Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1831-08-25
THE aMALlGN INFLUENCE"
TO tie editors Of DE AaIiOaal Inteligeace,

ished the within letter, discovered IN your
paper of the 25d ult. that Mr. IEGHkM had
published his letter to me, as weIlas bis slate
ment You will please, therefore, to publish
this letter as nay reply and obIige your ODE
dent servant, Il M JOHNSON.
BLuE SPaIso, July 81, 1881
q Dear Sir: Yours Of the 10th instant was
this day received. accompanied BY a state
ment, which, II sesms, you have prepared
Cor the public, purporting to contain separate
conversations, with the President and myself,
relative 10 an allegation made in the public
Journals. that General JACKSON had authori-
zed a Member Of Congress TO require Of
Messrs. Berrien, Branch aud yourself and
vour families, TO associate with Major Eaton,
and lbs family, undar tie penalty OF being
Dismissed from Office. You refer to two ar
ticIes in the Globe to justify your appeal to
the pubic, previously to receiving my an
S,,er. In which it appeared that had denied
the above allegation, IL il bad any sliusion TO
me After the publication Of this accusation
against Gen jackson, | received letter
from friend ,lntimating that was the mem.
Der of Congress TO whom ailuslon was made,
and requested to know if had ever made
such a communication In nv answer,
confined myself to the specific accusation
thus uubEciy made against the President, and
which is attributable to yourself, and most
tneauiyccally denied that General Jackson
ever made such requisition through me,
and as positively denied having ever made
such A statement TO you. On the contrary,
7 asserted, and now repeat, did inform you,
Ia each and every interview, that the Presi-
Sen, ,i,sclaimed any right or intention to IN
terfere in any manner whatever with the re-
vulation Of your rrivate or social intercourse.
Tins IN A matter in which WAS engaged
70 serve YOU and other friends-in a matter
oc delicate and highly conhdentiaI nature,
and in which | succeeded, unexpectedly
found myself presented IN the public Jour
nails as a witness impeachlng one of those
friends and ascribiDg TO him declarations
which he never made, and placed in that at
tfude by you, self-respect and selfdeience
called upon me 10 correct that erroneous
abatement cannot therefore, agree with
YOU, that did IN any degree change my
view of the subject in considering It impro-
Der in any of the parties to come before the
public without the opportunity OF comparing
our different recollections. Bat If yoI fee
under any obligations OF a personal or politi.
cal character 20 come before the public pre-
v;ousIy. you will find me as ready rs your
SELL 10 meet any responsibility or difficulty
which such course may produce Up tc
This date have considered my correspon
dence With YOU and Mr. Berrien Of char
acter not to be divnlged toany one, and have
therefore, confined tito my bosom. The ob
iect of my first letter to you was to declare
frankly and candidiy, in the spirit OF respec
and friendship, that | was misunderstood
provided was tue member of Congress tt
whom reference was made, that you Nigh
have il in your power to correct your misap
prebension of the communications die
not see how it could inpeach your character
or lessen your reputation to consider and ac
knowledge it mistake, without your as
sumption Of the ground thai you understood
me better than | understood rlyseit, and
that Won could make the public believe 50. -
NV Standard of confidence and friendship
arising from personal and political intimi
cy Of twenty year, would have dictated that
course TO me. Such course could have
been IL lurions to none, and less troublesome
10 all But so far as am concerned, tee
Derfsctly silliag to take the course adopted
by yourself, Of placing our views before the
public. do not, however, think that 1t WI
be much benefited BY eur labours; and an
farther induced TO believe that the public will
YOU do In denying the confidential chaEac
ter Of our conversations. you urge, as one
consideration, that The intimatlon TO invite
Mai. Eaton and bis family ioyour large par
ties was offensive, although you are aud e
nough 10 believe that did not SO far lntend
it. If the nature of the suggestion changed
ia your mind the character oil the converse
ton, and the relation of that perfect friend
ship which had so long existed, would 1t not
have been n1agnanimous and generous IN
YOU to have advised me of ite now come
to the material point in controversy whe
Their Gen. jackson. through me required OF
YOU to invite Maj Eaton and his family IA
YOUR large parties. This suggestion was
made upon nay own responsibility, with an
anxIous desire more eiiecmaily to recopcila
the then existing difficulties. But Gen Jack
son never did make such a requlsItion, in a
nv manner whatever, directly or indirectly:
nor did i ever intimate to yeu that he had
made such a demand.
The complaint made by General Jackson
against this part of bis cabinet was specific
that he had been informed, and was induced
to believe, that they were using their lnilu-
! ence to have Mai Eaton and his family ex-
cluded from all respectable circles, for the
purpose OF degrading him, and thus drive
him fiom office; and that the attempt had
been made even upon the foreign ministers,
aud in one cast had produced the desired eE
feet. He proposed no mode OF accommoda-
ton or satisfaction. but declared expressly