault on the life of its officer; and to
what extent, if at all, the ofiicers accom
panying them, had any knowledge of, or,
given aid or countenance to so disgrace
ful an outrage. The facts which then
had come to my knowledge were embod
ied in a letter addressed to you, on the
eve of my departure from the seat of gov
ernment, (the only moment at my dispo
sal for that purpose ;) believing that you
would conecive it your duty to cause the
subject to be investigated in such manner,
asthe long experience of the mostenlight-|
ened communities had found best calcu-|
lated to elicit truth and promote justice.’
But you have not thought proper to do so.’
You have contented yourseltf with draw
ing out and spreading before the public,’
the excuses and denials of a portion of
the persons referred to, without taking
the slightest notice of the principal and
avowed oflender, rejecting all offers to,
adduce additional testimony. An exam-|
ination might very possibly have implica
ted persons not before thought of or re
sulted in the acquittal of others who were
suspected. But that the facts should
have been investigated, will not be deni
ed by any one who duly appreciates
the sacred duty of repressing, among the
officers of the Government, within the
walls of the public edifices, all disposition
to violence. I have only to add, that,
when such a serutiny shall be made, all
I have alleged will be substantially prov-/
ed 5 the subsequent prevarications of the
minor coadjutors to the contrary nut-;
withstanding. 1 do not complain that
you have not instituted an investigation
I have no right to do so, more than any |
other citizen of the United States. You
are responsible for the due execution of
the laws of the District ; and when these'
fail to afford personal protection, I hope!
to be as able as most others to protect!
myself. Butlthink Thave a just ground
for complaint, in your effort to trunsfer.
from yourself and your officers, who are,
constituted for that service, to me, n pri-'
vate citizen, at a distance, and without |
special interest, the labor and responsi
bility of earrying on a eriminal prosecu- |
tion, for an offence committed exclusive-'
ly against the United States, even afler
the principal offenderlind eonfessed more
than enongh to justify a public proseen- |
tion. But T find a still more serions
cause of complaint, in your additional
effort to divert the public mind from the
primary and real question hefore you, to
the consideration of a collateral and
false issue, between myself and the com
panions of Eaton and Randolph, whilst |
aut their rendezvous 5 wherchy you might
ostensibly impeach my veracity, withont
contradieting one of my assertions, Not
content with framing such an issue, thus
caleulated to do me injury, and to defeant
every purpose of justice, I find in your
letter, and with deep regret feel myself
obliged to expose ity indubitable evidence
of a deplorable bias in your mind. As
an apparent enuse for the embarrnssment
imerposed, you have made a gratuitous
offer of your protection to me if 1 should
engage in those prosecutions. But not
having sought such protection nor decine
ed it desirable, it moves none of the dif
ficulties previously and subsequently
thrown in the way, I asked an assor
ance of protection for the witnesses who
might hold offices at your disposal, from
iinjuryju.con.wquenceufgivi..gwnimnny;
'bl!l this is given in a form which they
’\nll regard as a threat, rather than an
assiurance of protection,
’ As no witness would be required to in
culpate himself” by his own testimony,
the condition annexed to your assurance,
{\lmt “it must not be coustrued os afford-
Ang impunity for their own misconduet,
which the investigation might unfold,”
could have no meaning that I can imag
ine, unless intended for a menance. [
have also observed in your letter another
‘obstacle to any serutiny before a tribunal
of the district. It s stated by you thut
“should any person be found to have
Hformed a part of a reeruited foree to en
‘gage in hostilities of any kind within the
precinetsofthe Department,orelsewhere,
(you) will feel it to be (your) duty, il.) ad
dition to the penalties of the law, f(ll’t!l
-with to disnitss the offender from public
serviee ;" and in the next paragraph you
prejudge and promuigate l."fi acquirtal of
the “Acting Sceretary of war, and oth
ers” (ulleged to have been eharged Gy me)
of an offence whatever, having previons
ly justilied the officers whose rooms were
‘oceupied for a rendezvous, on the ground
‘that it was your duty to be there ; and
that any body else had a right to come
there.” If a free and untrammelled in
wvestigation had been gone into, as I re
quested, T had determined to eall upon
vonas the first witness. Notwithstand
ing vou say in youar letter to Messrs,
Camphell, Simith, Lewis, and Randolph,
that “Mr. Ingham’s letter,” (received by
(you) at nine o’clock on the morning of
the 22d of June) “gave (you) the first in-
Sormation that (you) had on the subject
of his difficulties,” yet I risk nothing in
;sn_\'in;_r, that your examination, with the
‘other testimony in wmy power, would have
afforded ample proofof the extraordinary
Aact that yon were well apprised of what
‘was going on anteriorto that date. The
Heelings which governed you on this oc
‘casion may be understood from the fact
that you have justifiecd Major Eaton’s
meditated assault upon me, and from the
‘declarationofone of yourdevoted friends,
‘that, in a conversation he had with yon
‘before the intended assanlt, you inform
ed himofthe controversy between Major
Eaton and myself, and said, that “if
‘there was to be any more writing, it
‘would be in red ink.” ¢
' Your course, on this subject, is the
more extraordinary, and the more wor
thy to be specially remarked inasmuch
as the persons principally interested are
known to be of your most confidential
friends, and believed to be partakers of
your most secret councils; who were in
‘habits of daily intercourse and consulta
tion with you, and whose devotion to your
‘wishes authorised the belief that they
‘would do nothing of importance against
your approbation. Of the principal of
fender no notice is taken, as if' there was
‘no such person on the stage of action. :
(All the rest engaged, or supposed to have
been engaged in the intended assault, are
‘completely excualpated, and a virtual am
nesty given them, while the words of
vour letter appear guardedly arranged to
convey a denunciation of “the penalties
of the law,” and dismission firom oflice,
against those who were armed in my de
fence. 1t shiould be observed that your
‘denunciation of the penalties of the law
& your judgment of acqui talin the Dis
trict of Columbia, are not idle words.
'All the juries who might be called to try
such offences, must be selected under
your own eye, and by an officer who
holds his office at your will 5 in addition
to this, you hold the pardoning power in
your own hands. Whoever has paid at
tention 10 State trials cannot be insensi
ble to the effect of these powers,
‘ I am, theretore, now met with an un
sought offer of personal protection, while
I carry on a public prosccution, in which
the witnesses I might offer are threaten
ed with the privation of the means of sub
sistence for their families, and some with
the addition of the penalties of the law,as
a punishment for their generous services
in my defence. How can I understand
such a communication as expressing a
desiie for a free, impartial, and untram«
meled investigation of truth, before o
tribunal of justice. Tt is any thing clseo
rather than this. If it had been your
sole intention, in writing this letter, to
deter the scrutiny it purports to acquis
esce in, it could not have been more efs
fectually framed for its object 5 for yoy
had judged rightly in supposing that I
would much rather suffer all the detri
mentarizing from the imputation castup
on me by your proeeeding, than expose
to injury men who had offered to risk
their lives for mine. But you have lelt
me no choice in an appeal to a tribunal
of eriminal jurisdiction. At the same
moment in which you seemingly invited
public attention to see “what proofs (I)
should be able to bring in support of the
charges,” you closed the door as well a
gainst the witnesses as againts the effect
of their testimony. Instead of accepting
my aid for the purposes of justice, vou
have proclaimed the uequittal of the
guilty, and left nothing for me to do but
to aid you in the arraignment and pun
ishment of the innocent. To give the
more effect to your purpose, vou allege
that you have already made inquiries (se
cretly of course,) and from the informa
ton thus received,declare my statementy
to be “unfounded in fact;” and not only
denounce the evidence on which I relied
ns “vague and false,” without having
heard ity but, to complete this course of
proceeding in manner most injurious te