Synopses & Reviews
I COME before you as my constituents, to give an account of my conduct in an important political transaction, which has been called in question, and so erroneously represented, that neither justice to myself nor respect for you u-ill permit me any longer to rernaln silent I allude to my course, in the deliberations of the cabinet of Mr. Monroe, on the Seminole question. I know not how I can place more fully before you all the facts and circumstances of the caae, than hy putti ygo u in possession of the correspondence between General Jackson and myself, which will show the difference betwecn the views that we have respectively taken, and by what means, and through whose agency, this long gone-by flair has been revived. I have not taken this step, strictly deicnsive a3 it is, without mature de liberation, and a calm and careful estimate of all the obligations under which I act, That there are strong reasons against it, T feel and acknowledge but I also feel the most thorough conviction that the sa cred obligation to vindicate my character, impeached, as it has been, in one of the most important incidents or my life, and to prove myself not unworthy of the high station to which you hare elevated me, far outweigh . all other considerations. Should my vindication have any political or per sonal bearing, I can only say that it will not bc because I have either willed or desired it. It is my intention simply to place my own conduct in its proper light, and not to assault others. Nor ought I to be held responsible should any such consequence follow as I am free from all agency inresusci tating this old subject, or bringing it to the knowledge of the public. Pre vious to my arrival here, I hadconfined the knowledge of the existence of he correspondence to a few confidential friends, who were politically at tached both to General Jackson and myself not that I had any thing to ap prehend from its disclosure, but becauso I was unwilling to increase the ex isting excitement in the present highly criticnl sbte of our public affairs. But when I arrived here, late in December, I found my caution had been of no avail, and that the correspondence was a subject of conversation in every circle, and soon became a topic of free comment in most of the public jour nals. The accounts of the aflair, as is usually the case on such occasions, were, for the moat part, grossly distorted, and were, in many instances, highly injurious to my character. Still I deemed it my duty to take no hasty step, being determined to afford time for justice to he done me without appeal to you and, if it should be, to remain silent, as my only object was the vindication of my conduct and character. Believing that further delay would be useless, I can sce no adequate motive to postpone, any longer, the submis sion of all the facts of the case to your deliberate and final decision. I am not ignorant of the trying position in which I am placed-standing unsustained, except by the force of truth ind justice yet I cannot but look with confirlence to Tom rleckinn. The quwtion presented for your can sideration is not that of a controversy of two individualn, between whom you are to decide viewed in that light, it rvould bear the aspect of a mere personal difference, involving no prit ciple, and unworthy of your notice but, regarded in a different light, as involving the character of an officer, occupying by your suffragea distinguished official station, whose conduct in an interesting public transaction had been impeached, it assume3 a far more important bearing, and presents a question of deep import for your consideration...
Synopsis
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.