Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-10

Reply OF "Lex" to the Last Letter OF
Mr.. Robert a. Martin.

| plyIng" TO my communication or July
sOth. had ] quoted him fairly" i stated
that he CAfartin) charged John Tyler with
classifying pledges made to the wing
party." He now says that that was not
| his '.language." | never said IL WAS
But wether II was his language or not
| Il is q fact that he did make the charge
| Here is the language Of his hrst letter,
| and the intelligent reader can Judge Ior
himself whether 1 misrepresented MIN
or not.
"Four DAYS after Mr.. Tyler recognized
himself as President he Issued 10 the
people Of the United States an address.
| and he clearly threw out the idea tnat
he would favor the passing OF certain
| bills that II was known would be intro
duced by Dir. Clay or his friends, espe-
| cially a bill i'm favor of a national hank.
Iaboring under such belief, Mr.. Clay
and friends recognized Mr.. Tyler as
| President on the assembling Of Congress.
! They dhe Wing party went to work.
and soon had a bill passed in favor OF
| bank Of the United States. and lol when
1t was presented TO Mr.. Tyler he vetoed
It, Another bill Of like character but
called a fiscal corporation, was intro
duced and passed. and Mr.. Tyler vetoed
that bill also"
II this does not contain a charge that
Mr.. Tyler "falsifed pledges to the Wing
party, II would like TO know what IL
does contain. If Mr.. Martins words
mean anything at all. they mean that
the Wings recognized Mr.. Tyler as Presi-
dent because OF their trust In his as
surances made in his inaugural about a
bank and that Mr.. Tyler belied these
assurances by vetong two bank bills
| handwriting. l showed that there was
not q particle Of ruth. in The charge.
The inaugural address throws out no
such idea I'm favor of a bank. Mr.. Clay
had not the slightest excuse on that
! ground for his vote. since al the time the
President was recognized by Congress he
| CLAY had been invited to a private in
! terview with the President. and had been
distinctly informed by the latter, be-
fore the meeting OF Congress, that he
would never give his assent TO any ma
tional bank. And yet instead Of candidly
admitting his error, and thus I'm some
measure repairing the wrong, Mr.. Martin
complains Of my "unfairness," and while
he does not dare to say himself that
! the message does really contain any
| thing in favor of bank, tries to escape
! by alleging that "the language used by
| Mr.. Tyler in the address referred &c was
| construed by the leaders of both the
| Democratic and Wing parties to mean
| just what 1 (A1artin) wrote" lie then
| introduces two leaders only 60 main
| tain this assertion-one a Democrat UNI
named, and the other a Wing, Henry
| Clay. Now as 10 the first: The quota
ton which Mr.. Martin introduces shows
| that he has had resort TO Thomas VI.
Bentons book Familiarity known as THE
| Thirty Years View" written many years
after the events discussed. BY his course
! in the Texas question Benton had at that
| time lost his hold on the Democratic
| party, could not then be regarded as
! leader, and was full Of antipathy to all
| concerned in his overthrow, especially to
| Mr.. Tyler and Mr.. Polk. 1t is evident
| that what Benton says in 1858 on his own
| responsibility has not the same force as
what he said in 1871. And yet Mr.. Mar
/ tin in quoting from Benton's book pub
! lished al the former date, seems not 10
understand this obvious distinction, or
perhaps he really is ignorant Of the fact
that Benton in 1884, so far from trying
to convict President Tyler of being
| bank man. as he does in his book, was
! the especial champion OF the President,
| defending his vetoes and scouting the
idea Of any inconsistency in these strong
words: There lives not a man on earth
/ so long and deeply committed against
| national bank as Mr.. Tyler. not even
! General Jackson or Thomas II. Benton"
! (See Congressional Globe, 1911, Appendix,
p. 20O)
TOM BENTON.
The utter unreliability OF Benton's evi-
| dcnce is shown from the very extract uf;
! which Mr. Martin relies. The President,
! in his inaugural, said that in regard 20
any other fiscal agent offered for his APP
| proval, he would look 10 the example
and advice Of the fathers of the great
| Republican school" The head Of the
| great Republican school was Thomas JEFF
| fersOn. who had always opposed the bank.
| But Benton. with the most shameless Of
! frOntery, changes the wording, fathers
Of the great Republican school" INTO
fathers Of the republic" and tries 10
make the unwary reader believe that Mr..
| Tyler had reference 20 Washington IN
| his approval of the first United States
bank. In quoting from Mr.. Benton
book, Mr.. Martin has made himself, ig
norantly. l know. particeps criminis in
this fraud upon Mr.. Tyler's message. AS
to Benton, Parton, in his Life Of Jack
SON." says that i'm writing Jackson's life.
he soon ceased to believe anything Ben
ton or Jackson might have uttered, un-
less their story was supported by other
evidence or strong plausibility." 1t is
in the nature Of these fiery spirits he
remarks. ito forget what they wished
had never occurred and TO remember
wildly the occurrences which Halter Their
ruling passion and ANONYMOUSLY 70 mag
Nifty their non-part In the events OF the
past"
But It is totally untrue that Mr.. Tylers
inaugural address was construed by the
Democratic leaders TO mean NATIONAL
bank Not only Benton, but Walker,
Buchanan Calhoun, and al the Demo-
cratic leaders. and all the Democratic
! newspapers, from the moment they saw
the inaugural and throughout the extra
session that followed defended the Presi-
Ont in tr4
has any doubts on this subject let him
look not TO Ben Perley Poore O. or The
Thirty Years View" but 10 cOntelnpo-
rary newspapers and the puDushed de-
bates in Congress.
After the same manner II IS totally un-
true that the Whig leaders construed inc
Presidents inaugural TO be in favor or a
bank. Mr.. Martin has been so lnoueu
with hostility 10 Mr.. Ty.er that he has
depended on "hearsay evidence OF po-
litical enemies. instead OF the record. TO
be plain about H. he Is totally ignorant
of the details Of the political questions OK
1871 Mr. Clay. his authority, IS dis,re-
dited by two facts. The FIRST Is that he
was q bitter political enemy OF John
Tyler. and the second Is mat MS Lpeecn
in August, 1871, was made after MS war
against Mr.. Tyler had begun, and was
not contemporary with the inaugural
message I'm April previous. In August,
1871 il had become the interest Of Mr..
Clay 10 make a case as back as posi-
HE against Mr.. Tyler.
0'0 THE Rank IL THE CANVASS.
Now, TO enable the reader TO understand
the subject little better, II must De
remembered that in the canvass the bank
had not been an issue, though secretly
favored by portion of the Wing parry
that both President Harrison and Vice
president Tyler. the Wing nominees
were anti-bank men; that after their cleo
ton Mr. Clay, who was terribly dlsap,
pointed In not getting the piesldehslaI
ID
Wings agree 10 endorse "A bank. Dut
found many difficulties In The way thAt