The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-05-24
MR.. LEIGH rs. MIR. Bolts.

Mr. Bous's sworn recolleciions are OF the stun
thai dreams are made Of The man VINO can
repeat dialogue, occupying two or three CO.
hmm, Of a newspaper, two years after it took
MACE and stake the salvation of his soul ESQ
help him God } upon its literal truth, is worthy
of pity, if not Of adherence. Who, that has
particle Of conscience, would venture TO repeat,
literally, a conversation OF any length, few
hours after il had taken place. Yet here is a
man who spears 10 the literal accuracy-ques-
lions, answers, explosives, oaths, EXPLANATIONS,
Intersections and all--of midnight conversations,
between waking and dreaming, which occurred
some twen,y-four moons since! This is too
gross for turptude-it must be insanity
We speak not now of the violation Of the
sanctily of private intercourse and unsuspecting
coniideuce-the shameless betrayal OF the hos
pitali,y of .sbed and board"-nor of the revolt
ing coarseness of Mr.. Botts's pretended revela-
lions. They have excited universal disgust
The mere decent Wing papers have refused to
pollute their columns with the loathsome gar
bage.
But Mr. Bolts appeals to leg proceedings
90 siigmalize the character OF the Chiei Mags-
Irate These deserve more attention than his
miraculous recollections. The charge is found
ed upon the circumstance that Mr.. Leigh, in
note of argument, characterized an act OF The
President as "fraudulent." Mr.. Leigh is Mr..
Botts's principal witness and unfortunately for
the accuser, we have public proof that that emf
nent gentleman entertained the most respectful
opinion of Mr.. Tyler long after the paper, upon
which this attack is grounded, was drawn up.
Here is the proof which must forever extingush
this malignant calumny.
1t having been stated, among other things IN
an editorial in the Richmond Wing, that "al
the Harrisburg Convention MIR. Tyler was ac-
cepted as an alternative, not choice" and also
''that in Virginia. where he is best known, Ty-
Ter was so entirely obnoxious from his conduct
al the Senatorial election in 1889, that no body
Of Wings would have trusted him for any
place; and the proof of the fact is that the Vir
GINA delegation at Harrisburg refused 10 vote
for him to a man, conceallng their motives, how
ever, under the plea of deicacy"
Mr.. Leigh addressed letter to the editors,
from which we take the following extracts:
81 then said, that as Mr.. Tyler was member of
the Virginia delegation, | thought that delegation
would best consult his feelings and his dignity, by
Withholding their vote altogether, so that the nomna-
ton should be entirely the act of other delegations
did not take this course, because thought the Vr-
GINA delegation would hesitate to concur In the nom
nation, and that ,ciiIngiy and promptly. My only
motive, and my declared purpose, was, now that
Mr. Tyler had received the nomination, TO place h'n
before the country the most elevated ground on 'rhieh
he could stand"
"The Committee rose, and Governor owen re-
por,ed TO the Committee that Mr.. Tyler had been
nominated for the Office Of Vice President, by the
unanimous, vote Of all the delegations except that oil
Virginia, which had not voted at all. And then
stated publicly in the Convention, the same reasons
for Withholding the vote of the Virginia Delegation,
which had declared in the Committee, and this was
done in such manner as NOT TO dsp1age Mr.. Tyler,
by Withholding the vote Of the Virginia Delegation,
hut to eleraie him This was the real motive and
purpose of my conduct and this, am sure, Its ell
feet for which appeal to every surviving member
of the Convention. The scene cannot have been
forgotten"
Saying this, il is proper should add that Mr.
TYLER would not have been my choice for the Vice
", II
had left me any choice. My with was that Mr..
Mangum, Of North Carolina, should be nominated; or
if the Vice President should be selected from Fir-
ginia, my vote would have been for the nomination
of James Barbour. ] expressed these sentiments to
the few gentlemen with whom had the opportunity
of converting on the subject Bur ! HAD NO SUCH
onuoTIos TO MIR TyLtR A WOULD HAVE npocEp
NE TO DISSENT VRoS HIS NOMINATION., when found 1t
agreeable TO the sense Of the delegations from the other
States and think that this was The generaiseniment
at the time of the delegation from Virginia. GER
taply acted under the impression that it was So"
al have not, any more than you, approved the
conduct of Mr. Tyler since his translation to the Pre-
sidepcy, in consequence Of the death of General
Harrison, vet would not therefore hare him dpardged
by an erroneous view Of the facts attending his
ina,on much MORE by my silence to these facts"
These extracts require no comment. or
Themselves they sufficiently rcfute the base ca
lumny now ough, forward under the author-
ratiye name of Mr.. Leigh. If this gentleman
reilly entertained the belief that Mr. Tyler was
guilty of the desricable faud for which his
name is vouched, how criminal his compliance
nj the Harrisburg Convention, and his subse-
ouent declaration tha', a thouSh not ms choice,
he had .sno such objection to Mr.. Tyler as
would have induced hun TO dissent from his
nominationr' This blow If it strike anywhere
strikes at the elevated character Of Benjamin
Watkins Leigh. Really was IT not time that
the ,p,ellIge ut and high minded community Of
Richmond should be relieved from Represen
totire so low in intellect, so coarse in feelings
so vulgar in manners, and so reckless IN con
duc, as John Minor Bolts We promised ex
tracts from Mr. Leigh's letter to the public
We have now complied with our engagement
rbcv are conclusive in the case and conclud,