The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-30
COMMUNICATED.
THE WHOLE TRUTH OR NOTHING.

COMMUNICATED.
THE WHOLE TRUTH OR NOTHING.
The letter of Mr. Ewing to the President presents
some truths and untruihs, and keeps back por
tion of the testimony This is apt to be the in
ex parte statements However disrcpuable it is 10 be-
tray private confidence in any of the relations Of life,
is still more reprchensible to reveal the secret
ellis of the Cabinet because each Secretary is sworn
officer. In addition therefore, TO the moral obiiga
ton Of fidelity in the social relations, there is, in this
case, superadded official sanction of higher cha
racer But in the violation of this double obligation,
between himself and the President, Mr. Ewing has
resorted to the gnobe arlfce Of revealing such po
lions Of these transactions happened to favor his
own views, and of suppressing, of slurring over,
such as would have an opposite tendency This con-
clusion is derived partly from the letter ITSELF and
partly from the course known by his friends have
been pursued by the President.
The burden Of complaint with Mr.. Ewing is, that
the President did communicate him fully his in
tentions in regard to the Fiscal Agent Now ii is
known to the Presidents intimate personal friends
that il his wish his decision on the bill
in question until should be presented for his approval
In this he but pursued the of prudent Chief
Magistrate. Mr. Ewing beset him for his opinions in
advance, and although he gave the Ex Secretary to
understand that the proposed scheme did not precisely
correspond with his views, yet Mr.. f. anxious to
have him committed in its favor. In question Of SO
much moment and OF difficult solution it was to
say the least stretch of delicacy in the Secretary
urge the President premature declaration and con-
sequent committal In his great anxiety TO cooperate
mill hal ~
OF his Cabinet, the President appears to have lent
willing ear to the members Of the Cabinet and part
culary to MIR. Ewing and Mr.. Webster But
Mr.. Ewing studiously avoids stating that the Pres-
dent refused to commit himself in advance either for
or against the measure, not knowing precisely what
shape it might assume and DESTROYS to reserve TO him
self all the time allowed him, by the Constitution to
decide the question for himself and on his high res
possibility. In this he perfectly justified and
will DO sustained by all candid men, who revere the
Constitution. Meanwhile, MIR. Ewing is chargeabe
with having published but half Of the truth
is tre maxim Of ethics, as well as of law that
IN all matters of evidence it culpable to suppress
the truth to commit a falsehood "The truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the TRUTH required in
the common place administration of oahs, and if a
paper presented in Court it must all be read or no
part of it. This ancient and universal rule Of evidence
applies ofcourse to the of Mr. Ewing for suppress
sing part of the TRUTH and renders his whole state
men unworthy of credit. In any Of justice it
would be ruled entirely of the record as unfair and
inadmsslble He therefore stands in the pIedcament
of one who attempted to betray the confidence of
Their, but not entitled to credit.
In the laws of Confucius, no penalty was annexed
to paraede because it was not presumed that the crime
would ever be committed. Nor is there any law in
this country against revealing Cabinet secrets because
presume, was anticipated that any head of
department would be guilty of such an outrage. By
the English law it is treason for a member of the
Privy Council to betray the confidence of the Sove-
reign. In this country not rigid because the
public sentiment is universally against the offence
How, then, can the ex-Secretary escape public re-
probation, first, for breach Of public and personal
trust and secondly for attempting to screen himself
by furnishing the public press with garbled and par
tal statements of his intercourse with the President