Newspaper Page Text
FEDERAL F\m
precise reference to this subject the regret which he felt
•'-t the want of harmony, or of social intercourse among
' he members of his Cabinet, and to announce his cicttr-
mni&tion at any rate to liave it. Messrs. Ingham aiid
Braiifh were present at this interview. The fact , was
distinctly stated, that they and myself had successively
•given very large parties to which Mrs. Eaton had not
Oeeri invited. We were then told, that on such occasions
at least, the President would expect in future a social in
tercourse between our respective families. There were
■various other suggestions made during this conversation,
but the recapitulation of them is not rendered necessary
'by your inotary, I answered to this communication for
myself, that I would not permit tha President, nor any
other individual, to regulate the social intercouse of my
self or family—and that if such a requisition was per
severed in, I would retire from the official situation which
t held. In the interview to which I was invited by the
President some few davs-afterwards, I frankly expressed
to him my views on this subject, and he disclaimed any
disposition to press such a requisition. I am not aware
that any other occasion has occured in which the ques
tion of an intercourse between your family and mine has
bten presented to me or to my family.
I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN.
To J, H. Eaton, Esq.
Monday Morning, 8 o’clock.
Sir :—I have received your note of the 18th instant,
it may become necessary for me to offer something in re
ply. For the present l have engagements which prevent
me from doing more than U> acknowledge that it has been
received.
' 20th June, 1831.
Mr, BERRIEN,
Very respectfully,
EATON.
June 22d, 1831.
Sim—I ha ve not had leisure to reply to your letter of
l\V 18Ui until to-day. It involved matter which it be
hoved me to give a full and calm consideration to. That
s been given.
1 felt indisposed to believe that these^a'.tacks of General
t'rroen could be authorized by you, or were made under
your sanction. Your declaration is evidence bt’the cor
rectness of what I Svas before impressed with. I take oc
casion, therefore with pleasure, to acknowledge the frank
ness with which you have disavowed an agency in this
nefarious business.
’ Respectfully, your most obedient,
J. M. Berrien, Esq. J. il. EATON.
Washington, 23d June, 1831.
Sjm: Your note of yesterday was received in the course
cf the day. 1 was too much indisposed, however, to re
ply to it at the moment, and do so now merely to prevent,
misconception.
* lu your note of the 17tli instant you called upon me to
sanction or disa vow the statement contained iff a publica
tion in the Telegmnn of that date. 1 could not recognize
your right, to make this demand, but for the reasons mei -
tinned in my reply, 1 thought it was proper to state to
you wliat i had done, in relation to this matter. To do
t^iis was tiie only object of that note.
You are quite right, however, in believing that I had
no agency in procuring (lie publication of the statement
rtfcrtd to. And adverting to the spirit of your last note,
I,have no hesitation in thus confirming the conviction
'•’winch you have expressed. 1 am respectfully,
’ JN. MACPHERSON BERRIEN.
To J. II, Eaton, Esq
Shortly after this, 1 recciredja letter from Colonel
Johnson, which, with ruy reply, i feel myself bound now
to the public. I have anxiously desired to delay
this thtil I could receive Colonel Johnson’s answer. Per
haps I have waited long enough; for my reply, accor
ding to the memorandum which 1 have of it, was dated on
«te 7th instant. But it is not this circumstance which
hp determined me. Col. Johnson has furnished to the
editor of the Globe a statement full, or otherwise, of what
passed between Messrs. Branch and Ingham end rnvstlf
and himself, on the occasion so often refered to. Ex
tracts from this statement are used to do me injustice.—
This is done, to bo sure, without the authority of Col.
Johnson, but he has furnished the means which are thus
improperlv used, and I have no alternative but to give’lie
Correspondence, or submit to continued misrepresentation.
I publish C<>1. Johnsor/s letter; as an act ofjustice to him,
t at the public may be in full possession ofihis statement.
y rep)y follows; and after this the loiter and statement
<ffMr. Ingham, to whom, as well as to Mr. Branch, I
forwarded a copy of Mr. Johnson’s letter. From Mr.
IJranch I have received no reply—owing, as I suppose,
to his absceuce £cm home,
rCdond it. M. Johnson to Messers. Berrien and Ingham.
Great Crossing, 30th June, 1331.
Gentlemen: Tlie Telegraph has alluded-to some com-
Viunicaticn made to yon by a mend *r of Con toss, un-
fhorized try the President—tiie substance oS v. inch is,
t£a! the President wished to coerce a social intorcourre
between your families and Mrs. Eaton. 1 see the G. die
denies it. 1 have thought it barely possible that tiie al
to s ion eotrid be made to me, because if I had ever commit*
moated such an idea, I should l ave done the most palpa
ble, gr osr, and wanton injustic to the President; for he
disclaimed on a.l occasio. s, any right, or desire, or inten
tion, to regulate l.he.*private or social intercourse ot hi-
Oibinct. The President had been induced to believe that
si part of his Cabinet had entered into a deep laid scheme
4c drive Major Eaton from his Cabinet, and of this hr
timplained. 1 did not believe it, and as the mutual
friend of all concerned, p'o-nosed that I should have the
tip i ['unity to converse with that portion ol iiis Cabinet
before nt had an interview with them, and lie acquiesced
—and the interview which I had with you, resulted as I
understood, in a better understanding, and in fact I con-
aider it a reconciliation. Whatever came from me, on the
subject of social intercourse, was the suggestion of my
sjjiciludc to restore harmony among friends. My object
was peace and friendship. I have never considered my-
at liberty to say any tiling about, this interview ex
cept to a discreet and confidential friend. 1 certainly
should not think any of the parties justified in represen
ting for publication or newspapers, what any of the other
parties said, without submitting such statement for mutu
al examination; for the plain reason that such conveisa-
tiens are so easily misunderstood. I may well remem
ber what I hav* said myself, but may not so easily rep
resent whatyou have said, or intended to say. I have
ac t myseif seen the necessity or propriety of any allusion
ip newspapers, to our interview, which was among inti-
I^tte and bosom friends, where the conversation was free
add unreserved, and for the object of peace and friend
ship. But if any should consider it necessary, then the
great object should be, to state the conversation correctly;
for there can be no motive to misunderstand the facts.—
For fear that allusion should have been made to myseli,
as the member of Congress, and believing it barely pos
sible that I may have been misunderstood on the particu
lar pcint alluded to, I have felt it my duty, and due to
that perfect friendship which has ever existed be'ween us,
to make known these views, that the proper correction
may oe made, as a misunderstanding, without the neces
sity of any formal publication from either of us, and with
out even a disclosure as to what member of Congress al
lusion was made.
w Sincerely and truly your friend,
RICHARD M. JOHNSON.
Messers. Ing«am & Berrien,
City of Washington.
The abscence of Governor Branch has been the only
• cause why this letter was not also addressed to him.
the President had seen with pain the want of harmony a-
mong die members of his Cabinet—that he was determin
ed to have harmony, and that his determination would
be announced to ua inHiie course of tiie week. ^ ou ad
ded that you had in the mean time sought tliis interview
with the approbat ion of the President, from motives of
regard for all parties. You mentioned, as circumstances
which had contributed to produce this impression on the
mind of the President, that Messrs. Branch, and Ingham,
and myself, had successively given large parties to which
Mrs. E. had not been invited—and while you disclaimed 1
any disposition .on his part to require an intimacy be
tween our families and that of Major Eaton, you added,
that lie would in future expect that at least on such occa
sions as that to which you referred, (that is to say, when
large and general parties were given,) that Mrs. E.
should be invited. I replied to you that not having been
previously advised of the intention to hold this interview;
having had no conference with the other gentlemen; I must
be considered snjely responsible for what I was going
to say. I then observed that I would not permit the Pres-
identor any other man, to regulate the social intercourse
of myself or family—and that if such a requisition was
persevered in, I would retire from office. You express
ed your regret at the terms of this answer—and I remark
ed that it was indifferent tome in what terms it'was* con
veyed, provided the substance was retained—but that
from this I would not depart. I understood you to dis
claim any intention on the part of the President to re
quire an intimate intercourse between tire families of
Messrs. Branch, and Ingham, and myself, and that of
Major Eaton, but to express with equal clearness his ex
pectation, that when we gave large or general parties
Mrs. E. should be invited—and it was my purpose to
deny altogether his right to interfere in this matter. The
replies of the other gent lemen Were, according to my rec
ollection substantially the same—but I shall enclose copies
of your letter to them, and leave them to speak for them
selves.
The impression which this conversation made upon my
mind is clear and distinct; and it is not probable that it
could have been effaced from my memory. My own dis-
position was instantly to have resigned my office. In
consenting to retain it, I yielded to the opinion of those in
whose judgement I had confidence, and to my sense of
what was due to the interests of Georgia, at that particu
lar juncture.
My remembrance of tliis conversation is moreover con
firmed by what occurred on my subsequent interview
with the President, in which a particular reference was
made to iL When he spoke of a combination between
Messrs. Ingham and Branch and myself, to exclude Mrs.
E. from society, 1 claimed, as matter of right, to know tiie
names of the persons by whom such a representation had
been made. He said the impression had been derived
from the various rumors which had reached him ; spoke
of tiie parties which had been given by those gentlemen
and myself, to which Mrs. E. had not been invited—and
added that the reports against her were foul calumnies.—
I remonstrated against his having adopted an opinion
dishonorable to any member of his Cabinet on mere rumor,
but expressly declined to discuss the question of the
truth or falsliood of the reports to which lie had referred
—teiling him, that without undertaking to decide wheth
er they were true or false, it was my purpose merely to
conform to the general sense of the community of which
I had become a member; and that I could not be induced
to change that determination. The decision of the Presi
dent not to pursue this matter further, I understood at the
time to have been produced by the representations of
some of his most intimate personal friends.
Such is my understanding of the conversation refered to
in your letter. I look to it as the origin and continuing
cause of the distraction of the party, which has thus lost
the means of doing much good which it might have ef
fected. But I am not desirous to bruit it to the world.—
If without imputing to me the alledged want of harmony
in the Cabinet, my retirement is placed on the ground of
the President's mere wiil, so far as I am concerned, it is
well. I do not dispute his right to exercise that as he
thinks fit; but, for the sake of my children, I will not
submit to tLj: continued misrepresentations of the public
journals. The best legacy l have to bequeath them is
the untarnished reputation of tlieir father. I can easily
conceive, also, that a state of things may exist, in wkicha
scare of duty to the public will compel me to speak. But
I hope such an emergency will not arise.
I ought perhaps to add, that I have already stated to
Major Eaton tiie substance of this, so far as it was neces-
sa-y to answer a call which he made upon me to avow or
uisarovv the statement of the Telegraph, that my family
had r> fused to associate with his. It was not necessary,
however, to mention your name, and It was consequently
I not mentioned. I spoke ol the interview as having been
| Lad with “a gentleman who represented himself as acting,
and who I doubt not did act under the authority cf the
j President.” Having now replied to your letter, I will
' only add, that, should our recollections differ, 1 shall re-
. ret.But that 1 have taken great care not to put down
an v ‘ ring which is not distinctly impressed upon mine.—
1 am. dear sir. r spent fully, yours,
JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN,
lion. R. M. Johnson*
Mr. Berrien to Col. Johnsoji.
Washington, 7th, July, 1831.
Dvar Sir.—Yours of the 30th ult. addressed jointly
to Mr. [ogham and myself, has been duly received.—
liave noted your view of the occurrence to which it re
fers, with a perfect disposition to meet you in the spirit of
irankneSs and of good feeling, which is expressed in your
letter. Il is an evidence of my reluctance to engage in
controversy, that I h ive abstained from going before the
public, notwithstanding the multiplied misrepresentations
i^th which the newspapers are teeming. I still desire to
avoid this necessity—but as circumstances beyond my
control may render it indispensable, I acquiesce with the
less reluctance, in tiie interchange of recollections which
vru propose.
jj l am speaking ofwhat occurred at the interview which
Dbok place between you, Messers. Branch and Ingham,
and myseli’at my house. The impression made by your
annunciation was such as not to be easily effaced from
my memory. You began by expressing the friendly
regard which you felt for those gentlemen and myself
and by stating that this was the motive for your interfer
ence. You told us that an impression had been made
Upon the mind of the President that a combination exist
ed between. Messrs! Ingham, and Branch, and myself to
exclude Mrs. Eaton from the society of Washington—
that he was excited by tliis representation, coasidering it
attempt to troujjdhjto through Major
Mr. Ingham to Col. Johnson.
Newhope, July 13th, 1831.
Dear Sir: I have received a copy of your letter of the
20th ult. to Mr. Berrien and myself, forwarded, by him
from Yv ashington, relating In an allegation made in the
newspapers, that General Jackson had required, through
a member of Congress, of Messcre. Branch, Berrien, and
myself, that our families should associate w ith Mrs. Ea
ton. I lmd also noticed the publication in the Telegraph
to which you refer, and another of the same import in a
New-York paper of ail earlier date, and supposing il
probable, in the existing v ain of the public mind, that the
discussion would tjdte such a range as to involve all the
parties to that transaction in the necessity of making ex
planations, Iliad o< mmenccd the prenaraiion of copies cf
a statement of the conversation which you have lefeied
to; as well that between you and me, as that between
General Jackson and myself'on tfce same subject, intend
ing, as soon as they could be coni} leted, to send one to
him and another to yourself. Upon the receipt of your
letter, I immediately wrote you a note, expressing an in
tention to wait for the further comparison of our recollec
tions before I made any determination as tathe disposi
tion of my statement. But two articles in the Globe ol
the lltli inst., which you have no doubt seen, reached me
before my letter w as mailed, and arrested its progress,—
These articles, as far as they relate to tliis subject, bear
on their face the evidence of having been authorized by
General Jackson and yourself, and leave me no choice as
to the publication of my statement. The article which 1
suppose to have been authorized by you, shows that you
have also taken a different view of tins maiter since your
letter to me before refered to was written. I could not
otherwise reconcile your remonstrance against a publi
cation of what you then deemed a confidential conversa
tion, with the authority alledged by the Globe to publish
your previous interchange of recollections between all the
parties concerned. I do not, however, concur with you in
the opinion that there ever was any obligation of secrecy
imposed on me, or those associated with me, to be implied
from the friendly character of the conversation refered to.
The communicatiQn made to me by*you that my continu
ance in office would depend upon-the consent of my fami
ly to visit Mrs. Eaton arid invite her to their large parties,
I considered at the time, though not so intended by you,
as in its nature offensive. It could not therefore, carry
with it the confidential obligation which belongs to the
usual course of frienship. I regarded tiie proposition as
wounding to my feeling's, and had determined to resign
my office even after yen informed me that Gen. Jackson
h^d changed his ground, from which I was only dissuad
ed by t iie earnest remonstrances of tiie friends I consulted,
who urged among other considerations, tha: although my
personal respec tor fix President might be impaired, my
services in the Department were for ihe country, and
while it was faithfully served, I could not be unfaithful
to the Adminis.’ ration. A proposition thus disj*osed of,
could be regarded as any thing rather than imposing an
obligation of friendly confidence. But I find an audit mn-
al reason for pub! cal ion growing out cf your letter; its
apparent disagreement from my statement, and its admo
nitory suggestions could not fail, whenever the whole
matter shall be brought out, which is inevitable in the
present state of the public mind, to expose me to the im
putation of having shrunk from doing what “duty to my
own character, if not to the country, setemed to demand.
I cannot therefore accord in your desire that no pubiica-
tion shall be made, any more than I can in the views of
the obligation of secresy which you have suggested. I
would prefer, however, to arc « >pany the publication with
that of your letter of die 30th ultimo, but not I vine- re
ceived any intimation of your wishes on that subject, it
will require some deliberation to determine what is most
proper to be done m this particular. I can assure you
that this determination will be exclusively governed by a
desire to do what, under all circumstances, may apnear
most likely to meet your own w ishes. I have liow only
to arid, that qiafcffig tfce KtatemaH of th«c cravere*.
tions, I have relied not merely on tiie moeiiiiie impres
sions made on my memory, but on memoranda put on pa
per at the time. I have not the slightest recollection, or
any note, of your having adverted to any fact or circum
stance alleged by General Jackson or yourself, as evi
dence of unkind" feeling for, much less hostility to, or a
conspiracy against Maj. Eaton on the part of Mr. Branch,
Mr. Berrien, cr myself, or of any w ant of harmony in
the Cabinet, other than the simple and isolated fact, that
ottr families did not visit Mrs. Eaton and invite her to
their parties. Nor Lave I any note or recollection of any
proposition gjade by you to me individually, or jointly
with the other gentlemen, as a means of removing the al
leged difficulties, other than that our families should visit
Mrs. Eaton, and invite her to their large parties. I can
not but persuade myself that my statement will call to
mind maVters which may have escaped your recollection,
and satisfy your judgment that, whatever may have been
the nature of your instructions, I could not have under
stood them differently from what I have.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant.
S. D. INGHAM.
Hon. RicnARb M. Johnson,
Mr. Ingham’s Statement, a copy of which was encloeed in
his letter to Col. Johnson.
On TV edneSBay, the 27ihof January, 1S31, Col. John
son of Kentucky, waited on me in the Treasury Depart
ment, and after some preliminary conversation, in which
he expressed his great regret that my family, and that of
Mr. Branch and Mr. Berrien, did not visit Mrs. Eaton,*
he said that it had been a subject of great excitement
with the President, who had come to the determination
of having harmony in his Cabinet by somqraccommoda-
tion of tliis matter. Pie, Col. Johnson, was the friend of
us all, and had now come at the request of the President
to see whether any thing could be doite: who thought
that when our Ladies gave parties, they ought to invite
Mrs, Eaton, and as they had never returned her call, if
they would leave the first card, and open a formal inter*
course in that way, the President would be satified, but
unless something was done of this nature, he had no
doubt, indeed he knew, that the President was resolved
to have harmony, and would probably remove Mr. Branch,
Mr. Berrien, and myself. I replied to Col. Johnson, that
in all matters of official business, or having any connec
tion therewith, I considered myself bound to maintain an
open, frank, and harmonious intercourse with the gentle
men I was associated with. That the President had a
right to expect the exertion of my best faculties, and the
employment of my time, in the public service. Asio
the family of Mr. Eaton, I felt an obligation on me not
to say any thing to aggravate the difficulties which bela
bored under, but to observe total silence and neutrality in
relation to the reports about his wife, and to inculcate the
same course as to my family, and if any other represen
tations had been made to the President, they were false.
Having prescribed to myself this ride, and always ac
ted upon it, I had done all that the President had a right
to expect. That the society of Washington was liberal
ly organized ; there was but one circle, into which every
person of respectable character disposed to be social was
readily admitted, without reference to the circumstance
of birth, ibrtune, or station which operated in many oth
er places. That we had no right to exert official power
to regulate its.social intercourse. That Mrs. Eaton had
never been received by the society here, and it did not be
come us to force her upon it; that my family had therefore
not associated with her, and they had done so with my
approbation, and that the President ought not, for the
sake of his own character, to interfere in such matters.
But if he chose to exert his power to force my family to
visit any body they did not choose to visit, he was inter
fering with that which belonged to me, and no human
power should regulate the social intercourse of my fami
ly, by means of official or any other power w hich 1 could
resist. If I could submit to such control, I should be un
worthy of my station, and would despise myself. That
it w as eminently due to the character of the President, to
have it known that lie did not interfere in such matters,
and that the course we had pursued was preservative of
his honor and political standing. 1 had taken my ground
<•» mature reflection, as to what was due to my family, to
my friends, and to the Administration, without any pre
fers. Tfce power cf’%j Adm in, rati -n could not hanvr
the opinion of the community, even if it could in proper
ly used to control the relations of domestic life in any
case. Tiie society of 'Washington must be the best
judges of whom they ought to receive. I regretted the
difficulties which Maj. Eaton labored under, and had
felt it to be my duty not to aggravate them. I had in
tended at an early day to have had a conversation with
him on the subject, with a view to have our social rela
tion defined, but no opportunity hud offered, without
volunteering one, and it had not beer done in that way.
The course I had taken was, however, adopted with
great care, to save his feelings as much as possible, con
sistently with what was due to my family, and the com
munity with which we were associated. 1 considered
the charge of my family to be a sacred trust, belonging
exclusively to myself, as a member of society. The ad
ministration had nothing to do with it, more than with
that of any other individual, and political power
could not be properly exerted over their social inter
course, and it was important to his reputation to hate it
understood that he did not interfere in such matters.—
That I was not aware of any want harmony in the
cabinet; I had not seen the slightest symtom of such a
feeling in its deliberations, and 1 was perfectly certain
that my official conduct had never been influenced in the
^tightest degree by a feeling of that nature. I saw no
ground, therefore, for the least change on my part in this
respect. To which the President replied, in a changed
tone, that lie had the most entire confidence in my integ
rity and capacity in executing the duties of the De
partment, and expressed liis perfect satisfaction, in
that respect, with my whole conduct; he had never sup
posed for a moment, that my official acts had been influ
enced in the least degree by any unkind feelings towards
Maj. Eaton ; and he did not mean to insist *on our fami
lies visiting.Mrs. Eaton: He had been much excited, for
some time past, ky the combination against her, and he
wished us to aid him in putting down their slanders, ad
ding that she was excluded from most of the invitations
to parties; and, wfcciAivited, she wasffinsulted; that the
lady of a foreign minister before refered to, had insulted
her at Baron Crudener’s party. I remarked, that some
injustice might be done to that lady on that occasion ; al
though she might not choose to associate with Mrs. Ea-
FED12RAL union.
MII.LEDGEVILLE, AUG. 11, 1831.
OCTOBER ELECTION.
FOR GOVERNOR,
WILSON LUMPKIN*
GEORGIA LEGISLATURE.
Candidates to represent Baldwin county}
* FOR THE SENATE,
JAMES C. WATSON.
FOR THE HOUSE,
EZEKIEL E. PARK,
WILLIAM W. CARNES*
THE MiHLS.—We are continually harmssed bj<
complaints of the failures of our paper to reach their des
tination. How and why this is so, we cannot tell. They
are regularly mailed, by the firs*mail for each office, to
which" they are destined. Yet we have complaint on
complaint, of tardy arrivals, and total failures of our pa
per, while others reach their patrons. We request our
friends to give us information on tliis subject—and we
will stand by it,' and endeavor to correct this insulierablfe
neglect which exists somewhere.
have supposed that there was some design, not altogeth
er respectful to herself, in the offer of the attendance to j sorted to abuse.
judice against Major Eaton or wife, and had fully deter
mined not to change it, whatever might be the conse
quence.
Col. J. raid that he had been requested by the Presi
dent to have a conversation with, the Secretary of the
Navy and the Attorney General also; but, from w liat 1
had said, be supposed it would be of no avail. The Pre
sident had expressed a hope that our families would have
been willing to invite Mrs. Eaten to their large parties, to
give the appearance of an ostensible intercourse,wadding
that he was so much excited that he w as like a roaring
iion. lie had heard that the lady of a foreign minister
had joined in the conspiracy against Mrs. Eaton, and he
had sworn that he would send her and her husband home,
if he could not put an end to such doings. I replied,
that it could hardly be possible that the President con
templated such a step. Col. J. replied, that lie certainly
did; and again rernaiked that it seemed to be useless for
him to see Mr. Branch and Air. Berrien, I told him that
each of us had taken our course, upon our own views of
propriety, without concert; anti tiiat. he ought uot to con
sider me as answering for any but m\ seif. He then pro
mised that I should meet him at Mr. Branch’s, and invite
Mr. Berrien, Jhat evening at 7 o’clock; which w as agreed
to. Col. J. came to my house about C, and we went up
to Mr. Berrien’s, having first sent for Mr. Branch. On
our way to Mr. Btmcn’s, Col. J. remarked that the Pre-
sklent had informed him that he would invite Mr. Branch,
Mr. Ben icn, and myself, to meet him tin the next Friday,
when he would inform us, in the presence of Dr. Ely, of
his determination; and drive did not agree to comply with
his wishes, he would expect us to send in our resigna
tions. Upon our arrival at Mr. Berrien’s, Coi. J. renew
ed tiie subject in presence of him and Gov. Branch, and
repeated substantially, though, I thought, rather more
qualiftedly, what he had said to me. lie did nor go so
much into detail, nor ciol recollect whether he mentioned
the President’s remarks as to the lady above mentioned
and Dr. Ely—those gentlemen will better recollect. Mr.
Branch and Mr. Berrien replied, as unequivocally as 1
had done, that they would never consent to have the so
cial relations of their families controlled by any power
whatever but their own. Mr. Branch, Mr. Berrien, and
myself, went the same evening to a party at Col. Tow-
son’s, where a report was current that we were to here-
moved forthwith, of which I had no doubt at the time.
The next morning, Col. J. came to my house, and said
that he ought perhaps to have been more frank last, eve
ning, and told us positively that the President had finally
determined on our removal from office, unless we agreed
at once that our families should visit Mrs. Eaton, and in
vite her to their large parties; and that he had made up
his mind to designate Mr. Dickins to take charge of the
Treasury Department, and Mr. Kendall to take charge
of the Navy Department, and would find an Attorney
General somewhere. I observed that my course was fix
ed, and could not be changed for all the offices in the Pre
sident’s gift; and it made no more difference to me than
to any other person, whom the President designated to
take my place. In the evening of the same day, Col. J.
called again, and informed me that he had just been with
the President, who had drawn up a paper explanatory of
w hat he had intended and expected of us; that some of
his Tennessee friends had been withhimfoi several hours:
that liis passion had subsided, and he had entirely chang
ed his ground 1 : He w ould not insist on our families visit
ing Mrs. Eaton; he only wished us to assist in putting
down the slanders against her; that he believed her inno
cent, and he thought our families ought to do what they
could to sustain her, if they could not visit her; and that
lie wished to see me the next day. Col. J. added that the
President had been exceedingly excited for several days,
hut was now perfectly calm and mild. The next day 1
waited on the President, and opened the subjectUy sta
ting that Col. Johnson had informed me that he wished to
see me; to which he assented, and went into a long argu
ment to show how innocent a woman Mrs. Eaton was,
and how much she had been persecuted, and mentioned
•he names of a numi*cr of ladies who bad been active in
• his persecution, and that the lady of a foreign minister
was also one of the conspirators; adding that he w ould
send her and her husband home, and teach him and liis
master that the wife of a member of liis Cabinet was not
to be thus treated; that Mrs. E. was as pure and chaste
as Mrs. Bonelson’s infant daughter, but there was a com
bination here among a number of ladies, not those of the
Heads of Departments, to drive her out of society, and
to drive her husband out of office; but he would be cut
into inch pieces on the rack, liefore he would suffer him
nr his wife to be injured by their vile calumnies; that he
w as resolved to have harmony in his. Cabinet, and lu
wished us to join in putting down the slanders against
Mrs. Eaton. I observed to thp President, that I had n*>
ver considered it incumbent cn me to investigate the cliar-
aeter of Mrs. Eaton; such a service did not, in my judg
ment, come within the scope of my duties to the govern
ment; it belonged to szzxr? alooe to determine sach heat
ed to, and his wife, home immediately. After some fur
ther conversation on this and ot! .r matters, in which I
considered the President as having entirely waived the
demand made through Col. Johnson, that my family
must visit Mrs. Eaton, as the condition for my remaining
in office, and in w hich he expressed himself in terms of
personal kindness towards me, I took my leave. He did
not. show me, or read, any paper on the subject.
The public wiil now, I think, be at no loss to determine
upon the true state of the facts cf this case. Mr. Ing
ham’s very full statement is taken from notes made at
the time, and wltich were shown to me shortly after they
were made. In repeated conversations with Mr. Branch,
our recollections were found to concur. The transaction
was of a nature calculated to awaken all my attention,
and to impress itself indelibly upon my memory. I claim
no benefit, therefore, from any supposed imperfection of
this faculty, and expect to be believed, because I speak
the truth.
In relation to the statement that the paper drawn up
in the hand-writing of the President was shown to me,
the denial of which I most explicitly repeat, if charity is
to perfoom her holy office in reconciling these conflicting
assertions, it is much more easy to believe tiiat the memo
ry of the President may have failed on this occasion. Pie
saw and conversed with various persons on this subject,
and has to rely upon his memory for the fact of having
shown this paper to different individuals. Each of Hose
individuals is required cnly to speak for himself The na
ture of tiie tran action was such that it could not have es
caped the recollection of either of them.
It was impossible if such a paper Lad been shewn, not
to have demanded, and to have j-ersevered in the demand
to have the names of the persons, on whose information
the requisition was made. No one would have consent
ed to iiave the conditions on which he should continue in
office prescribed to him, on the ground of a combination,
the evidence of which rested on mere rumor. An inquiry
must have been the consequence, and tiie transaction
could not only not have been forgotten by the parties, but
would thus have liccome known to others. I would not
myself have retained my office a moment after such a pa
per was exhibited tome. 1 will not question the inten
tion of the President to have shewn this paper to me, nor
In’s belief that he did so; but that lie did not do so, is cer
tain. Those w ho know me will not doubt the sincerity
of tliis declaration, and an impartial community will, I
trust, perceive no sufficient motive to be deduced, either
from my character, or the circumstances of this transac
tion, for the belief of intentional misrepresentation on my
part.
At any rate, I have discharged my duty, by bearing
this testimony to the truth. I know to what it subjects
me; but I rely upon the discernment and the integrity of
my countrymen, and will abide the result.
JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN.
Washington, July 22, 1S31.
From the Ba!''more .Marylander.
INDIAN WARS.
Rumours have been circulated of a defeat, by
the Indians in Missouri, of the troops under Gen.
The mode of choosing the Governor.—Tho.
Journal Juts vented one of its common tirades a gainst
what it pretends to be the federalism of the Clark
party: because certain distinguished members of
that party proposed in the Legislature, that the t let*,
tions of Governor, and of Electors of the Pu sh
dent, and Vice President, should be decided by a
plurality of the votes of the people; that is, by the
highest number of votes given by the people. W-e
are content with the mode of deciding these elec
tions, which has been established by the Legisla
ture:—their transfer from lire Legislature to the.
people, was a signal triumph of republican princi
ples. But if we deliberately and candidly exam
ine these proposedmodificationsjwhichare so harsh
ly censured by the Journal, we shall find them sus
tained by reasons so strong, as at least to exempt
from censure, those by whom they were recoiqs,
mended.
There were three principal reasons for transfer*
ing those elections from the Legislative Depat tj
meat of the Government, to the people. The first
was, to prevent the intrigue and corruption, which
Gaines. The following letter from the General
himself, published in the Nashville Republican, fur- i attended those elections, especially that of Govern,
nislies the latest and most authentic account of the j or, when confided to the Legislature. On this sui*-
operations in that quarter. | ject, our experience had been painful and mortifv-
inre. ~ f' 1 l a
Extract of a letter from General E. P. Gaines, da- *
l< d Bock Island, 20th June, 1831.
“I have visited the Rock River villages with a
view to ascertain the localities, and as litr as possi
ble, the disposition of the Indians. They confirm
ed me in the opinion I had previously formed, that
whatever may be their feelings of hostility, they
ing. When a Governor was to be elected 1
hv the
Legislature, the number ol voters was small,* they
were all assembled at the seat of Government, win re-
the candidates and their friends could have access
to every one of them, to the moment of the election?
the sentiments of every friendly, of every hostile,
of every wavering or doubtful voter, could hr as*
are resolved to abstain from the use of their toma- i certained; it could sometimes be known, that the*
hawks and fire arms except in self-defence. But! change of one, two, or three votes, would incimo
few of their warriors were to be seen—their wo-! the scales in favor of the weaker candidate. Unde-F
men and children and their old men appeared nnx- ! such circumstances, and when the prize to be gain-
ious, at first somewhat confused, but none attempt- e<l was so great, the Legislature became a scene of
ed to run off. Having previously notified their • intensely anxious, and sometimes, of corrupt elec-
chiefs tiiat I would have nothing more to say to J tioneering: negotiations lor the barter of votes to
them, unless they should desire to inform me of
their intention to more forthwith as I had directed
them; I did not speak to them, though within filly
yards of many of them. I had with me on board
he used in other elections, promises of appointment
to office, and other modes of bribery^ were frequent?
ly employed. To transfer these elections to the
people, was essential to the reputation, the charafe-
the steam boat some artillery and two companies oft ter, the purity off the Legislature.
Infantry. ; The second reason for the transfer of these elc.c-
Their village is immediately on Rock River, and tions from the Legislature tothe people, was drawn
so situated, tiiat I could from the steam boat des- from'that fundamental principle of republican <rot>
troy all their bark houses (the only kind of houses j eminent, that the three departments of the govern?,
they have) in a lew minutes, with the force now ; nient- should he distinct from, and independent o£
with me—probably without the loss of a man.' But j each other, ahd immediately dependent on the pey*
I am resolved to abstain from firing a shot without pie.
some bloodshed, or some manifest attempt to shed
blood, on the part of the Indians. I have already
induced nearly one third of them to cross the Mis
sissippi to their own land. The residue, however,
say, as the friendly chiefs report, that they never
will move, and, what is very uncommon, their wo
men urge their hostile husbands to fight rather than
to move and thus to abandon their homes. Should
the appearance of Gov. Reynolds’ mounted men
fall to move them—their chiefs will then be arrested
and kept in confinement until disposed of by the
civil authorities; and the others will he landed on
the opposite bank of the Mississippi, and notified
that if they return they wiil be punished. The re
ports of other tribes having engaged to assist this
band in defending themselves against us, are enti
tled to but little credit. Several other tribes, such
as the Winnehagpes, Pottawottomies and Kicka-
poos, have been invited by these Sacks, to assist
them, but I cannot positively ascertain that more
than two hundred have actually joined, and it is ve
ry doubtful whether these wifi remain true to their
offending allies. I w T as assured by Gov. Reynolds,
in liis last letter, that he w*ould he here on the 19th
ot 20tkt I therefore look for him momently*.”
The third reason was founded on that other fun?
damental, republican principle, that the peophi
ought to delegate no power, which they can them;
selves conveniently exercise.
Those who maintained the opposing opinions,
agreed on this point, that in a course of years it
will frequently happen, that no candidate will ob
tain a majority, (more than half) of the votes of
the people. If in these cases, the elections are to
return to the Legislature, then viill be violated eve
ry principle which induced their withdrawal from
the Legislature. Then do we provide for the per?
petuation of those very evils, which we seek to des
troy. We again open the fountains of corruption.
We again contaminate the purity of the Legisla
tive body, by making it a scene of midnight elec
tioneering; of secret, skulking visits in tire dark; of
those various modes of bribery, direct, and indirect,
against which the country had raised a voice of in
dignant reprobation. We make the Executive^ t!ic»
creature of the Legislative Department, rather
than of the people. We withdraw from the people,
the power of choosing their Governor: and dele?*
gate it to agents, to members of the Legislature,
) wh* m&y be*i%g«ce< t» oppose ffee wish ei fbejpc*-
THE VERACITY OF THE JoCRNAI#, AGAIN.—In r^*
ton, I did not think she intended to insult her; die might lation to its veracity, the Journal lias been driven
ogeth- «q’rom the field of argument? What then? It Las ro
In performing a high duty to the- I
seit entitled to. I was present, and saw most.'ofwhat had f habitual disrega
happened: She evidently thought herself aggrieved at: charge, the uoumal set. up a defence so mmsy, time
something, but acted with much dignity on the occasion. ! wc tore it away as easily as vve would have sw ept
He replied that he had been fully informed, and new all 1 the cobwebs from a neglected corner of our office,
about it; and but for certain reasons which he mention- j The Journal then changed its ground, and set up
ed, he would have sent the foreign Minister before refer- a ne w defence, in which it accused us of making
j...»..i \. ..... garbed quotations, and false statements. To this
we made a reply, in which ive disproved the accu
sations of the Journal; and established our charge
so conclusively, as to leave no room for reasonable
doubt, supporting it by additional evidence dedu
ced fromthe second defence attempted by the Jour
nal. Why uid our neighbours, at this point, aban
don the argument? Why does any uncandid itj.u,
whose argument has been refuted, fly to ridicule,
or abuse? Because argument can no longer avail
him—Because the light of reason condemns him.
In this desperate extremity, he endeavours to sus
tain his pride, by expressions of contempt and ha
tred far liis accusers; and he endeavours to console
himself with the hope, that a part of the public who
see only one side, will perhaps belie ve him.
In-a temper perfectly calm, and with evidence as
clear as the light of the meridian sun, we have de
monstrated that the Journal does not adhere to the
truth: and that its statements, and its arguments
founded on those statements, are not worthy of
confidence. "We were not so rash, as to suppose
that the Journal would confess its fault: we were
sure tiiat it would be exasperated by the humilia
ting exposure of its character: and we believed that
it would seek for revenge, by discharging floods of
angry abuse at the editors of the Federal L T nion.
Such has been the resort of the neighboring press;
and we desire to lay before the public, no higher
evidence, that the- Journal feels that it has ’been
publiclv convicted of disregard for the TRUTH.
W e invite tiie friends of truth to examine bufo
sides.