Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-06-04
POSTSCRIPT.

To the Editors of the Washington Republican,
Et scmet emisstm raiat i,reoocaJilc rc,{um.
Hor. Ep.
Gentlemcn avail myselfof your paper to
communicate to the public few remarks on Mr..
Lowrie's case. 1t now presents itself under n
new aspect.
On the 10Th inst. Mr.. Lowric, without any ap-
Piication on the part of the President, transmit
ted to him the cory of his letter to Gen. jack
son, of the 18th Dec. 1916. The whole of this
copy, except the concluding paragraph, is in
the writing of the late Mr.. Purviance The
copy is made out with great care and elegance,
manifestly with view to be preserved
This unsolicited surrender of the letter NAV.
i conceive, be fairly considered uneauiyocal ac
acknowledgement on the part of MIR. Lowrie, of the
four following propositions:
]. That the anonymous friend who sent the
letter to him, was not the legitimate owner.
2. That it was the property of Mr.. Monroe
3. That the detention of it by Mr.. l.. was
wrong done by MIN TO the President; and
d. That the use he made of It, to force Gen
Jackson to publish his letters or TO submit to
any Inference which his enemies might draw
from his silence. was arbitrary and wanton
abuse of a naked power, illegiiimatcly acquired.
OF those differences, obvious as they seem
to be, Mr.. Lowrie, probably, was not aware.
There arc two other points in this case, which
! will briefly notice.
My first proposition is, that no letter of Gen.
Jackson was ever read to Mr.. LoIvrc or to
Mr.. Roberts. My reasons arc the following:
/. Mr.. Findlay understand, denies that any
letter from Gen. Jackson was read.
1t true that Mr.. Thomas and Mr.. Ruggles
are opposed to Mr.. Findlay on this point, and
concur in saying, that both Mr.. Findlay and
MIR. Lowrie stated to them, that letter from
Gen Jackson to the President was read by the
latter to them.
On this discrepancy, it is here sufficient to re-
mark, without meaning to impeach the veracity
of MIR. Thomas and Mr.. Ruggles, that it is quite
as probable that they should be mistaken to
MIR. Findlay's meaning, in a conversation
which passed three or four years ago, as that
Mr. Fns1lay should be mistaken cs to matte:
OF fact; matter of fact, too it may properly be
said, well calculated to attract his attention, and
to fastcn itself on his memory.
If the case depended on this evidence ONLY
decision could not be readily pronounced; but
1t does not so depend.
Jackson. Now, Gen. Jackson wrote fou, iet-
tcrs, to the President all of them relating, more
or less, to the formation of his cabinet. Is it
not singular, that only one should be read that
only one should be SEEM
3. Mr.. Roberts also speaks Of a letter; a let
ter of considerable length, carefully and elabo
rately written" Is it not singular, that in / 817
10, as well a. in 1912, one letter, and one
letter only, of Gen. jackson should be read by
the President.
But the letter was Of considerable length,
carefully and deliberately written" This d.
scription applies in all its parts, to Mr.. Monroe
letter to Gener Jackson, Of the 9TH Deem
Der, 1916. 1t isa long letter, mani estty writ
ten with labor and care, and copied in such a
way as to show that it was meant to be pre-
served. This is the letter, L confident;
which Mr.. Monroe read to Mr.. Roberts-this
is the letter which he read to Mr.. Lowrie, ifhe
read any. Tue opinions Of Gen. Jackson have
been inferred, from Mr.. Monroe's letter to him,
and those opinions are now quoted, as derived
from Gen. Jackson'S letter to MIR. Monroe.
This hypothesis will explain several things,
which, without it, cannot be accounted for.
Mr.. Roberts description of the letter read to
him, is strictly applicable TO Mr.. Monroe's let
ter TO Gen. Jackson, and is not applicable to the
Generals letters, 10 MIR. Monroe. The first,
second, and fourth letters arc not long, and the
third not long enough TO excite, on account OF
IFS length any particular notice. Nor is any one
of them written in way to impress belief, that
it was sscarefully and deliberately" composed.
Instead Of elaborate reasoning and argument,
these letters exhibit, in the plain, unstudred
langHdpe OF BOOu SCiiSC anu pdtiiotiShi, uic i'n-
preston of soldier,wbo had entire confidence III
the statesman to whom he addressed himself. AT
that period Gen. Jackson had no motive for
writing with care and labor TO the President
elect. lie did not expect that his letters woul
be dragged before the public, or lliat he, himself,
would be removed, except by death, from tia
retirement which he was then seeking, in ordet
to " nurse broken and debilitated constitu-
tom But, MIR. Monroe had occasion to deli
beratc; it was proper for him TO examine, and to
ascertain thc principles by which he shonld be
governed, in the high station lie was about to
occupy. Ofthese he gives an account to III:
fsiend, Gen. Jackson, IN letter OF considerable
length, " carefully and deliberately written"
! q. The remark just made leads to another
worthy of notice.
1 Nothing can be more natural than the supPo'
sition, that Mr.. Roberts shonld wish, distinctly
to understand the views of the President elect
in relation to parties generally-and 1T IS quite
as natural, that the President should be perfect
-
OF MIR. Purvauce it is proper to say, that ~
was Of the porest principles; scfuPu'ousij
correct in word and deed.