The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-08-03


Whatever that decision may be, the high consol;
81 uion Of having faithfully discharged inv dutv :
lhem, and to myself, shall not he taken from me
Inc disengenuous and unmanly suggestion of m
e, ueslre to remain in the cabinet of Gen Jacksnr
= notwithstanding the occurrences which produce
my retirement, will be my apology for adyer,in
I'll nlehy 10 The origin of my connection with il am
E. 10 The circumstances which induced its continu
ance. "'''u
1t was without any solicitation on nv part Or O.
e fr as know or believe, on the part of any of M
.lehds, that was invited to accept the Office n
Attorney General OF the United States. Tber,
l. were circumstances, temporary in their nature Inn
d sun strongly operative, which rendered it not dc
sirable to me. | felt, however, that was c,Ilo,
, TO decide upon the question of nv acceptance mo
merely as an individual, but as citizen, aud es
Peclaily as citizen OF Georgia. On certain nrin
cPles of general policy, some of which were DR.
tcu'arly Interesting to the people of that State tbt
n views communicated TO me by the President wer,
4" accordance with my own and felt it TO be m,
DUTY not to withhold any assistance which conf
gEe 10 carry them into effect. The annunciatior
$ OF Inc names Of the intended Cabinet srened T.,
me- however, to present an insuperablc bar to nv
acceptance OF the Office which was rendered tome
th"ught ioresaw clearly the evils which have
100 OBVIOUSLY resulted from this selection. A
stranger 10 Gen Jackson, could not with prnpre-
!! discuss these objections with him | knew
moreover, that some of his confidential friends had
faithfully discharged their duty to him, and to the
country, by frank communication of them In
TINS state of things, sought the counsel of those
around me- 10 gentleman high in the confidence
OF the President and to II DISTINGUISHED ci,izep or
my own State, submitted the INQUIRY. whetber
with this view of the cabinet which the Pres;Jert
mad selected, could with propriety become
! member OF i. The former expressed his decided
conviction, founded on long and intimate knovl-
edge OF the Presidents character that he would
! himself speedily and correct the evil The iat
raia IF
the General Government as presenting stronn
claim upon me not to refuse the invitation which
had been given to me. yielded TO these suggest.
IONS and took my place in the Cabinet, with firm
determination to avoid the controversies which
feared might occur. To that determination Ihave
steadily adhered. Assocating or terms of courte-
sy with my colleagues my official intercourse with
them was never Interrupted by discord.
! II there were any combinations growing out of
the supposed conflict between the interests Of Mr.
Calhoun and Mr.. Van Buren,. had no part in them
and as little in the supposed measures of that
diameter, having for their object to coerce Major
Eaton to retire from the cabinet-or to exclude his
family from the society of Washington With
mine they did not associate but no advance had
been made on either side. and their actual relation
seemed therefore to furnish no just ground OF Of
fence to either party. In this posture of things.
and shortly after had given an evening party to
which Mrs. Eaton had not been invited / received
and heard with Infinite surprise the message Of
/ Col. Johnson.
! | could make no mistake az to its character. for
there was direct and repeated reference TO the
large parties, which had been then recently given
! by MesSrs Branch and lnghau and myself Such
a mistake, if it had been one, would have been il
stantly corrected, from the nature of my reply If
the complaint had been of Il combination to ,pict
/ iy0r Eaton from Office and not to ercludo his
JdmlIy from society, the reference to hese evening
parties would have been idle and my declaration
! l 81 ID.
the local intercourse of myself and family, would
have been instantly met by an explanation. which
would have removed tine impression from the
MINDS OF Messrs. Branch and Ingham and myself
Yet we all parted with Col. Johnson, with clear
conVlction that such proposition had been made
ana ieellng as we did that indgnity had been
offered to us, there was, as believe no difference
OF opinion between us to the course we ought to
pursue, II this proposition should be ayowed and
pressed by the President
rms conversation took place on Wednesday
evening, and the rumor Of our intended removal
speedily became general. On the the succeeding
day, the personal friends of General Jackson in
terposed, and he was awakened to a sense of the
lmProprlety of his projected course 1t was then
according to Col Johnson's statement to Mr.. Inq-
ham, that the paper spoken of by the Editor of the
! Globe was prepared My two Colleagues had their
interview with the President on the succeeding
day Friday and as MIR. highlands statement made
from full notes taken at the time proves. no paper
audS shO1on to hum on that occasion Owing to n
mistake IN the communication of the Presidents
wishes to me did not see him until the succeeding
| day Saturday. and then the excitement of his
feelings mad so entirely subsidized, that he seemed
! TO me to be anxious TO dispose of the subject as
briefly as possible. He spoke of the reports aeains
Mrs. Eaton, OF which he said he had sufficient
proof; and upon my declining to discuss that cues
ton, he complained of the Injustice of excndinG
her from society; referred to the large parties
gwen by Messrs lngham, and Branch, and myself,
and told me 1t he could have been convinced that
there was a combination between those gentlemen
and myself to exclude her from society, that he
would nave required our rcSigaations He ilame-
d!1tely added. that he was entirely satisfied tha
there had been no such combination. and AGAIN re-
erre,' TO those large parties and to the rumors to
which they had G ven rise as having produced
that impression. SO far from then suggesting that
information had been received from any member
oil Congress, when | cllimed the right of having
the names OF any persons who had made 10
hua representations unfavorabIe TO nv cou6uct
he still referred to the thousand rumors which
had reached MIN as the orr gin of such impression
whlch mad been made upon his mind. He siotred
: me no paper-spOke TO me of none-iniimate6 I,
me no terms lchtch he should hereafter require
4 by his declaration that he did not intend Il
press the requsiton which he had made through
Col. Johnson, | considered the object of the in
tervlew to he to TO explain the motives unde
~ "uu oeteb uftu " announce Ue cnQn9e
his determination. He accompanied this with ex
presslons of personal kindness which | though
we're intended to soothe the feelings which h,
must have been conscious Of having excited Sti!
thought it WAS improper for ma longer to renal
in the Cabinet Admitting that sufficient atone
ment had been made for the indiguity offered b,
the message sent through Col Johnson there was
: perpetual liability to the recurrence of simlla
outrages. believed it, therefore, to be my duty t,
retire. My friends thought otherwise, and nv owl
sense OF what the interests of Georgia at that par
tcular crisis required, induced me to repress my
feelings.
} When at a subsequent period, the controvors,
occurred between the President and Vice Presiden
though saw in this intention to asltate the
question which by the agency of the persona
; friends Of Gen Jackson, had been before happil,
repressed. The connection of Mr. Crawford witt
this controversy, and my own relation to Gen
jackson, forbade me to take any part in it-and
studiously avoided all interference except to dep
recate Mr. Calhouns publication. | left Washing
ton on the fourth day, of April one day after Naio
Eaton had announced to the President his deter
mination TO resign, according to the statement G
his (Maj Eaton's) letter of resignation, and nc
the slightest intmaton was given IN me Of the in