t$uxt fjfarolittktk find o'o't """'" t"h rr " n '"*'' wuid '' '""""" """= " ld 8 1 " 1 i *«_-■-.__, li v ihc lemblanee of inequality which i on r«'»p„.,«intl ie he»rio|-,hee,ii d which will e ev.ded with little tc.norse the wisdom uf legislation is esp^ally «». ,„ k rsl s |, w1 „„ c„„»cie„ce ,. , . ol lr 7whib k w cs ' a ' il ' 1 p t ( ' st l>e par which i took in the dc copy ol which wus sen to you .„ i berat i on ', of _____ my n met ana according ,,, military ment will be confined strictly ... mv us ge nn or „ to ,...,,, and of curse , c |,', „ , do „.„ ,«, , f '.„,„,£, 0 ti-ilairy und rectnded such cer ,,, spea k of the course of tne other winly wss my opinion i know tha members of the administration | and your was different you acted on in fact only of mv own in seltde yot.r construction believing it „, be fence under he extraordinary cir righl s and in pursuing the curse cumstances connected wito this cor which i have done i claim an equal respondence right tn act on the cunstriiri'in which i i . 1 concevicd lo lie correct knowing , £?? )"* ' t p 1 "', lhm to conform to my intentions in issuing ? , cabinet council is no to 1 rl n.i -,„,.,- • b bring together opinions already lorm llie nmcrs u.il in waiving now the l u .. . r • • _„..,!„_ f 1 ,,„ * '"' etl but to form opioions cm the course question ol thi triii constrtit-ttop ol ._!,•., i 1 , k , „,, , 1 • , • , , winch tht government ought lo pur ihe orders i wish it however tube „,,. .,,, c , ? ,-, " i , t„i , , on alter full and mature deliberation ililal-ism'itl 11 1 nnlv bec-mstt i dai not '. .' ,' 1 e , • li l ,, „ , , , , , i'eiiiig in this spirit the firsi ubiect thi it presented by vour etter and i „ ,. u ' ■ „,.,.'. . . ', , is a iree exchange oi scntiinent 111 n-u her lose i have now a.r ever had . • l , . , .- . . ,. . , 1 1 , ,- 1 ' ', which doubts and objections are fret y th least doubt 1 th correctn'-ss of „ 1 1 i . , - , .. „ ■ ■ u li , "' presented and discussed 1 1 is i cou th--oniiuiii ivluch 1 entertain i have .,.;„. 1 1 . c u . _ . k _ _ , ,. ' c.tive the dutv of thc members thus alw.v lee prepared to discuss ,. on t0 preaent hcir duubtl ,„,, jtcl ; friendly term with you „ pp e r aml ,„ ,„ h b off j f , '. by the extract from mr monroe's ,„ f the pl argu , nc „ l9 in their * corr.-sponilt-oce tittil more rrccutlv be 1 ,, „. u 1 , ' . .. . _ * .... . ut at the same time to take care not my letter .., you ol the 30th 0 april ,„ ,,„ m an ifl , on ,,„ „,, ne f d ims covering a copy of a letter ol view are fully brought out aod everv utjor h.lee in which decline a doubtaod objection carefully weighed correspondence iha he bad requested ,„ , h , spiru i came into thc meeting outhe subject ol the construction ol the questions involved were numer your orders in my letter to major „, 1s and important , whrtner vou had lee i stated that as you rcler tn transccnd - d your „ rdcr , . f ,„ wh ., thc public documents 0 lly tor the con cour , e „ h to t _ ad 1 wha , structlon which the executive gave to he cond * ct of 9 it ; od her ofi , er , the orders i infer that .... this subje . j n flor j d , wh .„ wa , , he , u , e o vou have not had access to ihe u-n relations with spain and through era s jackson s private papers , but her w __ h the other eur e pean „»,,% 1 i lie in an error and if ihc cn _, que l 0 o at that time of uncom structmn which the administration lnnn complicati n an.l d-fficultv give tn the orders 0 be not stated thege que , tion9 had all to 0 . care f u |. with sufficient distinctness in the then lv ux at.iined and weighed both separ president's correspondence with him ately and in connexion before a final i will cheerfully give as 11c ol th , pi , 11(>n cou)d 1>e wi , ely fo ,. mh . ., „, members ol the administration mv „,. ver did , „ e a in whicn own views fully in relation to the or pvcry 1|lt ,„„ miire care r ll | v exirn . ders il it be desired by oeneial jack il>cd ; or a e , ter s ii c , iude di,p a „ ed s,.n but it is only with him and at to arrive at a correct decision i was his desire that under existing c.rcum , he j llni - r membe r of the cabinet sunces i should reel myself justified and & ad been but „ f w m , mt h i h 10 corresponding on this or any other administration -.„ sccreiarv of war subject connected with his public con | „ m mine immediately conneced duct :' to winch 1 add in my letter to with , he q . les i n9 whether vou had you covering a copy of tne letter ol tra „ 5celldcd vuur orders and if so which the above is n exiract » with v , lat c , mrae ou?ht to be p „ ra le(i 1 vou i cannot have thc slightest objec was d f tne impression that y,.u had tion to correspond on this subject if exceeded vour orders and had acted additional inlormation be desirable n „ y ,„ ir own responsibilit , but i nei you expressed no desire lor turther ,|,_ r que9 „ oac d your patriotism nor i.it irmation and i took it lor granie.l y(mr mollv e 9 . believing lhat where lhat mr monroes corresponded ordc r wc re iranscended investiga vitb vou and th public d cuments j()1 a9 ., matter of co,irse ought to furnished vou a full and clear concep f 0 || o w as due io justice to the govern lion ofthe construction which the ex ,„,.„, a[ld he olfi.;er uiless there be ecutivc gave to your orders j uuder trong reasons to the contrarv 1 came which impression 1 remuned till i re to tbe meeting under the impression ceived vour letter of the 13th inst lh - t t |, e usua i c()ur9 e ought to be pur conoected wiih the subject of your sued io this case which i sunported orders there are certain expressions hy presenting fully and freely all thc in your letter which though i am al arguments tnat ocrured to me the » loss to underst,.n i i cannot pass were met by other arguments grow over in sitecce alter announcing ing out of a more enlarged view ol your surprise at the ciulents of mr the ubject as connected with the crawfor 1 letter vou ask whether conduct of spain and er officers and the information be correct under thc course of policy which honor and all ol thc circu.nstaaices of which ynu ' intcrcstdiclatcd to he pursued toward md i are both informed that any at her vi-h which some of the members tempt seriously to affect mc wai mov i the cabinet vere more familiar than cd and sustained bv you in cabinet myself md whose duty it was to pre council when as is known to you 1 i sent that asp ct of the subject as it vas c-ieriiting the wishes ofthe gov was mine to present that more i-n.n ernment il by wishes whieh you distely connected viih thc military have underscored it be meant that operations alter deliberately weigh there wis any intimation given by my 1 ing every question when the men self directly or indirectly of the de piers ol the cabinet came to l.ir.niheir sire of the government thst you should final opinion on avi:.v„f the whole occupy the spanish p sis so far from ground it wasmianim lusly determin being informed i had not the ed as 1 understood in favor of the slightest knowledge of any such int course adopted and which was fully n.l'.on nor did i ever hear a whi.per made kno.vn to v 1 by mr monroe s of any such before but i cannot im letter of the 19th of july 1818 i 1 nu tli u it is your intention to make nve it my astent and support s be a distinction between the wishes and ing that which u.oler all the circ.im thc public orders of the gnvernme 1 stances the public interest required to as i ft id no such distinction in your be adopted correspondence with the president i lull now tnrn to the examination nor in any of the public do tuments ; of the version which mr crawford bul on the c ntr.ry it is strongly re has given of mv course in this impor butted by your reiving for your justi tant deliberation beginning wiih his fication conttantly ami exclusively 011 " apology for having disclosed what v ur public or lerr taking then took place in the cabinet mte-.ing the wishes of the government 1 to be lie says " in the summer alter the but another expression for its orders meeting an extract ol a letter irom i must refer to the proof already offer washington was published in a nash • d to show that the wishes ofthe ville piper in which it was hated government in relstion to the span that i mr crawford had proposed i-h posts were not such as you as 1 to arrest general jackson but that he lj.ne them to bc i wait triumphantly defended by mr ______________________________________________= i ter i always believed was written bv mr calhou i or by his directions it had he desired effect ( general jackson be.amr inimical lo me and frienilly tn mr cadha.u ilbetwecn the i in and i j u i v _ 1818 n the former day mr m-i roe re urued to withii gi 3 iron uudon and on the latter a general exposition of the views of ihr gmornment in re lation to the operations in fi rida ap peared in the intelligencer the let ter ol mr monroe tn vou of the 19th july 1818 fixes probably tht d v of the final decision of the csbitist f r . crawford passed through augusta oa the 11th august as announced in the papers of that city on which day or the preceding his conversation to which mr mcdu fit's letter rclnes must have taken place on a com parison of these dates you will see that it was impossible thai mr crjw lord could have seen the extract front the nishvili.i paper when he was ig edgefield and he must consequently ti tl som other apology for his disclo sures this was not the only instance ol his making the disclosures hefore he saw thc extract he was at mil irdgrville on the lblh of august 1818 .. few days after he passed through augusta an.l a little after there appeared a statement in the georgia journal somewhat varied from that made in bdgefield but igreeing with it i most of the partial liars i cannot lav my hand on tho irticle but have a distinct recollection of it y u no doubt remember it circumstances fixed it on mr craw ford and it has noi to my knowledge been denied with such evidence of inaccuracy either from want of mi-miry or some olher cause in what relates to his awn m ittvcs and actions it would be unreasonable to suppose that mr crswlord'i statement will prove mora correct in what relates o me i will now proceed to t-xaanme them : he first states that i proposed lhat you should " be punished in some form or reprimanded in some form ;" and to make my course more odious as i suppose he adds that " mr calhoun did not propose to arrest general j.ckson i will not dwell oj . state coitrpisp lydf.ycil i um not at iill surprised that mi crawford should feel tha he stands in need of an apulogv for betraying th deliberations ol the cabinet it is i believe not only the first instance in our country but one of a very lew instances to be found in any country or anv age lhat an individual has felt him self abidlved from thc high obligation vhi-ii honor and dutv impose ou one situated as he was il is not how ever mv intcnti ... to comment oo lhc ility of his disclosure ; that more immediately concerns himself ; aod i lev him undisturbed t3 establish his own rules of n uior anil fidelity in or lei to proceed to the examination of i question in whieh i am more immedi ately concerned — the truth of his ap ology 1 desire not to speak harshly of mr crawl rd i sincerely commiserate hia misfortune i may bc warm in p dined contestsi but it is not in me to ret nn cn.n ly particularly towards the uusii.cessf.il in the political con test which ended in 182j m craw lord and myself look opposite sides but whatever feelings ol unkindness it give rise to have long since passed awiy on my part the contett end ed in an entire c angc of the political elements of the country and in the new state of things which followed i found mv-self acting with tiisny of he friends of mr crawford to whom i had been recently opp ised aud op posed to manv of my ft tends with whom i had till then been associated in this new state of things mv incli nation my regard for his friends who were acting with me and thc success if the cause fur which we were joint ly cont ding all contributed to re move from mv bosom every feeling tu.virds hi n save pity for his mis nunc i would not speak a harsn w rd 1 1 i oiilil avoid it ; and it is a cause of pain to me thai the extraor dinary position in which he has placed me compels me in self-de fence to say any thing whi-h must in its con sequence bear un his character i speak in this spirit when 1 sss-rt is [ do that his ap logy his no foun latino in truth il offers no rcasin for charging inc w.tli so dishonorable an act as that of hetraviog theprncee liugs nl the cabinet and that for the lurpose of iujuring one of my associ ates in the adtniuimrati.nl the charge bctween the presiilent and tire pic s lent of lhc united stales cdntwum i will not reason the point that a leiti . i - qov bibb which vas not enmmunicated to yuu which bens date long afteryou occupied st macks iml subsequently to the time you had determined to oc tipv i'.-nsacola see v r letter of june 3d iiiih to me published with the seminole docu ,„,-■ t.1 could give you authority to occupy those posts i know that in l . nm l "" lettea you could not in ,! ,.| tu h nhtarbity to authorize su.ah j inference ; ind i must therefore conclude thai it was your intention bv the rxtraci to show that at tl.e time of ivtiting the letter it was my npin on , ,.,, t he orders under which vou did act were inteoded to authonae l,e occupation of thc spanish posts n thing could have been more remote frnm mv intention in writing me letter it would hive been in opposilion to he view which i have always taken ol . . e and in direct contradic , t 0 t ie president's message of the 2j . march 1818 communicated but :', few weeks before to the house of representatives already referred to and which gives a directly opposite construction to your orders in fact the letter on its f.cr proves th it it wa not the intention of the goveru rr it to occupy the spanish posts 11 ferrttlg tn it yuu wi tcc that i ei s,:il to the governor a copy of mv orders to general gaines of the ir.th december 1817 authorizing him to cr ss hie spanish line and to na u:k thc indians within the limits of tlotida unless they should take shel ter under a spanish post in which event h.t was directed to report im medi.t'lv to the department which ordei governor bibb was directed to ei .- ur as his authority for carrying the war into florida thus clearly es tablisyl ig the fact lhal the order was e iiii red still in farce and not su perteded by that to you direr ing you to assu n the command i the semin ole war nor can my inter of the 6th of feb rinry be by any sound rule ol con struction interpreted into an authori ty to cc.ipv tbe spanish posis or as c-i intcnancing on mv part sut ii an i interpretation of the orders previous ly iii en to you your letter of the 20 h january to which mine is in answ-r bears due ut nashville be fore | ni set out on the expedition r l i . isi-atsot a narrative ofthe mea sn adopted by you in order to hti.ig your forces into the field where thev were directed to rendezvous the time intended for marching the or ders for supplies given t contractors with other details nf the same kind without he slightest indication ol y ur intention to act agiinsl the spans pn.f a il the approbation ofthe i'rc sial.-nt ol tbe meisu'.-s vou had adop ted co ild be intended to apply to those detailed in vour letter i do not think ill it v ur letter ofthe 13th ia st.n presents the question whether the executive or yourself placed the true c i . tin ti',n coolidei ed u3 a mil itary questioo on thc orders under which you actsd but i must be per mitted to say that the construction ol th " firmer is in strict conf iritl ty with my intention in drawing up tne r i a in 1 that il thev be susceptible nl i different construction it was far from being mv intention they should lie i did not then suppose nor have i ever that it was in the power ofthe president u ider tne constitution to order the occup itl l of the posts 1 a ati n with whom we were not at war whatever might '»• ll - rtgbt nf ihr general under the law nf nations to attack an enemy sheltered under the post of . neutral power and hsd i been directed by th presideot "> is sue such order i should have been restrained from complying bv the higher authority of the constitution which i had sworn to support nur ill i discuss the question whether l&qrier 0 flenera haines inhibil ment which on its face is s i absurd i low could an officer under our law be punished without arrest and trial a_nd to suppose that i proposed such a course would be to rate my under standing very low the next allegation requires much more attention he says indeed my own views on the subject had un dergone a material change after the cabinet had been convened mr cal houn made n m allusion to a letter that general jackson had written to the president who had forgot cn that he h d receivetl such a letter hut said i hc hid received such a ne he would find it and went directlv to l.is cabinet and brought it out in it u tneral j cksnn approves of the dc u.miniit u of lhe government to break up amelia island and galver town : and gave it also as his opinion that fl rida ought to he taken bv ihe juited rfiales he added it might be a 1 lie te m-tter for the executive to dnide but it the president ap proved of it he had only to give a hint to lome confidential memner of congress s,y 1 dinny hay nd he would do it md tike the responsibili ty it himsell i asked the president if the letter had been answered : he replied n 1 1 for that he had no rccol lection of receiving it | then said lhat i had no doubt that general jack son in taking peusacnla believed he wss doiug whai thc executive wished alter that letter wan produce 1 unan swered i sh uld have opposed lh in lliction of punishment on general jackson who had considered he si lence of the president ai a tacit con sent yet it vas nl.er ihe letter was lead ) lhat mr calhoun made the proposition to the cabinet for punish ing the general again t i do not know that 1 ever hinted at the letter to the president «". ili t l ; r had _, most important bearing on ihc delib erations of the cabinet at least in mr mind and possibly on the minds of mr adams and the president ; but neither expressed any opinion on the subject it seems it had none on the im ind of mr calhoun lor it made no change in his conduct it will he no easy matter for mr crawford to reconcile the sutm^t rests wholly on his suspicion in which i opnose mv positive assertion that it is wholly unfounded i had no know edge ofthe letter or connexion with itj nor do i recollect iliat i ever saw the extrict um why cliarg me und no mr adams .' i wish not to be u.i icr stuad is intimating ilia mr adam had the least connexion with the affair i ai eve him to be wholly incapable ot such baseness i had then been bu a lew months in the administration and mr crawford and myself were os the best terms without a feeling certainly on my part ol rivalry or je 1 ousy lu assigning thc motive lhat hc does for the letter be forgets the relation which existed then between vou and himsell lie bays it hail the desired c(t;r lhat you bee ime iriend iv to me and extremely inimical to him ii dors not remember that your hosiility to him long preceded this period and had a very different origin lie certainly could tint have anticipated that a copy of bis idler would be placed in your band these arc nnt the only difficulties accompanying thc apology : there sre others still more formidable and which untat compel him to assign some oth er reason lor disclosing the procee ding of the cabinet mr m dalfi t's letter to mr of thc 14lh instant ol which i enclose a copy proves that mr i irawlonl spoke freely of the pi oc lings ol the cabinet on his way io georgia in llie summer of 1818 an.l dates will show lhat he could not at lhat time have seen thc extract from the nashville paper on which he now reus his apology thc deliberation of tbe cabinet look place hiving i trust latisfactorily es tablished that there has noi been the least disguise as to the construciiou of jtour orders j will now proceed to r^titaiitil^wmr adams 1 ilia irh • letjuieteed would prubably b mnr c.ir r.et ai least 1 ipjilictblt to ens oicuib.r ol the cabinet the letter of iha u.ii jcorje i'.uuffl appendl marked te