Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-09-26


10 a free association hut thai he could not con.
Irol his. promptly answered, that did MOI
desire his or any other family TO visit mine "a
Cept with their own free consent aud that il
was my desire our families should, Ia that re-
spcct, pursue such course a they thought fl
and proper. We shook hands, and parted as
friends Mr.. Berrien afIe cted much saiisfat.
lion at this recon Cialion. aud pretended 10
! hail IL as The hsTbiuger OF future harmony and
good viii. | say pIeitndei, because, under all
the circumstances OF recent disclosure, he felt
not what be said lao did. Il was only adding
another and smother fold TO thai cloak OF nv
poorly Ia which he had wrapped himself, from
the first formation of tbs Cabinet.
! Slch were fhs incid tnts of Friday the ooh
| OfJanuary, 1880, the moment when, as their
/ communications 10 the public disclose they
were wiiihng under sense OF deep and la sting
" indignny aud outrage" at the threats Of Col
Johns n. borne 10 them from the Presdeai
! Where then was the lofty dgnity oil Nj. Der.
rien aud Mr.. Branch, that the one could declare
how pleased he vas ut the reconciliation made.
aud the other protest the good feelings which
| he entertained tor me
Let Us see how the facts stan l. il these men
speak truth, On Wednesday, the 27,h of Jan
uary, 1880. the President, rhrough Col John.
son, threatened 10 dismiss them, If they did uot
! compel their families TO associate with tnInp
| which they Considered such an " indguity aud
out age thti they seriously thought II resign
! ing. Ou Thursday, the IS Il, the " in1igniiy
| aud Outrage being unat5ned, and eyrn unex
| planned, the President wrote a note TO MI
/ Branch, offering his "jtieudiy mediation" 10
b'ing abopt--Whai' MOI social intercourse
! b,t""tn our (nmiiieS-Gut a restoration Of
friendly intercourse bttaeeu OurselUes. In the
morniog OF Friday, the 29th, (for he says he
viii meet ne al two q clock, no accepted the
| friendly oiier, thus acknow Iedgng that he con
Slitfed he President an impartial umpire,
unpreJudiced. unexei'ed, aud just man, in
"nose hands he could must is character and
! his honor ard vet. strange TO tell, on the same
| day, having eallrd on tie President for some
| espianaii ~ about crl. John .on's insulting mes
| sage, tie i"nnd" The Presidents feetiagSusre Too
much entis'ed TO Weigh any aeons waich ing 1T
be Offered !! Who can believe all this
Most cheeJutig' SAYS h., accept yoar
! i1eHdly mediaiiOn' What Accept tae me-
| tia'toD OF nln who, two days beiurc, had
| telatrd hun to humble himself 10 me like the
meanest slavr, and had no. atoned for IN Ae-
| cspl the mediation OF n man whose feelings
were So much enlisted in my favor, that he
would not ''s'en 10 reason I Impossible Had
| Nj. Branch ielt that an indignity had been
Uttered him, he would have replied Il the Pre-
sldent: " Sir. your insulting me sage, through
| C"l. lnsun, must he first explained, before
can avail myself OF" you, tIIendiy mediation -
! BY his whole conduct, he showed that he en-
/ teriaiDed no such feeling, and that the whole
| story about q" IndtguHy aud outrage" ~ u
sheer invention, goi np now 10 il ute tue PIE
sldent.
! TINS letter OF MIR. Branch shows That, in ad-
! dliion 10 Col Johnson's tfieudiV me1l1iion
! the President WAS willing 10 txrrt MS own, as
1 a friend to heal The breach IN anticipation of
-. l..
on Friday the goth, To declare the basis on
"hch he had resolved 20 fix the harmony ol
! IN, Cabinet. Mr.. Branch aud myself, the
principal difficulty having arisen between US
met as has been stated, at Mr.. RerriPn's, aud
! adjusted our relations amlcabiy and vel this
recuncIlIatIon, IT 10 pretended, prOdu,ed, as IL
sen troM Mr.. BrHnch's note by the KIND and
friendly ln,erposl ton Of the Preslde l. is re
presented 70 have heen immediately preceded by
" indignl and outrage aud 10 have been sue
ccsded ny state OF feeling TOO mnch excited
, = 10 Weigb any reasons lchich might he offer
f cd !! How thoroughly IS al this conlradicted
| by Mr.. Branchs conpemporaneous note
Private difficulties W re now at az end and
| as was well understood, families ere 10 visit
/ Or not, according 10 them lnlllnaious. In two
i dtgs the " ihdienhE and outrage" which had
/ been offered 10 th"se gentlemen was CoreoI,.u
| SO much so that Ion hliren months matters eli-
j drd on IN iOlerable hafmony. Nothing mare
was sand or hoard OF thus subject, until the Pre-
sldent, rs he had m ungnesiIoned right TO do
/ thought pruper 10 REQ ic,t their designations
| heu were old notes aud memoranda FURNISH
ed up. aud that over winch they had slept So
! long, immediately became II subject of deru
aud " awakening interest to the American ppo-
! pie" Tue ruih IS, this tarce, which is now
brought out on TIVE public stage, was designed
tJr different occasion. II WAS in January or
February 1881, thai they expected to exhibf,
beloi e the puDlc, and 10 unfold the tale of
threats from The President, dismissal, and IA M
It association. and all that. Not beng di,-
missed then, as hey expected, they Laid aside
their prepared tale but, having at length lost
their offices, they bring Iriorth upon an occa.
sion which II does not iii, and vainly attempt
! TO attribute the dissolution OF the Cabinet 10 a
, false ground. That event they know sprung
from entirely different canse-R cause
which wall satisfy every impartial man when
he comes to understand il. 10 account for
their removal, they offer any but the true
reason, and hence run into ali sorts of absur-
diiy.
Shortly after this, about the 10Th Of March
preparatory meeting Of n few members OF
Congress was he Id wnh Il view to reanesi tue
Pres dent 10 remove the frem the Cablntt,
Beng spprised OF their design, ne made "A re.
mark " bich satisfied the leaders in this move
meui, thar to persist in lneir course would
ser II expose them TO pubic reprobauon,
aud result In fruitless endeaVor. According ~
the pfoj CT was abandoned, or at least sus-
pended.
! do not lmpute to all who participated III
tins preliminary step, design 10 unite uln.
mateiy IN measure Ot snch high dictatioH To
rhe President. Some were AT FIST mised by
| false representations, and induced 10 believe
that his peace aud comfort, as well as the sue
cess of his administration. depended upon IT {;
othrrs attended the meeting Ia pont out the i'm
| proprieiy of the course, aud H. dissuade then
friends from persstng IN their design.
| Now, what was the motive for ali THIS relent-
| less persecution 7 Could il be that my vile
wa indeed the cause' Was It merely TO eA-
clude n female from their " good society ="
Was one woman so dangerous To public NOR
ais, and so formlda Bile In influence and power
as to require ali this strong array of Cabinet
! counse UNDERGRADUATE u of members OF Con.
gress-confederscy fashionable l,dies7 Was
il Tor that, attacks were made upon the inlegr-
/ ..r md hon - - Il