Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-12-22

fbFtHRfHg UP OI JHfhsoh y tHuiHffs
From the Boston Chronicle, Nov. al
General John H. Eaton, who died at Washing
ton on Monday last. Mt the nge of sixty pight.
was Of prominence in American politics five and
iweniy yenrs ago. though like most public men
who do not keep in office. he bad passed out Of
the recollection of the people. and vas but little
known TO those who have been active politicians
since General Jacknons time. lie was II mem.
Der of Congress in tho great days Of that body;
before it bud become the custom 10 send dwarfs
to IL; and in 1925 he the colleague OF Gene
raj jackson in the Senate. When the General
became President, his former colleague was made
Secretary of War. which office he held for two
years, going out at the time of the famous break
ing Up of the Cabinet in 1881. an event which
caused prodigious sensation at the time. though
now smiles at the thought of its being con-
sidefpd very important. Had the public been
aware Of the real causes Of that event, and still
more could they have seen whnt wer. 10 be the
conseq uences of what then happened. there would
have been some reasons for the interest that was
excited; but few then knew why the breaking up
occurred hut probably not one man thought that
it woald color our national politics for long Sc
res of years. as it is doing at this very moment.
Mr.. Calhoun at the head ofthe schsm.
and IT was the ruin of his hopes that he acted 30
unwsely. Had he maintained those relations
with General Jack son which existed al the time
they were candidates on the same ticket, doth
Southern men, and both Shareholders, and yet no
such as to accuse them Of section
hlism,) he would have succeeded him IN tho Pres.
ideniihl chair, and, ipstead of becoming multi
fier md pro- slavery ngitator. he would have
sgnaized his government by the intensity Of its
federalism and the Development ~ the pIinoi-
ple of its Capitalization; tor he was tyrannical
by nature, devoured by ambition, avaricious of
power and rcndy to .'erush OUT by any means
those who disputed his will OF those eminent
Hoo. ,.,u,, t.t..
federal turn to the administration Of Madison
and Munroe, Mr. Calhoun was tho abest,
though second in public estimation to Mr..
Clay, who his senior in years, and
the older national statesman Of the two
The breach between these two great democi ats
was destined to be as fruitful Of troubles as was
the quarrel of Agamemmon and Achilles; and as
woman was the cause of ths quarrel of the two
Greeks. so was it reported at the time that wo.
man had something to do with the quarrel be-
tween the two Americans, the Briseis in the last
case being Mrs. Eaton. wife Of the Secretary of
War General Eaton had married Mrs. Timber
lake. n very beautiful widow. and highly accom-
plished. For some reason other. Mrs Cal
houn, n lady of exalted character refused TO be
ION terms" with Mrs. Eaton, and the latter was
.eut" both by the wife Of the Vice President aud
10y the wives Of some Of the members of the Cab.
inet. Scandal was busy with Mrs. Eaion's name.
nnd some people were so ignorant or so unchar-
table to couple il dsreputably with that Of the
President. 1t is difficult to say to which party
this suppicon did the most injustice; General
Eaton, who was n man Of honor and worth or
hrs. Eaton, who was n virtuous woman; or Gen
oral Jackson, who wasa virtuons man. If ever
there wed a thoroughly chaste man-and we
nre nhad it would not trouble you to count the
number ut such men among the great of the earth
on your hngers--that man was Andrew Jack son.
lie WAS continent Scipio. or more So" for,
inter nI, the Romans self denial did not amount
Ia much. The general is one Of tho very few of
cur pupllc men whose name nowhere figures in the
pages ftho American Chronique Scandaieuse for
private circulation The lives of most of our
prncipa' men could furnish plenty of materials
for new Decdme5on and Heptamerons, aud Incl
drnts might be theron related Just AZ pheasant
hut wicked" those which were told on the
hank5 If the Gave, ~ are to be found in Boo
,nocio'- tales Of Florence and the Ano." But
ono would just as soon think of finding Washing
toms nnme there us Jnckson's. He was man
If the -trictrs honor in all his relations with the
What made the scandal about him aud Mrs
Eaton the more uni st, was the fact that he was
then sincere mourner for the death Of his wife,
~ woman worthy of him, and who had been dome
10 death by slunderoas tongues because her
husband was candidate for the Presidency
From oil that has appeared Mrs. Eatons sole of
fences we're her youth. beauty. and mental pow
ere. In all which she had tho advantage of the Ia
dies who were connected with the chiefs of the
government, and we should like TO know If it
could b, expected of them. or of any other col
lection If fo,nnlo morasts. that they should for
give crimes so henous' Oters might forgive her
but they could not, and ii was not reasonable to
expect It of petticoated Christians situated as
they were. Had she been old and ugly. she might
have safely been allowed the privilege of actual
~ickedness without being sent to that penal set
Element which is known as Coventry; but as she
was young and handsome, the old ladies, a. pi-
oas and exemplary members of society felt it
their solemn duty to disoountenance her. though
guilty Of nothing but of being the victim of their
sensel"ss. unfounded scandal.
The Eaton affair was the OCCASION not the
cause, of the breaking up of the Cabinet of 1899
81. Gen. Eaton might have remained in office,
II he Pleased but he had accepted the War De
| rartment reluctantly, and had intended to leave
| II even if social matters had not taken SO unpleas
| ant turn. There was no interruption OF the
| friendship that had existed for years between him
and General Jackson, he having been General
Jackson's biographer, writing very respectable
octave about the old hero.whch will compare I'D
vantageously with the biography of any Prcsi
| dental aspirant that has since appeared.
! When the Cabinet broke up. and Mr.. Eaton
| voluntarily retired, he and Mr. Barry were class.
cd with Mr.. Van Buren, friends of the Presi.
| dent; while Messrs. lngham, Branch and Berrien
went with the Vice President. the last named very
much against his will. Mr. Barry was Postmas-
Ter General. and that the first officer of that
| description that ever belonged to the Cabinet
| He was the only member of the first Jackson Cab
| met who did not resign. but soon afterwards
| appointed Minister to Spain. and 80 the change
! WAS made complete. His successor was Amos
| Kendall. at that time very mysterious person
| age. and so loved by gentlemen who afterwards
| were known as Wings, that they could have ca