Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-10-23

MIR. BuchaAanss Fidelity To
slavery.
The Richmond Eaqs;rer dwell. unoo
the fidelity which Mr.. Buchanan has dis
played 70 the South u his consistent effort.
for the acqusifion Of Cuba. 1tsaya:.
Ifthere be any one passage in Mr. B..
chanan's history which the Southern Dec.
pie may contemplate with more satisfaction
than another, it is that which records his
endeavors to annex Cuba to the, United
States; and yet It is this very psssags
which his opponents choose to parade be-
fore the public, and to make the text of
constant and clamorous denunciation.
Mr.. Buchanan has been a constant and
jealous advocate O the dcqssition of Cu6a;;
but from no lust of territorial aggrandize-
ment, and with no purpose of rapine or
violence. His motives sprung from tie
highest impulses Of patriotism; his aims
were worthy of the Christian Statesmen.
He saw that the island upon which nature
had lavished its most inviting beauty was
the victim of misrule and plunder. .Hs
saw gallant and cultivated people with.
ing under the yoke of feudal tyranny;
and he was not of so hard and selfish ma
ture that he did not pray that Cuba might
escape from the vulture grasp of Spain,
and that its people might be redeemed
from ignorance and oppression. Was thaEs
anything criminal in that aspiratona An
ticipating the possible developments Of the
future, and anxious to make provisions
against distant danger, he proposed the
purchase of Cuba, as the sunset precautiou
against the insiduous schemes of hostile
powers, and as the 'best expedient for main
tanning the Independence and equality Of
the South in the Confederacy." The
Southern patriot can find nothing to con-
denim, but everything to applaud, in tbsse
motives ard in this policy.
Weindulge in no conjec:u Q! appreciation
of Mr.. Buchanan's sentiments and position
in respect to the acquisition of Cuba. His
famous dispatch to Mr.. R. NJ. Saunders.
the American Minister at Madrid, not only
shows that he made the honorable purchase
of Cuba leading object of the Polk Ad-
ministration, but also "proves" that he ad-
opted the policy out of "regard to the Pc
culiar interests of the South.":
Referring to the rumor of an intention
to Africanise Cuba, that is to say, to eman-
cipate the negroes, the Enquirer goes on:
"Vigilant in defence of the interests Of
the South, and fully appreciating the ur-
gency of the occasi n, President Pierce in
structed the leading American Representa-
tiyes IN Europe to consult as to the best
means of battling the criminal jealousy Of
England and France, of rescuing Cubs
from the horrible doom of St. Domingo,
and of shielding American Slavery against
the assassin's blow. The Ostend Confer
ence met. Two of its members were from
the South, but neither surpassed Mr.. Bu-
chanan in solicitude for the security Of our
Institutions The deliberations ofthe Con-
ference were directed by his master mind,
and its action was determined by his IN
comparable sagacity. Mason and Soule,
the chosen champions ofSlavery, were Con-
tent to subscribe Mr.. Buchanan's plan Of
resistance to the insiduous scheme of abol.
ition which the European powers were de-
vising for the destruction of the South
The war with Russia diverted the counsels
and energies of France and England to an
other quarter, but there is reason to believe
that they have only suspended, not aban-
doned, their conspiracy against American
| interests in the West Indies.
1.-THE moral propriety of the policy sug-
gested by the 0stend Conference has been
vindicated by reference to abstract pin-
ciples. To-day we view the subject in its
special relations to othe interests ofthe South.
In either aspect, Mr.. Buchanan is commend
ed to our confidence and gratitude"