Western Statesman, Volume 1, Number 52, Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, 11 March 1831 — Page 1

-THE CONSTITUTION WISDOM, JUSTICE, 31 0 DERATION." VOL . LAWKEXCEBUKCII, INDIANA; FKWAY, BAUCIS 11, IStil.

r inttp m I 'm iMit at

j to open a correspondence with me, that j 1818. comrr.'ir,ic;'fr; . ! t a ; our conception cf the rneaninj; of your ' before, to tlv. House ol '".ee-

fli W l.'.C

it i nt i - , ii i

ii.,tlt h) n(;H tin khi1 itiirimk- i v i . . . - j , , -

night be placed, with the reasons on tw o w.i.um ANnFiIiKrVcFNT!iTy-.r,.aT. both sides, on the files of the War Dc-

,?), n h'T.'": b.it inT iK iliicharp. ryinevT- fm nf v OUT PttPr Cif the. Ihlh of

nit of H'() linU.AHS in adMiitf. 1 rrt mown. - " 7 " ...i.i 11 ...1 r.. -.1. . f. c.. n. v- v 1. . 4 1 1,

iii r int cwuiirncfnnui wiu ocnov.i ni r-, lUV4.iriut:l , III cmsw CI 5 i tea tu Hid "'iv-c who r hir rirr br pHrate pot mnt correspondence as proposed, but declines

r,r'W, " """ - rnrnmnnriiKT h to whir 1 Mr. Mnnrne

J?f ra.p,:: '".! rr.nl'.G.'IJ replied by a letter of the 21ft Dec, sta-

u. n-wy n .ivwontinimup bt th.- imi nf thi- time iui- njr J)js reasons for suecrestincr the corMit'trtl. l.e mmid.-nd now ciipaprroeiit. I 1 j 1 1 .0 1a ,i .

rcsponacr.ee, anu wiry ne luougm mar, it ought to commence with you. To

these, I have added an extract from your letter of the 7th Decemher, ap

proving of Mr. Monroe s message at the opening of Congress, which, though

I not constituting a part of the corrcs

n ti the Eihtor mint bo poH paid.

(Lj ADVEUTISEMENTS inserted at the w rates.

directly opposite constrin tion (o your order?. In fact, the letter, on its iVe,

v-ks ' tract," with you I cannot have the-, slight- -with the conduct

.ts. est obi. cti'-a to con '-no'id on 1,'iis sub-1 CT--, and the course

Spa; u and her

ol policy

olli-

which

ert it additional t:ilomation 'e desira- honor and intciex' uicla:cd

U L.0.

".ir-

proves that it was not the intention of (he Government to occupy the Spanish posts. By referring to it, you will tee that I enclosed to the Governor a cony

of my orders to General Gaines, of the

ou:upo.Nw:ir. Cttu-ccv. Gerxral Jludran Jacksori and John C. '.IL 1 J M .1 IV.. I ..Jl t

i.ui.riniri, i riaiurvn una t lit i icmucfu j i.ic i . - ii ti a ji vtrtsmiccn th rf.,,, Pondence from which I have extracted

tht latter in the deiaCraiin of the Cabinet so copiously, is intimately connected f JiMo on the occurrcneetin the Semi- with the subject under consideration. m Ztr.-r. . Viut it wa not mv private corre-pond-

.j,-. c'.AoMa uGtmraiJai-kton. ence, only, that the view which the Ex-

w AiHiNCiTov, s.ih Mar, isju. ecutive took ot vour orders was made war.

Sir: In answering your letter of the known. In his message to the House 13th instant, I wihjto be distinctly un- of Representatives of the '25(h March, icrstood, thnt however high my respect ISIS, long before information of the rei for your personal character, and the suit of your operation in Florida was reexaUcd station which you occupy, I ceived, Mr. Monroe states, that " orders

annot recognise the right, on your part, had been given to the General in cornto -ill in question my conduct on the mand not to enter Florida, unless it he iiii;rot;'iLr occasion to which your let- in pursuit of the enenay, and, in that

-r n l'i. rs. 1 acted, on that occasion, case, to respect the Spanish authority,

it, tn iV. charge of a high official duty, wherever it may be maintained; and and iKi h r rrp. 'sihility to my on- he will be instructed to withdraw his t c ion. e and my country err y. In re- forces from the province ns soon as he pljinir, then, to your letter, I do rot has reduced that tribe (the Seminoles) place myself in the attitude of .ipolo;;..-- to order, and secured our fellow-citizens ins for the part I may have acted, or of in that quarter, by satisfactory arrangepahuilng rny r. r duct on the accusation ments, against its unprovoked and -av-?Ir. Crawford. My course, I trust, age hostilities in future.' In his annual

rcqniri'sno apology; and if it did, lhave message at the opening of Congress, in too much self-n.fpcct to make it to any November of the same year, the Presione in a case touching the discharge of dent, fpeaking of your entering Florida, mv official conduct. I stand on very say: "On authorizing Major General

diVforcnt ground. I embrace the oppor- Jackson to enter Florida, i,i pursuit of tnnitv wluch your letter offers, not for the Seminolcs, care was taken not to onto purpose of making excuses, but ns a croachon the rights of Spain." Again: nitable occasun to place my conduct " In entering Floridi to suppress this

in r l.iti'tn to an interesting public trans- combination, no idea was entertained of

action iii its proper hgl.t; and I am grat- hostility to bpain; and, iioweverjustiiiaified that Mr. Crawford, though far from ble the commanding General was, in intending me a kindness, has afforded consequence of the misconduct of the me such an opportunity. Spanish officers, in entering St. Mark's In undertaking to place mv conduct and l'ensacola, to terminate it, by prov-

in W?. proper light.-1 deem it proper to ing to the savages, and their associates.

x-T' mw, that it is very lar Irom mv in- that they could not be protected, even

...a . . . I . t .1 '11 ..

tc.tio; to deleivi nunc Dv impeaching mere, ycl tne anncatie reiaiionnttwecn

I s 1 . . . J ... . I I.J . altered by that act alone. ly ordering

ble.:' "i ou expressed no desire lor fur-; sued towards tier, with which some of ther infoimation, and I took it for grant-1 the members of the cabinet were more ed that Mr. Monroe's correspondence j familiar than myself, and whose duty it with you, and the public documents. was to present that aspect of the subject, furnished you a full and clear conccp-1 as it was mine to present that more imtionof the construction which the Ese-1 mediately connected with the military c-itivc gave to 3-oiir orders; under which i operations. After deliberately weidi-

IGth December, 1817, authorizing him i impression I remained till I received j ine every question, when the members

to cross the Spanish line, and to attack! your letter of the 13th instant. j of the cabinet came to form their final

the Indians within the limits ot 1 iorida. Connected with the subiect of vour erinion, on a view of the whole around.

orders, there are certain expression? in j it was unanimously determined, as I unyour letter, which, though I am at a loss j derstood, in favor of the course cdopted, to understand, I cannot pass over in si- j and which was fully made known to you lei.ee. After announcing your surprise! by Mr. Monroe's letter of the 19th ot

unless they should take shelter under a Spanish post, in which event, l e was directed to report immediately to the Department, which order Governor Bibb was directed to consider as hi? authority for carrying the war into Florida, thus

clearly establishing the fact that the or

der was considered still in f- r r

suporoeioa dv mat to yru, i , r.. t. i to assume the command in tht Seminole

Korean my letter of the Oth of Feb

ruary be, by any sound rule of construction, interpreted into an authority to occupy the Spanish posts, or as countenancing, on my part, such an interpretation of the orders previously given to you. Your letter of the 20th January, to which mine is in answer, bears date at

Nashville, before you et out on the ex

pedition, and consists of a narrative of

the measures adopted by you, m order

to bring your toicesmto the held, where they were directed to rendezvous, the time intended for marching, the orders for supplies given to the contractors, with other details of the same kind, .1 All 1 I J T

uncut inc sogoiesi i"": ti: nol your

at the contents of Mr. Crawford's letter,

yon ask whether the information be correct, "under all of the circumstances,

1 1 of which yon and I are both informed,

in, if ,iny ;o.,r-,. j. i MTiou-'v to affect me

w as moved and sustained by you in cabinet council, when, as is known to you, I was executing the wishes cf the Government." I f by zcisJus, which ) ou have underscored, it be meant that there was any intimation given by myself, directly or indirectly, of the desire of the Government that you should occupy the Spanish posts, so far from being " informed," I had not the slightest knowledge of any such intimation, nor did 1

ever hca- a w hisper of any such before.

Jut i cannot imagine that it is your intention to make a distinction between the wishes and the public orders of the Government, as I had no such distinction in your correspondence with the President, nor in any of the public do

cuments; but, on the contrary, it is

of

July, 1S18. I gare it my assent and support, as being that which, under all the circumstances, the public interest required to be adopted. 1 shall now torn to the evmiii.i'ioo cf

the version which Mr. Crawford has given of my course in this important deliberation, beginning with his "apology for having disclosed what took place' in a cabinet meeting." lie says; In iie summer after the meet ing, In extract of a letter from Washhigton was published in a Nashville paper, in which it waj stated that I (Mr. Crawford) had proposed to arrest General Jackson, but

that lie was triumphantly defended by Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Adams. This letter, 1 always believed, was written bv Mr. Calhoun, or by his direction. It had the desired effect; General Jackson became iniiuicr.l to me, and friendly to Mr. Calhoun."

I am not at all surprised that Mr. Crawford should feel that be stands in

intention to act against the Spanish i stroncly rebutted bv vour relvimr for need of an anoloirv for bet ravin lln ilo.

s approbation of the l'resi- your justification constantly and exclu- liberations of the cabinet. It is, I be-

posts; and the

dent ot the measures )ou had adopted sively on your public orders. Taking, could be intended to apply fo those de-' then, the " wishes of the Government"'

tailed in your letter. I do r.ot think that vour letter of the 18th instant, presents the question, whether the Executive or yourself placed the true construction, considered as a military question, on the oiders under which ou acted. But 1 must be permitted to say, that the construction of the former is in

to he but another expression for its orders, I must refer to the proof already off'Tcd, to show that the wishes of the Government, in relation to the Spanish posts, were not tuch c; you assume them

to be. Having, Intrust, satisfactorily established that there has not been the least

strict conformity with my i. tention in I disguise as to the construction of your drawing up the orders; and t'l at, if they j orders, 1 will now proceed to state the

be susceptible of a different construe-J part which I took in the deliberations I lion ot a question inv.h tion, it was far from being it I intention ; of the cabinet. My statement will be immediately conccrnedtl.ty should be. I di i hoi ti.r r. suppose, confined strictly to myself; as 1 do not apology.

lievc, not only the first instance in our country, but one of a very few instances to be found in any country, or anv ;gc, that an individval has felt absolved from the high obligation w hich honor and dutv impose, on one situated as ho was. It

is uoi, mm !,ei, in v uueniion to comment on the morality of his disclosure; that more, immediately concerns himself; and I leave him undistuibed to establish his own rules of honor and fideli-

!.). m oit.i i iu proceed io u e exarnma-

ich I am mere

the truili ofhi3

V, doul t that wc differed honestly; and in claimintl to act on honorable and patriotic, motives myself, I cheerfully accord the same to yon. 1 know not that I correctly understood vour meaning; but, after a careful

perusal. 1 would infer from your letter that you have learned, for the first time, by Mr. Crawford'? letter, that you and 1 placed different constructions on the orders under which you acted in the Semit.ole war; and that you had been led to believe, previously,, by my letters to yourself and Governor Bibb, that I concurred with you in thinking that your

orders w ere inter, ded to authorize your auack on the Spanish posts in Florida. Ci.der thee impressions, jou would

i ni to n.-o utc - rr.e some degree ot J.iphuty, o. at ien.-i concealment, which required, cn my part, explanation. 1 hope that my conception of your meaning is erroneous; but if it be not, and vour meaning be such as I ruppose, 1 must be permitted to express my surprise at the misapprehension which, 1 f.d confident, it will be in my power to correct bv the most decisive proof,drawn from the public docume nts, and the corifsnondence between Mr. Monroe and

yourself, growing out of the decision of

the cabinet on tne Seminole anair. which passed through my hands at the

tune, and which I now nave mspcrmis non to use, ai explanatory ofmyopin ion, as well as his, and the other mem

i o save you

i,,.,, 7 1 iu aummutrrtiion.

the trouble of turning to the file of your

correspondence, I have enclosed ex

tracts from the letter?, which clearly

prove that the decision of the cabinet on the iio'int that your orders did not au

thorize the occupation of St. Marks and IVnsacola, was early and fully made

known to you, and that I, in particular concurred in the decision. Mr. Monroe's letter of the 10th July

181. the first of the series, and wiitten

immediately after the decision of the cabinet, and from which I Imu: civen a

copious extract, enters fully into the vi'-ws ken by the Executive of the

whole subject. In your reply oft!

lllth ot August, 1818, you object to the

construction which the administration

had id.Kod on vour orders, and you ns

Fign your reasons at large, wny you con

reived that the orders under winch you acted, authorized your operations in

rinrida. Mr. Monroe replied on the

20th October, 181S; and, after express

ine hi rcrct that you had placed

construction on your orders differen

from what was intcndcJ, he inviUd you

the restitution of those posts, those relations were preserved. To a chance

of them the power of the Excutivcis' deemftd incompetent. It is vested in

Congress alone. The view taken of

this subject met your entire approbation, as appears from the extract of your letter, ol'Tih December. lblS. above referred to.

After such full and decisive proof, as it seems to me, of the view of the Executive, I had a right, as I supposed, to conclude that you long since knew that the administration, and myself in particular, were of the opinion that the orders andcr which )ou acted did not authorise ou to occupv the Spanish posts: l et

' vow inter iivm vour ietur, to winel. i

lis is in answ er, that such conclusion

was erroneous, and that you were of the

impression, till you received Mr. Craw

ford s letter, that 1 concurred in ttie opposite construction, which you gave to

your orders, that they were intended to authorize you to occupy the posts. You rely for this impression, as 1 understand you, on certain general expressions in

my letter to Governor 1Jmi,o1 Alabama,

of the I3th ol May, in which 1

stated, that "General Jackson is vested

with full powers to conduct the war in

the manner he shall judge best; and al

so in my letter of the Oth February,

1818, in answer to yours ot the ifUth

January of the same year, in which I

acquainted you "with the entire appro

bation of the JL'resident ol all the mea

sures you had adopted to terminate the riinliirn wWli llir Xrminole Indians."

I J J ' I 1 1 1 1 1 1 111 V . r .v. ......v-w . .'a .

I will not reason the point, that a let

ter to Gov. Bibb, which was net commu

nicated to you, which bears date long after you had occupied St. Mark's, and

subsequent to the time you had deter

mined to occupy l'ensacola, (see your

letter of Junc'2d 18Ih, to me, publish

ed with the Seminole documents,) could

give you authority to occupy those posts

1 know, that, in quoting the letters, you

could not intend such absurdity, to au

thorize such an inference; and I must

therefore conclude that it was vour in

tention by the extract, to show that, al the Itime of writing the letter, it was

my opinion that the orders under which you did act were intended to authorize

the occupation ot the rpanish posts

Nothing could havebeen more remote

from mv intention in writing the letter,

It would have been in opposition to the view which I have always taken of your ordcis,ard in direct contradiction to the President's message of the '25th March,

i - i -a

of the President, under the. Constitution, to order the occupation of the post? ofa nation with whom wc were ot at war; (whatever might be the rk:hl of the General, under the law of na.i'ons, to attack an one my sheltered ur.J.-r the posts of a ..eulrai power:) and had 1 been directed by the President to issue, such

orders, I should have been lestraincd

from complying by the higher authority of the Constitution, which! had sworn to support. Nor will I discuss the question, whether the order to General Gaines, inhibiting him from attacking the Spanish posts. ( a copy of which was sent to you,) was in fact, at. d according to

military usatrc. an order i e . and of

cour-.o oh'i :". an v uiJil re-;,- '

eei

ml

v as ir.

K':rh, 1 :OW

that j ours was oallL.Tent. i'c u actce' on your construction, believing it to be

right; and, in pursuing the cc urso wh.eh

have done, 1 ela-m an eoual nchi to

acton the construction which I conceiv

ed to be correct, knowing it to conform to my intentions in issuing the ordcis.

But, in waiving now the question of the

true construction of the orders, I wish it

henveverto be understood, it is only because I do not think it presented by your letter, and r.ot because I have now,

or ever had, the least doubt of the correctness of the opinion which I enter

tain. I have always been jrepared to discuss it on friendly terms with you, as appears by the extracts fron Mr. Monroe's correspondence, and more intent

ly by my letter to you of the 30th of

April, loi8, covering a copy ofa letter

of Major II. Lee; in which I decline a correspondence that he had requested on

the subject of the construction of your

orders. In my letter to Major Lee, I stated, that, "as you refer to the public documents only, for the construction

which the Executive gave to the orders,

I infer that on this subject you have not

had access to the General's ( Jackson's)

private papers; but if I be i:i an c-rrJ!",

ana it inc construction which ;n . administration gave to the ordc rs be not stated with sufficient distinctness in the then President's correspondence with him, I w ill cheerfully give, a one o1 the member" of t.ie adr.'iinilia.'.ie. m" -,ivn views folly in relation to the orders, if it be desired by General Jackson; but it is only with hi in, and at his desire, that, under existing circumstai ees, I should feel myself justified in corresponding on this or any other subject connected with his public condui t;" to which I added, in my letter to you, c overing a copy of the letter from which the above is an cx-

course of the other members of the administration; and, in fact, only of my own in self-defence, under the extraordinary circumstances connected with this correspondence. And here 1 must premise that the object of a cabinet council is not to bring

together opinions already formed, but

to lorni opinions on the course which the Government ought to pursue, after full and mature deliberation. Meetinc in this spirit, the first object is a free exchange of sentiment; in which doubt and objections are freely presented and discussed. It is, I conceive the duty of the members thus to present their doubts

and objections, and to support them by

rii. nt.-ir luny an oi tne arjruuieow in

their l ower, but at ihe- same lime loj

take care not to form an opinion till all the facts and views are fully brought out, and every doubt and objection carefully weighed. In this spirit I came into the meeting. The questions involved were numerous and important: whether you had transcended your orders; if so, what course ought to be adopted; what was the conduct of Spain and her officers in Florida; what was the

state of our relations with Spain, and,

through her, with the other European pow ers a question, at that time, of uncommon complication and difficulty. These questions had all to be carefully examined and weighed, both separately and in connexion, before a final opinion could be wisely formed; and never did I see a deliberation in which every point was more caifefully examined, or a

greater solicitude displayed to arrive at a correct decision. I was the junior

member ot the cabinet, and had been but a few months in the administration. As Secretary of War, I was more immei

dialely connected with the questions whether you had transcended your orders, and, if so, what course ought to be pursued. I was of the impression that you had exceeded your orders, and

had acted on your own responsibility; but I neither questioned your patriotism

nor) our motives, hehevingthat where

orders were transcended, investigation.

as a matter of course, ought to follow,

ns due injustice to the Government and

the officer, unless there be strong reasons to the contrary, I came to the meet

ing under the impression that the usual

course ought to be pursued in this case,

which I supported by presenting fully

and freely all the arguments that occurred to me. They were mtt by other arguments, growing out of a more enlarg

ed new ol the subject, as connected

Crawford.

.- S'e .ii. h as.'i!

t',i:

1 c;n...K. . .

m niH.i-n:ii t oiuimreraie im

misfortune. I may be warm in political contests, but it is not in me to retain enmity, particularly towards (lie unsuccessful. In the political contest which ended in IS-J.3, Mr. Crawford and mvselftook opposite; sides; but whatever feelings of uukindness it gave rise to have long since passed away on my part. The contest ended in an entire change of the political elements of the country; and, in the new state of things which followed, I found myself acting with many of the friends of Mr. Crawford, to whom 1 had been recently opposed, and opposed to many of my friends, with whom I had, till then, been associated. In thi

new state ot tilings, my i:. linaUon, u.j regard for bis friends w ho were actio with me, and the success of the causo for which we were jointly contending all contributed to remove from mylbosom every feeling towards him, save that of pity for his misfortune. I would not speak a harsh word, if I could avoid it; and it is a cause of pain to me tht the extraordinary position in which ho has placed me, compels me, in self-defence, to say any thing which must, in

its consequence, bear on his character.

1 speak in this spirit when I assert, ai I do, that his apology has no foundation in truth. He offers no reason for charging me with so dishonorable an act in that of betraying the proceedings of the cabinet, and that for the purpose of in

juring one of my associates in the; ad

ministration. Ihe charge rests wholly on his suspicion, to which I oppose my positive assertion that it is wholly unfounded. I had no knowledge of the letter, or connexion with it; nor do I recollect that I ever saw the extract. But why charge me, and not Mr. Adams? I had then been but a few months in the administration, and Mr. Crawford and myself were on the best tonus, vithout a feeling, certainly on my part, o 'rivalry or jealousy. In assigning the mt tive that he docs for the letters, he forgets the relation whhh existed then bee ween you and himself. He says it hid the desired effect; that you became friendly to mc, and extremely inimical (o him. He d not remember that j our hostility to him long preceded this period, and had a very different orijym. lie certainly could not have anticipated that a copy of his letter wouldjbe placed in your hand. These are not the only difficulties ac

companying his apology: there are oth

ers still more formidable, and which

CONCLUDED ON FOCRTn l'ACE.