Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-08-04
III Il RAID OF THE TIMES.

Mr.. Berrion replied, as unequivocally as
had done, that they would never con-
sent to have the social relations of their
families controlled by any power what
ever but their own. Mr.. Branch, Mr..
Berren, and myself, went the same eve
ming to party at Col. Towson's, where
reT ort was current that we were to be
removed forthwith; of which had no
doubt at the time. The next morning,
Col. J. came to my house, and said that
he ought perhaps to have been more
frank last evening, and told us positively
that the President had finally determined
on our removal from office, unless VIC
agreed at once that our families should
visit Mrs. Eaton, and invite her to their
large parties; and that he had made up
his mind to designate Mr.. D, ,kens TO
take charge of the Treasury Department,
and MIR. Kendall to take charge of the
Navy Department, and would find an
Attorney General somewhere. | OBJ
served that my course was fixed, and
could not be changed for all the offices in
the Presidents gift and it made no more
l'ihS'OH w ttlun w any OtICI DtI-
son whom the President designated to
take my place. In the evening of the
same day, Col. J. called again, and in
formed me that he had just been with the
President, who had drawn up n paper
explanatory of what he had intended and
expected of US (; that some of his Tennes-
see friends had been with him for several
hours that his passion had subsidized, and
he had entirely changed his ground. He
would not insist on our families visiting
Mrs. Eaton he only wished us to assist
IN putting down the slanders against her;
that he believed her innocent, and he
thought our families ought to do what
they could to sustain her, if they could
not visit her; and that he wished to see
me the next day. Col. J. added that the
President had been exceedingly excited
for several days, but was now perfectly
calm and mild. The next day | waited
on the President, and opened the subject
by stating that Col. Johnson had inform
ed me that he wished to see me ; to which
he assented, and went into long argu-
ment to show how innocent a woman
Mrs. Eaton was, and how much she had
been prosecuted, and mentioned the
names of a number of ladies who had
been active in this persecution, and that
the lady Of a foreign minister was also
one of the conspirators adding that he
would send her and her husband home,
and teach him and his master that the
wife of Il member of his cabinet was not
to be thus treated that Mrs. f.. was as
pure and chaste as Mrs. Donclson's in
fant daughter, but there was combina-
ton here among a number of ladies, not
those of the Heads of Departments, to-
drive her out of society, and to drive her
husband out Of Office but he would be
cut into inch pieces on the rack, before
he wonld suffer him or his wife to be in
jured by their vile calumnies that he
was resolved to have harmony in his cabi-
net, and he wished us to JON in pntting
down the ISLANDERS against Mrs. Eaton.
l observed to the President, that had
never considered it incumbent on me to
investigate the character of Mrs. Eaton
such service did not, in my Judgment,
come within the scope Of my duties to the
government it belonged to society alone
to determine such matters. The power
of the Administration could not change
the opinion of tire community, even if it
could he properly used to control the re-
lations Ofdomestic life in any case. The
society of Washington must be the best
Judges of whom it ought TO receive. I
regretted the difficulties which Major
Eaton labored under, and had felt it to be
my duty not to aggravate them. had
intended at an early day to have had a
conversation with him on the subject,
with view to have our social relations
defined, but no opportunity had offered,
without volunteering one, and it had not
been done in that way. The course l
had taken was, however, adopted with
great care, to save his feelings as much
as possible, consistently with what was
due to my family, and the community
with which we we're associated. con-
sdercd the charge Of my family to be a
sacred trust, belonging exclusively to my
self, rs a member of society. The ad-
ministration had nothing to do with it,
more than with that of any other indi-
vidual, and political power could not be
properly exerted over their social inter-
course, and it was important to his rcpu-
tation to have it understood that he did
not interfere in such matters. That |
was not aware Of any want of harmony
in the cabinet had not seen the slight
est symptom of such feeling in its de-
liberations, and ! was perfectly certain
that my official conduct had never been
influenced in the slightest degree by a