The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-06-20
THEN AND NOW.

We take the following extracts from Mr.
Buchanan's 4th Of July Grafton, delivered al
Lancaster, Pa, in 1915, when he was sgood
old Federalist," n class of politicians which
the present democratic party have perfect
horror Of Mr.. Buchanan is now the candi.
date of the Democratic party for President
and if he has at any time recanted the opin.
ions here expressed, we presume his friends
can produce the evidence.
"Time will not allow mo to enumerate all
the other WILD and WICKED projec.s of The
Democratic Administrations Suffice it 70 saw
that after they had deprived us of the means
of defence, by destroying our nary and dis
banding our army; alter they had taken away
from us the power of recruiting them, by
running commerce, the great source of our
national and individual wealth; after they had,
by refusing the Bank of the United States a
continuance -1t its charter, embarrassed the
hnanclal concerns of the government, and
withdrawn The only universal paper medium Of
the; country from circulation; after the people
had become unaccustomed to, and, of course,
unwilling TO bear taxation, and without
money in the Treasury, they rashly plunged
as INTO aoar pih a nation more able 10 do us
injury Than any other in The World What
was the dreadful necessity for this desperate
measure? Was our country invaded? No.
Was il to protect our little remaining COM
merce from the injuries it sustained by the
orders in council! No. Commerce was no
such favorite, and The merchants wiShed for
no acdr on that account"
And then again, speaking of foreigners, he
remarks:
"I'he greater part of those foreigners pho
would be thus affected by ii, hare long been The
,oarmest friends of the Democratic Pariy.-
They had been one Of the great means of ele.
eating Inc present ruling (Democratic) Parry
and it would have been nngrateful for that
party to have abandoned them. To secure
this foreign feeling has been the labor of their
leaders tor more than rwenty years, and well
have they been paid for their trouble, for il
has been one Of The principal causes of intro.
ducing and continuing them in po,cer Imme-
dlately before the war this FOREIGN influence
had completely embodied itself with the
majority, particularly in the West, and its
voice was heard so loud at the seat of Gov.
ernment that President Madison was obliged
either to yield to its dictates, or retire from
office. The choice was easily made Jy man
'oho preferred HIS PRIVATE INTERESTS 10 the
public good. and therefore hurried us into war
for which we were utterly unprepared."
And then again:
awe ought to nse every honest exertion to
turn ou: Of porer those WEAK and WICKED
men whose cid and visionary theories have
been tested and found wanting. Above all,
WE ought 10 drive from our shores FOREIGN
INFLUENCE, and cherish AMERICAN FEELING.
Foreign influence has been in erery age the
CURSE of RepuJlics-its jaundiced eye sees
everything in false colors-the thick atmos-
phere of prejudice by which it is ever sur.
rounded, excluding from its sight the light of
reason. Let us then learn wisdom from ey-
perience. and tirersr 6anfsis The rrEND from
our society,""