The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-01-03
MARTIN VAN BUREN.

aTIIf SSfSS 1900 - t
-saosl MARTIN VAN BuREss .bi ssa,,,
l went from Governor Wriehts
to ex'Prcsident' Van Buren's, near
Kinder Hook, in New York. /
saw Mr.. Van Buren, first IN church.
and immediately. recognized him
from the likeness ] had seen, o He
was, however, a emnch larger and
stouter man than / expected to see
in the !" little weasel ais oleIhatl
been. dubbed by Mf.s Calhoun. I
dinedowith him that evening"
There were seven or eight persons
present at the table, and the din>
ner was a very ysumptuousi one, but
the only waitef about the table
was 2 tidy young white woman
All the guests were we'll attended
to. At a Southern table, there
would have been three or, four ne.
groes in each others way, and the
table not so well waited on. Mr.
Van Buren was then turning his
attention to farming, and wished
me o7stay all night with him, and
look over his farm the next day.
1t consisted of two or three hun.
dred acres, and formerly belonged
to one of the Van Repsalur. % He
enqnired after great many per
sons in South Carolina, and seem.
ed to be as familiar with our pub
lie men as L was myself. Mrs.
Abraham Van Buren was present,
formerly Miss Singleton, and ma.
tive of South Carolina. There
were present also, his former Sec
retary of the Treasury, and his
lady, who had formerly been the
wife of Senator johnson, of Lou.
isiana, andnthe subject of a poem
by Warren r. Davis, entitled,
"Johnson's wife of Louisiana"
l told Mr.. Van Buren that l
was surprised to find the conven.
ton, then sitting at Albany, had
proposed to make the judges elec
tive for a term OF years by the
people. He replied that he favor
cd the change himself. ",When a
young man." said he, "I thought
as you do, but / am now satisfied
that all three departments of the
government should be directly un.
der the control Of the people" He
mentioned conversation he once
had with Mr.. Jefferson on this
subject. Jefferson was strongly
in favor of having the Judiciary
elected by the people for term of
years Mr.. Van Buren, was op-
posed to such system at that
time, and thought it traught with
evil. He had since changed his
opinion, and adopted the views of
Mr.. Jefferson. Hag ra fr..y
l was, very much pleased with
the ex-President, and thought him
a charming gentleman. His man.
ners were cordial and most pleas
ant. Instead of being reticent as
to men and measures, l found him
very frank and open in expressing
bis opinions about any and every
thing. His son John was also
present., who was then Attorney!
General Of New York. In con.
persation, l found the father.
though 'png from the bar, q bet.
ter lawJ - than the son. John
struck me as great dandy, and
very affected and pretending in
lis manners. His after.l life entire
ly developed this character /
met in Kinder Hook, a brother of
the ex.President's, who was post.
master Of the village, and a mem
beg Of the Pown Council, He was
an INTEL igent, plain looking and
respectable man, though very diff
ferent from his brother. In the
whole town of Kinder Hook, dur.
ing my stay there for two DAYS,
i did not see a single carriage ex
cept the exPresidenl's, and one
old hack which brought me from
the railroad depot.
Very few men have been so
much abused and illuminated
in, Sonth Carolina as Martin Van
Buren,. Judge Cbeves used 10 ssy,
that he possessed, however, as
much honesty and disinterested.
ness as his traducers. | have
heard General Thompson say, who
was always opposed to him in poll
tics, that no one could know Mr..
Van Buren in private life and dis
like him. He never gave offence
TO any one, and was always kind
and gentle in his intercourse with
the world. Such, / should suppose,
was the true character of Martin
Van Buran. traA arA s,ia s'aoo
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