Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-10-29

l American People that system of calumny, and menace, which prevails at the Seat of the National Government, under the immediate view of its highest functionary, and in which his most confidential friend is the prominent and principal actor.
 Very soon after my return from Georgia ill June last, when. from the tenor of my resig- nation, it was ascertained that l would not join in the attempt to conceal the real causes of the dissolution of the late Cabinet, the movements of the cabal at this place were di- rected against nc. did not feel that it was my duty to enter into an exposition of thc SC causes, and l abstaned from doing so; but could not rconsent to become party to the | effort whit Il was made to conceal them-and by placing my own resignation on the ground of the Presidents mere will gave distinct negative to the misrepresentatiens ei that transaction, by which 1t had been attempted to delude the public At this time Mr Ea- ton, avaing himself of pqblicaticn in pa per- with which had no other connexiun than tbat If subscriber, called upon me per emptorily to avow or disavow an editorial al ticle in that paper, which asserted that my family had refused to associate with his. It was not the mere hnblication, it was the Sfate- menf, which was called upon to disavow, in terms sufficiently abrupt (without any refer ence to what had just occurred with MT Ing Iham,) clearly to indicate what was to follow. Every man will understand, on reading that note, that Mir Eaton had determined to call lne to the field, in the event of my avowal of the statement of which he complained - What other purpose could have induced such Ia demand clothed in such terms? l certainly so understood it, and shared the surprise of others, on reading in the concilatory reply, (which he thought proper to address to me, in answer to my avowal of the offensive state ment, distinct waiver of his original de- mand.
 This correspondence is before the public; but moments consideration of it, will serve to show, that the object of this rude and pe- remptory demand, was to deter me from an exposure of the truth; and that even, accord Ing to the notions of what the world calsh on- CT, the failure of MT Eaton to prosecute it, when had distinctly avowed the offence of which he complained, took from him all sha- dow of right thereafter, to urge any claim upon me By making this demand, he as- serted that the statement was offensive to him. By the manner in wh ch he received my avowal Of it's truth, he manifested his dis position to submit to what he had thus tr, at ed as an aggression upon his feelings, without having received any atonement fer it.
 But the nature of the offence of which Mi Eaton complained, will still more exclusively prove that this Was an empty menace, con ceived in the vain hope of deterrng me from exposing the real nature of the transaction, which was then engaging the public attention. The statement in the Telegraph was that my family had refused to associate with his.- When, in answer to his demand, l avowed the truth of that statement, my offence con- ta1 p., vN1 .,F
 Was this a ground, on which to call man to mortal combat? had d perfect right to re- fuse this association. MT Eaton admits it, l offered no violence to his feelings by avow- ing that had done so, as the terms of his re- ply very clearly prove. Why then was the demand made? It was an idle bravado, the object of which was to obtain such an answer, as might be perverted to his purposes, and in every event to admonish ne, that he zvaS armed and in the field. There after, was to act under the influence of this salutary caution. | This first attempt was manifest failure. An opportunity had been afforded to Mir Ea- ton, to carry out his purposes, so far as l was the object of them. Whether it arose from faltering spirit, or from his own con, iction of the absurdity of his demand, he did not avail himself oft The fact that such cor respondenCe existed, soon became known to the public, and they were not slow ill express ing their view of it. It became necessary therefore to MT Eaten, to make an effort to retrieve his affairs, and certain expressions in my former address were seized upon for this purpose. It is this correspondence, which he says has eventuated in determination on my part to shrink from responsibility, and it is that determination, imputed to me, in utter disregard of truth, which has called forth the ribaldry which embellishes his appeal to the public. That public shall have an opportu- nity to decide for themselves, On full view of the transact,oD, which MT Eaton has ms represented, whether he has any legitimate claim to the triumph of which he beasts whether, on the contrary, he has not present ed to them statement, wholly devoid of truth, in relation to a transaction, in which his con- duct has been distinguished by every thing ra- ther than its chvary.
 MT Eaton's second demand upon me, was founded upon certain expressions in my for mer address. The alleged offence consisted in the statement, that "the annunciation of the names of the intended cabinet, seemed to me to present an insuperable bar," to my ac. ceptance of office--that "I thought, fore saw clearly the evils which have too obvious
 y resulted from this selection"-and that my ultimate determinaticn to enter the cabinet, was founded on the belief, that the President would "speedily see and correct the evil. Assuming that the objection here referred to, applied exclusively to himself and to the re- lations of his family to the community in which he lived, which is neither warranted by the language of the address, nor consistent with the fact. MT Eaten thought himself au- thorized, without further inquiry, to make an instant demand of satisfaction. So absurd d pretension put forth by any man, and even for the first time, might have been promptly repelled by a simple denial of the right to make it. If l believed that the rel.tinns of