Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-07-25

omolumsnts, az Attorney Gsnsrsl. sink yoay OHIO.
acter as man, by tanely listening to such a. re-
QUESTION No. sir; it is impossible to bellows tn,
you could have listened to such a reauisitiops Al,
missed your scli-rospect; forgot your southern no.
nor; and humbly bowed in seeming reverence to
inc man VINO had insultcd you, until politely nrited
to resign! 1t is impossible that YOU could bury
such an insult, profess to DO the friend of tho
President, make the speech that YOU did recently
in Georgia, and now that you out of Office dis
close u fact which would seal your own shame
No; sir; such proposition was ever made 70 Won,
you had no cause to complain of tho President: YOU
eulogizcd him in public and private: and vou vo,d
have gladly acted as Attorney General to tho end
of his administration, had you not been inrif,d m
resign.
But the circumstances under which tho harn,opx
oil the late Cabinet restored repcl the irsfrcnco
which you will have it, in your last note that the
extract from your letter to Major Eaton leaves opon
IN the ambiguousncss of its expression. From the
moment that you denied TO the President any par
ticpation i'll the political combination to drive Ma
Jor Eaton from the Cabinet, tho usual courtesios
were renewed among its members without any as
ISOLATION between their respective families. Mai
eaton would have been as reluctant to receive yis
ors driven into his doors by the power of tho Pro
sident, as they could possibly have been to- submit
| TO such tyranny and degradation. His house was
| thronged by those who were among the most ro,-
pcctabc people of the city-by'thc most henoroble
i1miiies visiting annually here and by those from
abroad, most distinguished by station. To the raw
ETY. and responsibility of parties thus attended the,
appearance of persons constrained by the authori.
ty of the Executive, if it could have been excrted
for such purpose. would have added nothing. 1t
could nave served no purpose to have exactcd such
rcquisition as that now imputed, to the injury Of
the President. To have forced the wife of the,
secretary OF War, upon that portion of society
which was unwilling to receive her, could have adj
aed nothing TO her reputation. 1t is ridiculous to,
mpute to the failure of such design the dissolu-
ton of the late Cabinet. You, think must know
tha TINS step was the result of the diversity of poll
ChcIfb o
bnett to different divisions of the new parties which
became apparent in the dssention between the Pre-
sident and Vice President. This produced, in tho
then state of tho cabinet combinations in Conpress
calculated to defeat the most salutary measures of
the administration. In the opposition which shewed
Itself with regard to the Turkish negotiation tho
members OF the Cabinet favorable to the new born
oPPositlon, were expressly exempted in the denun-
Citations of those members of the Senate who then
came out and disclosed, for the first time their hos
tiity to the President and part of his Cabinet
That wish to bring Maj. Eaton and his family
INTO society here, had no influence in producing
the dissolution of the Cabinet is apparent from the
fact that 1T operated to consign them and him to
privacy. The want of the harmony essential to
the public welfare, however originated was preg-
nant with political effects and produced this result.
Y GU require me to correct the of my decla-
ration, predcated on the information which Col.
johnson communicated to me, upon the ground
that have no authority to the evidence which
establishes the fact. The testimony which have
] In my possession, under Col. Johnson's hand,
satisfies thoroughly of the truth of the assor-
ton have made, and, therefore, will not admit
1t to be an error. Your exception to the use
have made of his testimony, may be applicable Us a
censure upon my course. But l consider, that
circumstances fully justify that course, and 1 am
only responsible to Col. Johnson for nv conduct
in relation to his letter. Your objection to tho
authority under which l have acted as to Col.
Johnson's evidence, does not in the least, change
the nature of that evidence. 1t is convincing
as 1t could be under full authority to use it, and
vide rod
for the public eye.
Y on seem to think that 1 am bound to publish, on
my own account, the correspondence between
Maj Eaton and yourself, because have used u
paragraph having exclusive reference to the Presi-
dent do not think / will have nothing to
do with the controvs rsy between Major Eaton and
yourself; You have right to bring that subject
before the public in any way you please, and on
D your own responsibility. ] will not hesitate to
print 1T, any part you may choose embody, in
: the discussion with me.
l closed my last note to you by an intimatiop
that 1T would conclude our correspondence. l did
# SO because the issue between depended altoge-
thcr upon the verify of the statements had made,
contradlctng assertions in the Telegraph for which
8 dld not know that you were responsible. When
o you volunteered to question my statements laid
:, before you frankly the ground on which l acted;
and then, In second letter, brought to your view
I the proof on which, as to myself I was willing to
= rest the issue. But as you seem inclined to make,
through me, attack the President, and to use
the correspondence which you entered Certain
~ without being called for by any thing said,
: to YOURSELF as the medium of bringing on gene
raj discussion of the question of the dissolution of
the late Cabinet shall certainly sacrifice my in.
e ciInation to what you consider my duty. My re-
luctance to continue the correspondence with you,
d proceeds from no want of respect to you. But
believe the public is sick of the subject is satisfied
= with the dissolution of the old Cabinet, and the
I, formation of the new one; and this induced the
inclination have evinced, to spare the country the
t disgust OF the dissection of subject, which it
seems willing to bury. At all events the progress
f we have made will be sufficient for ono Lectures
l you think fit, will resume it again.
Yours, &c. F. P. BLAIR, +.