Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-05-15
LETTER FROM MRS BARNEY TO GEN
JACKSON.

SIR: Your note OF the eed April, addressed TO me
through your private Secretary, accompanying the
return OF my papers, which expresses your sincere
regret h0t TIE rules ,0hich Uoa had Jeh bound 10
G6nI for NE Sorernn;ert If such ccss- ;d not Kermit
ne grn'Jcdiion Of my tcistes" affords palhation
of tho injury YOU have inflicted q, nn,toous off
Ger and his helpless family. L. is dark aud embig,,-
Gus. knowing that the possession WAS not ulure
sufficient justification for the exercise of powor; I'M
willing that Your character for rmncss should suffer
by the lmputution of caprice, that YOUR reputa-
ton for humanity should be tarnished by an act of
wanon cruelty. you insinudts cause; You hiat at
binding rnie, and iIaeat that my husband is within
It's operation. IL IT were not unworthy the chaeac-
ter OF Gen. JgctSca, ask you, was it not beneath
the dignity OF the pREsIprST of these United States
to 'nS!nUdie, If bold assertion had been his power
When you had adopted for your government this
'3cfornOIe rule was 1t uot cruel YOU to conceal il
from those ON whom it was TO operate the most terri
bic c1lnmitie,? WHY should tho President of free
country be gOrurncd by secret rules why should
lie wrap himself up in the black robes of mystery,
and like volcano, be ard felt in it's effects
while the secret causes which work the ruin that
surrounds hid within his BOSOM Is this ruie OF
which yol speak law of the land; is II construc
ton drawn from any articles of the Constitution. or
is it section of he articles OF war. II il rule of
practice, which, having been acted upon by any OF
your INDUSTRIOUS predecessors, CONES down with tho
force of authority upon you? Did it govern the con
duct oi that great whose ncu 4 iaccnrdirp 10
your Nlttercrs) you Termed? II So why should
you conceal it, The Constitution and the laws
civil and military, viii justify you, and all who OBEY
stti; ana llle roOHS OF power which yO9
not bs stained by act which finds precedent in
the conduct oil any of your predecessors. Is IL sny
old principle Of new application Ill the ar, OF 60
ve7nment which, having escaped the searching mind
OF Washington, and the keen vision Of succeeding
Presidents, hlS been grasped bY your gigantic nuis
Or 10 II now wholesome principle pstentcd to yrn
and for which you alone arc 70 receive all the rewards
(of glory at !casl which succeedlur ares never fail
10 bestow on the first inventor OF public blsssrrs
The Office lIarpi"s who haun ed your publ:c walks
and yonr retired moments, FROM the very dawn OF
your administration and whose UvIIly for Office and
power made them utterly reckless OF the honorable
feelings ana lust rights OF Others, cried aloud for
Rotation in Office l. that .cal phrase So faEi.
liar TO the dcmG Togucs of Ill nations lni ur all n,rs
your great and mach vaun'ed principle Of Iiefi,yn2
Ii It be, b. what kind Of rotary motion is IL that
men who have been trt few ycays. or few n,crfIs
in Office, are swept from the boards while Others
lycrs friends remain, who date their official Cslnnts
perLa ps, from the time Of Wa.hrmtnns What so-t
adaptation of skill - machinery is that which
brushes away those only who were opposed to vour
election, ana ieoves your friends in full possession:
Your Official Organ would impose gp9n the public
that you had adopted he Jeersonian rule OF hones,r
and capacity, and that incumbents. as well as app,j-
cants, were tested 5y that ia!abe ioucbston,s The
alleged de!inQucncics of one or two pnblc oGcers
nave tor TINS been made color, and the dive OF their
aEowed :niqu'y has been spread with usi ro,s cum
ninS over the skirts Of every innocent victim. Even
OF those few who have been thus charged their mis-
conduct trcPored) was unsuspcctcd until the pryin
eyes OF iheif successors came TO inspect the official
gen"t, as IN duty bound, could 30 no less than find
them guilty, and therefore could not nave been the
cause OF their dismissal Yours therefore is not tb,
JelersonlRn Rule You ask. resanctinr incur7lbents
ana applicants, o'cr questions than, he honest IL
lie CdpGdte and the answer TO yonr Questions dccdoa
the applicability of your rule By thus ascertai.inU
what your secret rule net, may easily come to
the discovery OF what II Is Surprising ysu scrious
when you say you are contracted by O rule and that
you do not blind!y ike other s,ern5 but tina,
you have eyes Which sec, and ears Which hear, and
hence that have not get described your rule; there
remains, however bat one motive which could posi-
D.y have governed you-'PUEigkllslL If ygu7 pg!ai-
CT! opPonsAts, AMI REGARDS for yovr friends, This
IS your ruie aud however you may wish to disruisc
It, or to deceive the world into the belcthat your
cet pFiucPlc Is something Of nob!er Sort the true
one IS visible to every eye, and like red meteor
beams through your midnight administration porlen-
ding and working mischief and ruia. 1t was pre-.
scTbed to you before you had the power pursue Il
by one to whom you allied by happy con gcnu!i-
ty whom you have neither the ability nor the wish 10
disobcy, before whose omnipotent breath -FOUR Prns;
dehtnI strength lies nervcess infancv; who while
lie suffers your heart to pursue its onted nalDatons
seems TO have locked up the closet which confines
your intellect In this imprisonment of YOUR mental
powers you with his eyes, and hear wit h his e,rs
itlS misfortune for this great milton that you were
porn Tor him, and lie for you. 81 one and the same
time he IS your minion and your monarch your priest
aAd your demon-your public counsellor and voUr Jy-
SOM friend. blush fer my country when see sucl
unnatural formations, such c4rccrous ovcroscrc,I
the President converted into throne cJr q slave.
The injustice Of Your principle Of Reform"
would have been too glariug, had 1t been at once
boldly uniodeGi and hence IS it that il was LrDgcb,
out by degrees. ~ first it was pretended that those
only who had made use Of Office as On engine for cleo
uoneeTng purposes were 10 be reformed away ."
Bat Wien 1t was discovered that there were in nlaco
very many OF your friends who had been guilty oYls
unconstitutional improperly as you have becu rlan
cd 70 call It. who contrary any feeling Of gratitude
or sense OF duty, bad stung the bosom which warm
ed and the hand which fed them ma king use o. their
Office III the gin OF hr. ADAMS IS the means uffar
therIng your designs upon the Presidency 10 Lj,ex-
ciusIon and that your ruic was tyyo.eJped syyord
which, if honestly borne, would "cut upon 6otb siJes
It WIS soon carefully withheld, aud finally gave way
10 much more comprehensive ccheme Of rcjorn
II was nczt declared that those IN Office who in
yioenccyof opposition, had offended you in one par.
Ocular, q need not name it, should meet with con.
d'gn punishment Indeed 700 minated in your prl.
yate conversation with my husband that those who
nad passed That Ru6con lad sealed their destruction
But the misfortune attending this rule vas hat there
were mono IN Office upon whom II could ooerate la
the charge alluded TO been fixed upon any iudj-