The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-07-27

rial sentence in the draft Of the letter, in
reference TO the point under consideration
Is IN the following words took the
upinon N writing OF the administration, as
TO The consiliuhnu4iity OF restraining terri,
torres, which sas explicit 10 favor of II. 4"
These are The exact words OF the sentence
as tiaalIy corrected by It's author. ltisex.
piicit asto The statement, tia, the admins
lfailon, as b dy, was IN favor OF the con.
stiuiionaluy, but furnishes 10 proof wba,
ever OF rs members beng unanimous. and
OF course 10 evidence that or any other
particular menber OF the Csb,net was IN
ITS favor.
This deficiency Col. Benton undertakes
10 supply, hist from the n;erliuing. and
next statement plrpoftlng TO be from the
diary OF Mr.. Adams. First as 10 the inter.
lining instead OF the expression, which
was explicit" as " now stsnds, IL read IN
the original DRAFT. " aGd the vote Of every
member was explicit" These words were
all struck out except Eek pllcii, and 10 their
place The iosiosing words we're interlined
10 The h!st Instance, which we're unsni
NOUS aud, afterwards the words unani.
NOUS and we're struck out. which left the
paper as IT nov sands. Now | hold i, 10
be clear that the lnerl,n,ng and striking
out, 90 tar from Strengthening the Inference
that The Cabinet were unanimous, as Col.
Benton contends, II siren. thens aud susta,ns
the very opposite. s, Ear then IL is Ger.
tam, the draft Of The letter, standing by it,
cell. instead OF furnishing proof that The
Cabinet were unanimous, furnishes proof
directly to the Contrary. Even Col. Ben
ton himself seems 10 have been conscious
that It furnished no satisfactory proof, as to
the unanlmi'y OF the Cabinet, and endea
vofs to supply this defect from statements
purPor'ing to be taken from The diary Of
Mr.. Adams. From these, it would ppear
that meeting Of the Cabinet was held on
the 81 OF March for the frs, time, to con.
slider the compromise bill, and hal, accor
ding to the statement Of Mr.. Adams, the
Cabinet we're unanimous upon the question
OF consiItuilonshiy. Il also appears sha,
the President seat him The two questions.
on the 5ih Of March, informing hum q, the
same time that he sired answers IN wrl,
ing from the members Of the Cabinet, and
that the answers would be IN time. if receiv
ed The next day. Such is the substance of
the statement purpofIing 10 DO taken from
his diary.
Connecting this with the draf. as i, orig.
inally stood and he subsequent, aIlera,,ons
including the date OF the me nor ndum flied
With 1t, the natural Interpretation Of the
whole siiilr Is, tina, Mr.. Monroe drew I'D |
lnierfog atoms, and The dra(, OF his letter in |
Tended for Gen. Jackson, on the Alb Of
March, the di.e Of the memoranda IN. II
could no! have been earlier according 10
The diary OF Mr.. Ad,ms, nor probably la.
er. lie did not date The drsi, because The
e!ter could nol be flashed and transmitted
% Gen. Jackson, until after he had signed
he bill. The daft vas drnwn ~ as IT
stood 10 all probability on the basis Of the
opinion expressed on the third of March,
he FIRST day OF The meeting Of The Csbinet,
Ind which, at the tune as the diary states
vas unanimous, aud the doubts and 10
certainty OF oplnon we're expressed BY some
Il the members Of the Two subsequent DAYS
The fifth and sixth Of March, shch caused
he interlInin, and the first mod fcatlon Of
be draft as it now stands. Ii IL difficult
give any other explanation.
turn now 10 Col. Ben,on's reasoning
pom the subj ct. He alleges that the ,
rords and vote Of every member was ex. ,
icil we're struck ou', and "e.phcil" lnser. /,
ed, evidently TO avoid vlola'n, the rule OF
'ablnet secrets not TO tell the opinion Of 7, ,
lenbefs which the word unanimous" =
iould DO. lis statement contains two err. {
ors, as to fact. Explicit was in the orig. +,
lal dfali and never struck out. Unanimous !
'ade no part OF the original daft, as he I
opposes. II was part Of The in,erhning r
hrsi ; but subseq Ieuly struck out. All !,
DIS 10 apparent from a certified copy of the ,
sper before ne. Thus his reasoning falls ;,
the ground. Tie carries the rule Cab
'et secrets very far, much farther than he .
pes The same rule applied TO the secrets OF 4,
le Senate.
~ r.
whoever heard tha. ii was violation of II
ny rule OF Cabinet secrets, 10 say the ad. v
was unanimous or divided ? II n,
constantly ssid IN reference TO their meet. h.
gs, aud yet he would have you believe II
lat u would have been breach Of conf !,
,nce 10 Mr.. Monroe in writing confden nj
ii letter TO friend Of high s,snJing, to $,
y tina, his Cabinet were unanimous; and 8,
Pecia!ly, as the question was one OF con ar
nationality, and no, Of policy. Wha, 81.
smber Of any Cabinet would be so base in
d covafdly, as TO desire to conceal his III
mon on a constitutional question Who, su
did not know al the time, that IN
J opinion Of the Cabinet OF Gen. Wash. pa
ton was divided on the question of char. Sc
Jog bank and what side every member 70,
* Col. Bentous explanation 10 desti IN,
e Of even plsus'blli,y, and leaves the draft Coz
speak for Itself, as j, stands and tina, Of
arIy is against the Cabinet being uDaul. pr,
us. ar,
The diary Of Mr.. Adams furnishes the an,
y opposing evidence. Now, | hold it TO Tn
q sound rule, that a diary is no evidence tjr