Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-06
TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

From the beginning OF the present month,
have been confined 10 my room, and for the greater
part of that time to my bed, by bilious and infom
matory fever. am still SO, though nv fever has
| intermtted My physician had deemed it neccs
sary to deny to me intercourse with my friends, and
| To keep from whatever might produce excitc-
ment. This system is at length relaxed and letter,
from Washington, which were received to day and
yesterday, have announced TO me the fact, that |
have been, during my confinement, the object of u
foul and biting calumny
"A certain degree of evidence has been obtained
Tor this calumny by resorting TO the despicable
tihce of giving extensive and early circulation to
{. mere extract from the speech delivered by me al
hlicdgeville-and by the suppression of that part
of it, which would entirely have changed the char
abicr OF the published extract. L have not the
physical ability for labored vindicatton, If
the occasion called for it; which think it does not
L shall be brief; for my is simply stated. l
may have erred in my estimate of what is just libe-
raj, and magnanimous in relation political adj
versary-but 1 am incapable of trucking to any
man.
prefaccd the alusion TO tho dissolution OF The
cabinet, by the declaration, certainly not compile
mentary TO the President, that my retirement from
the public service, the result of a die
tatcd by my own ofduty. In reference to
this event, fused this Language -" just sense of
self-respect-of what is due to the of public
morals-to your most sacred rights-to the sancti-
ty of dometie life-and TO those household affec-
items which constitute at once, the charm and
safeguard OF society, will forbid me to retrace n
step winch have taken--to alter sentiment
which have avowed." | stool before that COM
pany by this declaration in the very act of rcas
serting every statement contained in my two ad-
dresses to the public-rs-establishng their positi-
on-re-aflirming their sentimcnts-and renewing
the declaration of my determination to Weld nothing
in relation to either. Now, let any man ask him
self, ,chat the statements made the sentiments
expressed, the pieos exhibited by these addresses
| concerning the President of the United States
Let him remember that l had lust re.asserted
md Lot
one further reflection. If it had been my object te
conciatc the President, what could have tempt
ed me thus deliberately to throw in his face these
offensive addresses, which far from propitiating,
must necessarily have exasperated him.
| Having thus announced TO my assembled fellow
citizens, that the relations which the event, of the
| summer had created between the President and
myself, were to remain unchanged having estab-
lished, as supposed, an insuperable barrier be-
| tween us, thought had placed myself in a posi-
tion to dscaim for myself, any private complaints,
or personal resentments, and to announce my de-
termination to give continued support to those
! measures of his administration, in which | had
heretofore concurrcd l thought could do this
without the possibility of being liable TO tho impu-
taton of having been influenced by any unwor-
thy motive.--In this was deceived.-I was right
however, and fearessly appeal to the public to
review its decision. l am free to confess that the
conviction is deeply humiliating-that any por-
ton of the American people, even though original
ly misled by the garbled publication of my
ADDRESS, should nave 1allen INTO such
error. 1 do not speak to the mere par
tizan; but to those who have honestly fallen into
this error, would say. that / went to Milledge-
ville not seeking but declining Office; that resist
ed the repeated urgencies of much respected
friends on this subject while there; and have
tinued, and shall continue to do under a sense
of my duty to myself and with proper regard to
what owe to the State. had, therefore, no mo-
tive for this meanness. / will add that, since my
return to Georgia, and especially at MicdgGville,
my views in relation to the President have been
freely expressed and that have neither yielded,
nor been required TO yield, any thing on this sub
iect. My political associates, who assembled
at Medgevile. will sustain this statement of facts
when it shall meet their eye.
think have wrested from this calumny it's
power to deceive. II ascrbes to me the consum-
mate folly of seeking to conciliate, by mingling
with faint praise, reiterated and serious crimina-
ton. 1t mputes to me this folly without any O.
tive; for was not an adventurer in quest of office,
but private individual, declining the proffered
confidence of my fellow citizens. 1t imputes this
to me at a time when was in the free and unre-
| strained expression of my views and feelings
towards the President, in relation to whom re-
peatcdly declared had nothing to conceal and
| nothing TO yield. There is moreover something in
the force of truth ITSELF which will sustain the de-
| claration am about to make; that if there be a
humiliation, from which more than any other my
| Judgment and my feelings would revolt, it would
| be the attempt, by act of mine, to deprecate
the resentment or concate the favor of the Pre-
sident of the United States to me as an individual
will add, that should equally despise myself il
my standing with the people of Georgia, whatev-
or II may be, had been preserved by any conceal
ment of my views, suppression of my feelings,
in relation to that parsonage.
JOHN MCPHERSON BERRIEN.
SAVANNAH, Dec. "a, 1881.