Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-15

of Eaton as a cabinet officer would
bring scandal to the administration, tho
president asked for proof that Peggy
O'Nea1 wnS not a good woman. Tho
friend could furnish nothing except
that 1t was general gossip. This en-
ragged the general. He declared that II
there WAS a virtuous. good woman On
earth 1T was Peggy O'Neal. That she
was other than he and his wife had
known her to be he could not believe.
For the evil-minded he had no toler-
ance. For those who attacked women
he had an abiding hatred So he or
dered his friend out of his sight
But those who attacked Peggy O'Neal
were mostly women. and when Eaton
became secretary OF war the Peggy
O'Neal war began. q war such as
America never had before or since.
The cabinet was made up of Van
Buren,, secretary of state; Eaton, Sec
retary of war; Ingham. secretary of tho
treasury: Branch, secretary of the
navy: Berrien, attorney general. and
Berry, postmaster general. Van Buren
was a bachelor and Barry a widower.
The others were married, and their
wives at once put the ban on Peggy
O'NeaI. As the women of the cabinet
were the leaders of society In the capi-
tai, their decision bound their follow
ers. At the first reception In the White
House some women left when Peggy
O'Neal arrived. Thereafter they re-
fused to go there unless assured she
was not to be present. OF all the wom-
en- In the official set only two. the
wives of foreign ministers. would re-
ceive the prescribed woman
THE TALK OF THE COUNTRY.
OF course Washington talked of little
al ,o
whole country talked of her, Never
was woman's name so mercilessly as
sailed. The stories of her vicious- con-
duct grew until she was accused of
almost everything possible for woman
to do. In vain did Jackson try to stem
the scandal. He asked his cabinet to
aid him. Van Buren,. politician. cour-
tier and bachelor. was charmed with
Peggy O'Neal. So was Barry, the
widower. But Ingham. Branch and
Berrien argued that 1t was Idle to
endcavor to influence their wives in
such a matter. And SO 1t was. Eaton,
proud, upright man that he was. glad
ly would have challenged any man he
could have fastened the stories on, but
no could not challenge everybody. Will
lingly would he have resigned. but that
would have been a confession of the
truth of the charges. And poor Peggy
O'Neal, With every woman Spurning
her. what could she do?
Jackson had fought mutiny In tho
Indian wars when his troops robelled.
He had checked those outbreaks by
hanging one of the ringloaders. But he
could not hang a wife of a cabinet
minister for refusing to associate with
Peggy ONeal
Week after week the fight continued.
Grimly. determinedly Jackson persist
ed in showing every mark of respect to
Mrs. Eaton. When his niece. who was
the wife OF his private secretary join
ed the rebels. he said to her, Go home,
my dear to Tennessee" Next day he
had a new private secretary.
THE SLANDERERS
But Jackson, being a man OF action.
was not willing to let the war drag
out I'm this manner. He determined
on a new line OF procedure. one which
no firmly believed would bring the con-
test to a proper solution. Patiently
and palnstaklngly he interrogated
every man and woman In his lmme-
diate circle re"ardlng the stories they
had heard and who had been their
informants. Then he sent for the In
formants and questioned them as to
where they had heard the tales. With
tlrelcss energy he continued this in
quiry and was gradually making