The Ottawa Free Trader

Mr. Van Buren,

It is frequently charged against Mr. Van Buren that he is "cold, and destitute of qualities to attach strong personal friends." Is it true? The Washington Globe asks and answers the question as follows:

And is he cold, and destitute of qualities to attach strong personal friends?

This is another of the artifices employed to injure Mr. Van Buren with those who do not know him immediately.

Of all our public men, we know not one so honorably distinguished by exalted and enduring friendship as Mr. Van Buren. In early life, he was signally honored with the confidence of Mr. Jefferson, as appears from one of the most striking of that patriarch's published letters; and the attachment has descended to Mr. Jefferson's grandson and namesake.

The warm and devoted attachment existing between General Jackson and Mr. Van Buren is as well vouched to the country.

The last letter ever written by the venerable Macon was shown to us by one of his nearest relatives, recommending him to the attention of Mr. Van Buren, and expressing for the latter the highest regard and kindest feelings. That eccentric but gifted genius John Randolph, (who scarcely admitted companionship for any length of time with any man,) was pleased to acknowledge through years of intimacy while in Congress, feelings of kind attachment for Mr. Van Buren rarely exhibited towards any other man: and, when leaving the United States on his last European excursion, he would take no denial, but compelled Mr. Van Buren to accept one of his finest blood horses. (of all things most prized by him,) as a memento of his peculiar affection. Mr. Crawford was another great man of the South who was, to the close of his life, one of the ardent friends of Mr. Van Buren.

In his own state, no man has ever been honored through life by such honest, upright, exalted, steadfast friendships, as Mr. Van Buren may justly boast. From the time of Daniel D. Tompkins down to the present hour, we do not believe there has been a great and distinguished man of the democracy in the state who was not the friend of Mr. Van Buren--not an honest and worthy man among them who has not supported him with zeal and fidelity, and found in return, an unwavering and faithful friend in him. He has never looked on any of them (as an heartless and ambitious politician would do) as rivals whose aspirations were not to be promoted. On the contrary, it has given him the highest gratification to see and promote the spreading reputation of Mr. Wright, Mr. Butler, Mr. Marcy, Mr. Flagg, Mr. Cambreleng, Mr. Paulding, and other patriotic and able men like them--to be honored by whose friendship, as Mr. Van Buren has been through long years of trial, is itself the strongest proof that he possesses all the qualities calculated to fit a man for the enjoyment of the honorable and exalted attachments: and yet it is pretended Mr. Van Buren is cold, and has no heart for friendship!