Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-10-06
How Mr.. Livingston Got Into -,
Of q "D%ificulty.n ""u y

Vi DiIlcultys0
In 1918 there was a disastrous ST..
the Republican party of this splIS
Governor Clinton heading ono ,la1
and MIR. Van Buren, the other. .'ea
teal and personal warfare Of a pc
virulence characterized the camn Neasu
that year. Mr.. Clinton, an bpa'sn
vituperative writer assalled tho ~
of the opposition side throua1ba aa
columns of the Albany Register "
liam L. Marcy, then a young man W
others replied through the colnm,sY
the Albany argus. One morn;nss
vehement article, highly denunri,M,s
of Governor Clinton, provoked
from the gentleman assailed to ~ 10
editor of the Argms, DEMANDING ~
name Of the writer. Mr.. Bue7
editor handed the note to Mr. y
Buren,, who invited Mr.. Charl0s
Dudley, Mr.. William L.. Marcy n
Ben amin Knower, and Judge Roy
Simmer to his house that eveu;s
While they discussing tho y
barrassing question which Goyern,
Clln*on's note had raised, the servs,
brought Peter L. Livingston to y
library. Mr.. Clinton was at the ,Hn
Governor of the State, while Mos,
Van Buren, and Livingston W.,
members of the Senate. The conya
sation, as Mr.. Livingston discover
was interrupted by his appearano1
He said, in his usual brusque manne
"You are talking secrets here, and
have interrupted you" Mr.. Van Bura
replied: tGovernor Clinton has demana
ed the name of the writer of the art
Gle in this mornings Argus, and "
were talking of the peculiar awkwara
ness of exposing the writer '.Thc
is nothing peculiar about it., responds
MI. Livingston, "nor need there be au
embarrassment. Send my name to NJ
Clinton" MI. Van Buren, remar}ked
"This is no occasion for trifinn, mn
Livingston. You know what Mi. CE1
ton means by his demand" stYe}
SIR" replied Mr.. Livingston, 81
know, and it is just what I mean;
have long wanted a shot at the curse
rascal!' Pcrsistingi in the avowal that
was the writer, and in the request tha
his name should be given up, the|
finally yielded, and Mi. Buel was +
structed accordingly. At a late hou|
the parties separated. just as the dat
dawned the following morning Mr.. Val
Buren, was awakened by a violent al
p~lication of his knocker, and looking oil
of his bedroom window, a voice which h
recognized as Mr.. Livingston's id
quired, ''Is that you, Van Buren," Of
receiving a response in the affirmative
Livingston said: 'tLet me in" MI
Van Buren, threw on wrapper, opene|
the door, and showed his visitor init
the cold parlor. Mr.. Livingston said
"What the dickens were you talkin
about last night when I came in?" Mi
Van Buren, replied: 1--WE were talkin
about your attack on Gov. Clinton in til
Argus." Mr.. Livingston, using
stronger expletive, replied: 81 won
stand that! You can't father YOU
bantlings on me. 1 had been dinin
out, was drunk, and you took adyantag
of me-" This rendered it necessary
reassemble the council of the previuu
evening. The real embarrassment wa
this: the article had been writpl
by James King. a young lawyer from
Orange County, who had just on
tanned the consent of William James,
warm personal and political friend 0
Gov. Clinton's, to marry his daughter
under a pledge to abstain from polite
and devote himself exclusively to hi
profession. And now, before the mar
riage was celebrated, Mr.. King ha
written a most abusive attack on hi
intended father-in-law S intimate friend
After much anxious consideration
was decided that MI. Knower should
call ON MIR. Isaiah Townsend, a mutua
friend of Nj. James and Gov. Clinton
and endeavor, by stating some extern
a,ing circumstances, to appease Mr.
James. This, however, was no cas-,
task, for Mr.. James was of Il stern AMI
implacable disposition. But Mr.. Towns
end knew his man, drove him up II
Waterford, drank two or three glasse
of gin and water, and succeeded ii
smoothing over the difficulty. Mr.
Townsend then proceeded to lay th'
whole matter frankly before Gov. Gin
ton, whose sense of the humorous wa:
touched by the awkward position il
which Mr.. Livingston's sudden beliger
ency had placed his friends, and by th
extreme delicacy of MI. Kings domes
tic relations. He good-naturedly with
drew his note, and took no further
notice of the subject.-From 1hur@'
Weeds autobiography.