The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-09-25
MAcKENzlE's PAMPHLET.
From the New York Morning

|
From the New York Morning News.
About the diriiest piece Of small knsvery that we
have ever heard Of in party peics was perpelrated
yesterday, in the issue of publication under the
name Of William L. Mackenzie, consisting in part,
OF what purports 10 be extracts from of pri-
vate letters to Mr. Jesse Hoyt, from various per-
sons OF more or less prominence IN politics for the
last fve-and-twenty years. Garbled adj Hbif,im and
pentifully garnshed with insinuating italics and
astonishing capitals, and accompanied with run
ming commentary, freely compounded Of second
hand mendacity and original scurrility these are
spread out by the author and ushered forth with
congenial relish and pleasure by the Tribune as
though they were marvellous and vastIy-important
revelations. What proportion of them may be
genuine, and what proportion fictitious, we have no
means Of knowing nor is the contemplate
pamphlet worth the trouble Of inquiring. Which
ever Of them are genuine, were obtained by a
ielony-by breaking into a box Of old private
papers, left accidentally behind him, in the GUS
tom-house, by MIR. Hoyt, late collector. The
pretence insnuated, that they were from Ger.
| tain "ffteen volumes Of correspondence" taken
| possession Of by the Poindexter committee, and
| thence, in some unexplained mode, coming into the
hands of the publisher, is pure fasehood, and
| mere cover to the still more criminal way in which
| they were procured. The letters, as published are
private--free and careless correspondence running
back for nearly thirty yearsincluding hundreds of
matters wholly disconnected from politics--even
some froma lady-and, on their own mere show
ing, stamping with the lowest degree of shameless
rascality the publisher and his accomplices or
prompers. Who these latter are, is yet TO appear.
When discovered, If they have before pretend
ed to the right of associating with gentlemen 1t is
very certain that none will ever again permit them
the privilege.
No one will believe in the genuineness of all
these soi-diSunt letters. While the main bulk and
basis of them may be genuine--the genuine results
OF one of the most scoundrel thefts--no one can
know which OF them, or what passage words of
them, may may not be interpretations. Such for
gerry would be scarcely sensible addition Of either
crime or disgrace to the theft and publication.
The main object of the whole appears to be to
aim blow Of malignant vengeance at number Of
the leading friends of the administration in this
State, the stimulating cause Of which is evidently
the removal of the late collector Van Ness.
Mackenzie was appointed by Mr. Van Ness to a.
place in the custom-house, and went out Of Office
with him. So far as we have looked into it, in its
application to the more prominent of those, we do
not see that is calculated to injure them in the
public estimation. Some of the persons attacked
Mr. Van Buren,, for instance-this publication cfI
their confidential private correspondence is calcu
lated TO raise still higher than they have stood be-
fore in public respect There is nothing in any of
these, free and open they are in the unsuspecting
and unreserved confidence of such communications
that any friend of that gentleman need wish to blot
Nor though he is made the object of more fierce
and pervading venom of abuse, il there anything in
the letter ascrbed TO Mr. B. F. Butler which that
gentleman would hesitate to avow before the world
or which, fairly and truly understood, would de-
tract from his long and well-earned emnence Of
position in the confidence and regard Of the coun-
try. The same is true in regard to the other
more prominent persons into whose letters we have
looked; and we perfectly agree with more than one
wing gentleman, whose declarations have been
stated 10 us, that they see nothing in the book
amounting to much after all the dust which has
been raised about IT, aN
ItH# From the N. Y. Evening Post.
"THE Book OF THE DAY.--The streets arc pla-
carded with announcement under this heading, Of
publication which purporls to give the secret pa
litical history Of the State Of New York for some
years back, and to contain the "liyes and opinions
Of BENJAMIN Franklin Butler and Jesse Hoyt, with
Anecdotes or Biographical Sketches Of Stephen Al
len, George P. Barker, Jacob Barker, James Gordon
Bennett, Samuel r. Belts, Isaac w. Bishop, F.. p
Blair Walter Bovine, G. G. Cambreleng, Moses L.
Canine, j. !. Coddington, VIM. H. Crawford, Ed
win Croswell, Isaac Kbie, Cornelius w. Lawrence,
Isaac @. Leake, Charles L. Livingston, Edward
Livingston, VIM. l.. Marcy, M. M, Noah, Thad-
deus Phelps, Elijah F. Purdy, Roger Skinner, Peter
w. Spicer, Samuel Swartwout, Enos t. Throop,
Henry Ulshoeffer, John Van Buren,, Martin Van
Buren, Prosper M. Wetmore, Campbell P, White
Levi Woodbury., Sins Wright, Samuel Young and
their friends and political associates, by VIM. L.
Mackenzie. Cook 4 Co., publishers; Boston"
Not having read the work, we are only able to
speak Of its character from the accounts OF it, and
extracts, which find in the Tribune and the Ex-
pressthe only journals that have been unprincipled
enough TO make use Of private papers obtained
by fraud Of the most atrocous and damning char.
acter; for this work is collection of notes said TO |
have been addressed to Mr.. Jesse Hoyt, while col
ccor Of the port by various persons Of more or less
political eminence, during time of unusual agta-
ton and excitement in the public mind. How far
these notes nre authenlic--how far, if authentic
they have been mutilated by the scoundrel who has
the effrontery to place his name the title page
and to what extent, if both authentic and unmutila
ted they involve the regulations Of the individuals
so unwarrantably and Indignantly dragged before
the publc--we cannot say. Those points upon
which we shall not remark until we are better in
formed of the particulars. We are told, however,
by persons who have looked into these papers, that
if true, they contain nothing cupable on the part Of
many of the distinguished persons who are abused
But there is one aspect Of the business to which
we are bound to refer. We mean, the utter and
unparalleled disregard Of all moral and honorable
principle by which the confidential papers Of pri-
vate individuals are published to the world. We
think we have never heard of meaner more des-
pcable piece Of knavery than has been resorted to
procuring and printing these documents. The ed,
tor ,nsnates that they were seized by the poindex-
ter commission, and transmitted TO Washington,
where, by some inexplicabe chance, they were
broughtto light: YET this, we have authority forl
ofMr. Hoyt have been stored away I'M box IN al
private room of the custom-house, under strong
lock and key Mackenzie, about two years ago,
was appointed to clerkship under collector Van
Ness, and put in the exclusive occupation Of the
room in which Mr. Hoyt's private and legal pa
pers were deposited. Il i said that other clerks
were removed from the room, at Mackenzie's in
stance that he might indulge his searching propen-
sites unmolested and TO the full. The probability
is, therefore, that these papers, SO far as they are
genuine, have been stolen from the box and so feo-
niously made public. OF this proceeding, and of
the publication Of letters obtained in this way, We
agree with the morning whig paper. the Courier
and Enquirer, with which we do not often have oc-
casion to ngree. ltsays:
at insinunted in preliminary notice, that these
papers were obtained by the Poindexier commits
sion, and carried to Washington; and in that way,
by some unavowed means, have seen the light, We
do not believe this story, and rather imngine il will
turn outfit, as we suppose is undoubtcJ, the let
ters be genuinc--that they have been feoniously |