Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-11-06
yam ihs Washington Union.
MR. SECRETARY EWING AND THE nuI az
MISREPRESENTATION AND rh''N
Moons nr ais DEFENDERS.


HOODS OF His DEFENDERS. .d
In late number of the New York Courier anN
ENQUIRER we find The following lei er ION w.
respondent Of thai paper, writing from 'hl' @''
En-. Commi. ,ien.r Burks's eaumny upon Mr. ES. .n
WisHlNoTuN, October 70, io1'
When in The early part OF 'his hion'", nd
Union published the wicked ana silly ia's' ~
charging Mr.. Ewing with the enofm"y Oh se'n"S
the flee Of public gardener Tor cons'deia lou ',
34O0, in me way OF house>renI, il vas Iegata.u
as but the insane raving Of a lermaganl, ano wa,
received here with a general smile But leceu'
Developments show that the falsehood was lhsen.
ed by Mr.. Burke, Reconnaissance oil raen,s
and Junior editor oil The Union, deliberately, WIN
malice prepense; and that The ihoiVlouai VIZ.
mar me he used was unconscious oil Inc oase pui>
poses 10 which he was applied. For Inc PURPOSE
Of showing The deep profound oil in'amy ~ wn'.n
Mr. Burke has descended III his de'e,l''"dlon ~
avepse The injury he sustained III ms eJe.nua
from Office, propose 10 give soce,"c' .'n,e
menl OF the manner m when ne iois'eu upo" ,ne
public under the gnise OF he PLAIN STORY " s'u',
ME and IGNORANT man, this malicious fa'sehooi
OF his own. II,
Io march last Mr.. Ewing leased house Tor
nrivare residence OF a Mr.. Douglas, an arden',
industrious, and Oor aughl know honest-neah,
cd man ala rent oil $50, Dtich was an adranse
IF $50 on the amosnt fOrme,ty paid by person
VINO used me rene menl a. a boarding house
Ate, the rent lad ben fcedbyparoL agreement,
Mr.. Douglas. VINO follows for llVelihoou 'ne
vocation ut f1rist, became an applicant .oi ."e
office OF public gardener. lie urged MS SUI WIN
an impe,uosiiy unusual and unaccnun'aoie' WI
Ewing began TO regard Mr. Douglas as an insu'
ferabIe ANNOYANCE, AID conveyed 10 him the oe-
termination no, 10 consider The applications Tor
the office in question until next winter, or ai'ef
the meeting OF Congress. TheIeupon Mr.. - +, ID
anger and in hasle, wrote the Secretary very
indecorous note, closing with an Intimalion 'na'
he (Mr. d. should decline executing lease iot
the house. Mr.. Ewing then, desiring IL avoid Inc
buther OF such landlord, becoming tired u
bo'h him and his house, requested his attorney
TO call on Mr.. ID. and request release from The
verbal engagement, or else IN immediate e4ecu
lion Of The lease. The former was granted, ana
Mr. Ewing Immediately Withdrew from the
house.
II soon afterwards appeared that Mr. Robert
Bsae, The present locoioco Sergeanl-at-arms OF
The Senate, who had previously conferred with
Mr. Ewing on The subject OF house, and Volun-
leered his aid, had al some lime gone 10 Mr.
Douglas and told him that Mr. Ewing would
make him [DousIasl public gardener in conside-
ration of lease, To BE- exc ut,d Immediately on
The conditions verbally agreed uPon! And II
further appeared thai MIR. Douglas had, in his
simplicity, believed that Mr. Ewing had actually
made the proposition!
should here stale that Mr.. Burke, while Com
missioner oil Patents, had given Mr.. Douglas Tor
several years the contract for furnishing garden
ard flower seeds for the Patent Ofice-a contract
worth from $1,000 to 500 per annum. They
were on the NEST friendly and intimate terms;
and the simple gardener became an easy instru-
ment 10 the hands OF the willy and inscriptions
partisan.
How far Mr.. Beale acled his part under the
| direction Of Mr.. Burke, has not as yet transpir-
ed, but il is in proof that some time after Mr..
| Beaie made his extraordinary communication
10 Mr.. D., Mr., Burke had several interviews
with Mr.. D., assuring him that Mr. Ewing was
playing double game; that the present incum-
bent OF The office OF public gardener would Ger.
lainly be retained, as Heary Clay had written a
leuer 10 The President in his behalf, &C., &c. II
was then that Mr.. Douglas became impatient,
and was Immediately thereafter informed by Mr..
Ewing that the ofice in question would mol be
| aced ON until after the meeting OF Congress.
| Mr.. Burke was now ready for his public at
lack upon Mr.. Ewing 10 which attack, as all
will set the fac = nave detailed were only pre-
| liminary. Accordingly, after waiting a suftl-
| cienl time TO avoid The bad appearance OF TOO
| early information in the premises, he makes the
/ reckless and ioolhardy assaults Of The 5h inst
charging upon cabinet minister the gross cor
ruptun OF selling public Office for his own
private benefit!
/ submit he question TO all honest and honor.
able men. whether such treatment OF high off
Ger OF the government, on whom faint OF dis
honor never rested Tor moment, does not mer-
il The severest condemnation.
| Ii is proper 10 ad |, that Mr.. Douglas now as
| sers that he was holly ignorant OF Mr.. Burke's
ohecI a. lhc Time OF ms interference 10 the mat
| Ter, and is highly indignant al Mr. BIS. conduct
All the material statements in the preceding
letter. SO far as they relate the junior editor OF
The Union are base and unmiiigaled falsehoods
manufactured out OF whole cloth. as will be seen
by the following noIe Of Mr.. Douglas addressed
10 The editors:
To tie Editors If tie Usionf
GrsrLrnss: I have Just seen letter in the Now
York Courier and Enquirer, written from this city, I'M
der date OF Oct g. $780, by some person over The sig
nature Of ~ " 10 which the writer pietends TO give
detailed authentic version of the circumstances re
a,nx TO the transactions between Thomas Ewing and
m, self respecting the rent OF my house by that gentle
man. have now only to say thar the statements in
that letter respecting Mr. Burke are totally and ahso
iuily false. Mr. Burke never applied 10 me, nor soil
cited me- mako statement OF the facts TO MN con
corning The transactions between myself and Mt Ewing
alluded tot but, on tho contrary, voluntarily, and OF
my own accord went TO his house, aud stated TO him
Ing the house and the office OF public gardener
And { the time, stated TO him many more cir
cGastances which no did not publish, but which are
Al true and q, important those which were published
Mr. Burke did nc; socit any statement from me, bu
patiently heard what hal 10 say In relation to my
affairs in connection with Dir Ewing; and after hac
| codcluded my statement he asked me II would give
him leava TO publish il in The Union, TO which as
| scented. That IL all the connection which MIR Burke
had with the affair, &c my knowledge The statements
OF " " concerning Mr. Blfia have, therefore, mol 9
| particte Of foundation In truth.
The statement Of ~ that "Mr Douglas asserts
that he was wholly ignorant OF Mr. Bnrkes object al
indignant at Mr. BIS conduct" Is utterly false vol
uuta lily made The statement To Mr. Burke for the pnr
| puse Of having IL published in tho Union.
WILL in conclusion, add thar all the facts relating tc
the house rent, In conneIion with Dir Ewing. have moi
yet come the public eye. If any respectable wing
paper will give me the beneht o It's eolumns the pub
tic shall know about this affair." and If the friend.
OF MIR Ewing think my letter 10 ID lndecorous, will
may be passed upon II. JOHN b. UouGLAs.
WasHIroSos, Oct. 81, ls49
Thus, so lar as Mr.. Douglas is concerned, The
statements oil This anonymous iioe!!er 10 the effec
that the junior editor invenl,d the Story concern
ing The transactions between The Secretary OF The
Interior and Mr. D and induced The latter 10 en-,
dorse il, are barefaccd and shocking falsehoots
degrading 10 their author it he possessed particle
OF responsibility, and rtascring no credit upon
the paper in which they were permitted 10 ap-
junior editor of this paper had any communca,
ton with MIR. Beale ia relation 10 this affair, i:
equally unlounded and false. We have never
passed word with Mr. Bealc upon the suhjec'
nor had The least communication with him il
relation 10 il.
IL is equally untrue that we were dissatisfied
with our removal from The office OF Commits.
sicner Of Patents, or had the least personal hos
;iiy 10 Mr.. Ewing. We have no reason 10 be
his personal enemy. We know bul lille OF him
personally, and We are not aware that he has
done ns The least injury in our private or person
al affairs and relations. We held lie Office o.
Commissioner oil Patents Ten weeks alter he was
appointed Secretary of The Interior during which
time bolh onr official and personal intercourse
was respectful and courteous or both sides. A
least We drsiened that il should be on our side
and We will do Mr.. Ewing The justice TO say iha
Il was on his. Therefore, We had no reason foI
PERSONAL il>will OF Hostility against him.
With regard 10 our removal, we have never
nj oil If 10 MI fba La ,i