Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-06-18
Mr.. Rnchanan,s Political History.

GREAT interest, we have taken some pains to look
into his record, and produce few extracts for
the entertainment of our readers, Mr.. Buchan-
an entered political life in 1914, when he was
first elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature
He was then, and for many years afterwards, a.
rank Federahst. AS u Federalist he was at least
twice elected to Congress, and so late as 1870
his name appears in Niles Register as one OF the
five Federal members from Pennsylvania, In
1919 he delivered his famous Fourth OF July ora
ton. in which he denounced the wild anu
wicked projects of tho Democratic Admlnlstra-
t;onn of james Madison lie was bitter OPP
ponent of the war of 1872, and made that
a special point in his objections to MIR. Madison
In this same Grafton, after exhorting his hearers
to use every honest exertion to turn out OF pow
er the .weak and wicked men who had con-
troll of the Government he proceeded: above
ALL we ought to drive from our shores foreign
influence, and cherish American feeling. Foreign
influence has been in every age the curse OF Re
publics." Pretty good Know-Nothing doctrine.
But the question arises, what could have posses
sed the Democrats to nominate an "old Fedora
hst2n We all remember their strenuous efforts
in the last two or three Presidential campaigns
to identify the Wings with the Federal party
They considered nothing else necessary in order
to defeat the Wings but to trace their lineage to
the Federalists, and the opposition of the latter
to the war of 1912 was without ceremony sad
died upon the Wings. Even the Baltimore
Platform, re-afirmed at Cincinnati, has fling
at Federalism" showing that the party still re-
CARDS that as lucky card in the game. And yet
Mr. Buchanan, an "old Federalist" and better
opponent of the war; is now the Democratic no.
minee for the Presidency! When will wonders
cease The reader can draw his own inference
from these facts. We are curious to know what
the Democratic speakers viii go upon in this
canvass. Federalism used to be the staple of
their discourses.
But how comes it that Mr. Buchanan, so long
a thorough going Federalist, now appears as a
leading and orthodox Democrat A New York
paper of May the End, gives the following ex-
PLANTATION:
when Gen. Jackson was first brought for
ward Us o candidate for the Presidency, he was
not proposed rs the regular Democratic candi-
date, but pitted against that candidate, who was
William II. Crawford of Georgia. Gen. jackson
had recently written to President Monroe that
now is the time to exterminate the monster,
party had urged him to ignore all merely
partisan considerations, and to call at least one
leading Federalist into his Cabinet. The Fe-
deralists, then hopeless minority in the whole
oe.k ol nj h,,t
stration, and large numbers of them ranged un-
der the Jackson banner, especially in New Jer-
sew, Pennsylvania and Delaware. In Pennsyl-
vania, most of the leaders of the two old parties
ran u race to see which should get ahead in
Jacksonism. Federalists no more surrendered
their peculiar views in this than Democrats
Gov. Van Ness of Vermont, in going over from
Adams to jackson, appealed especially to Fee
deralists as such to unite in the support OF Jack
son who had removed the ostracism which they
had long endured. Mr. Buchanan was one of
the earliest and most Jealous Jacksonans but
it was not till he had been such for years that
he had reason to suspect that being for Jackson
made him, even nominally, Democrat. But
he found it just rs easy to be called Democrat
rs ANYTHING else and good deal more profitable
than to be termed Federalist so he can now
counsel brother Democrats and evince solicit
tude for the triumph OF Democracy, as well as
the best of them"
We must give Mr.. Buchanan credit in passing,
for his uniform advocacy of Protective-tariff,
and his vote in favor OF the Cumberland Road.
During Mr.. Folks administration, Mr.. Buc-
hanan was Secretary of State. The Oregon diff
ticulty was then adjusted. The cry of the uni
versal Democracy in the preceding canvass was
'544O or fight" Mr.. Buchanan had CORES
ject, and proved to his own satisfaction, at least
that all of the Territory up to $40 north
latitude, belonged to us, and then came down
to 40 Q giving away to Great Britain about
half of Oregon. We have not time and space to
allude to his completely in the charge of "bar-
gain and corruption" against Clay, the Ostend
Conference &c--we pass on to a more vital
question.
On the 9Th of June, 1914, Mr.. Buchanan de-
livered speech on the admission of Texas, in
secret session of the Senate, which is published
in the Congressional Globe. Tho following is
an extract:
"In arriving at the conclusion to support this
treaty, had to encounter but one serious Oh
stacle, AND THAT WAS THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY.
Whilst ever have maintained, and ever shall
maintain, in their full force and vigor the con-
stitutional rights of the Southern States over
their slave property, IyetJset strong repag-
nance 6y any act Of mine TO ertend the limits
of the Union 0per neeo starehotdiag territory.
After mature reflection however, | overcame
these scruples, and now believe that the acquisi-
ton of Texas will be the means of limiting, not
enlarging the dominion of slavery"
He undertakes to show that ''the dominion of
slavery" would be diminish by means of Texas,
as slaves would be drawn off from Virginia,
Kentucky &c, which would thus become free
States.
Previous to the nomination, and before we
had seen Mr. Buchanan's Texas speech, we ex-
pressed q reasonable degree of confidence in
him, but black spots are coming out upon his
record that will shake the confidence Of many
Southern men. What say Southern Demo-
crats--those self-constituted guardians OF South
ern rights and interests, who are so prompt
to bring the charge of abolitionism, tree-soIllsm
&c against all opposing candidates-to the a.
bove extract? We commend it to their care
full consideration.
Red Sweet Springs.
We invite attention to the advertisement OF
the Red Sweet Springs, by the proprietor, MI.
Bias. This watering place is widely known as
one of the most delightful summer resorts in the
mountains
The New York Tribune intimates that Gov