Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-07-26

the bargainer's hand is clearly visible
What authority had he from Gen. Jackson
to offer Mr.. Clay hopes or prospects of the
Secretaryship of State? Why was he
then throwing ont these suggestions and
hints, without authority, if he had not some
Interior purpose?
His degrading proposition, however re-
ceived no encouragement from either, and
when in after years his course in the mat
ter becomes the foundation of a charge
against one of the parties, he duplicates
the only witness of this interview with Mr..
Clay that he will not expose him and in
accordance with the magnanimons i'm
pulses Of the injured party, he is spared.
This letter to Letcher is an admission that
he was guilty of conduct which his reputa-
ton required should be screened from the
public. That conduct the public is now
acquainted with, and it damns him as the
corrupt bargainer, and the only man con-
nected with the affair who was base enough
to entertain the thought But it may be
asked where was the motive of Buchanan
for this extraordinary exertion TO effect a
bargain which would result in Jackson's
election to the Presidency and Clay's ele-
walton to the first place in the Cabinet? 1t
was the motive which has controlled his
whole public career-selfinterest. He
knew that Jackson and Clay were both
popular and nfuential-that by the means
which he proposed to use one of them
would be sure to reach the Presidency, and
the other would be Sin the line of safe pre-
cedents" for the successiOn-that if he
could prove himself beneficial to both in
this matter of the bargain, none would take
precedence of him in their esteem, and hon
orS and emolumentS without limit awaited
him at their hands. To mind of the or
der of James Buchanan'S this was motive
enough for any bargain.
But this is not the only bargain which
Mr.. Buchanan has made to get Office. In
one of the late inimitabIe illusions of An
drew Jackson, Jr., he furnishes a letter
written to Gen. Jackson from Washington
City by one whom he styles "an inveterate
enemy of both Mr.. Clay and Mr. Buchan-
an" but who from the tone of his letters
was confidential intimate Of Gen. Jack
sons. We insert as much of the letter as
bears upon the point to which we refer:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1916.
Ny DEAR GENERAL: Your two confidential
and very Interesting letters of the 4tb and 9th
inst. have been received and disposed of as
requested. am happy to say that am en-
trely satisfied, and SO is Mr.. Blair, with the
gentlemen, who it is supposed will constitute
the new Cabinet. Mr.. Blair and myself both
think 40 doubtful, hOtoeUer, schether Mr. Buch-
GRGR IoiU accept, UPON THE TERMS PROPOSED,
(he should not be appointed atnieSS lie dOes) a.
he is full of the idea, as stated to you in my
previous letters, of being a candidate for the
succession. If he should not accept, sup
pose the State Department will then be offered
TO Mr.. Stevenson.
This gentleman is communicating to Gen
eraI jackson his impressions of the selec-
tons for Mr.. Folks cabinet The publica-
ton of his letter by A. Jackson, jr., fur
nshes the world with information which it
was not in possession Of before, viz: that
Mr.. Buchanan could only get the appoint
ment of Secretary of State upon certain
TERMS" and the 'terms" were such that in
the opinion of the writer and Mr.. Blair it
was doubtful whether Mr.. Buchanan would
accept Who can enighten us as to those
terms" What "tcrms" could be proposed
to James Buchanan which he would not
accept, if they were accompanied with an
Office? They must have been exceedingly
odious, if men who knew Mr.. Buchanan as |
well as Francis p. Blair and this "invete-
rate enemy" were doubtful whether he
would assent to them. But did he agree |
to them? He was appointed Secretary of
State, and could only have been so on the |
TERMS PROPOSED" Then we. convict Mr..
Buchanan of another bargain for high and |
Office, and upon testimony fur
nished by his own party. 1t was indeed |
cruel in Mr.. Polk to impose "terms" upon
Mr.. Buchanan relative to a seat in the |
cabinet, especially if they were such 'terms"
as would conflict with mans self-respect.
For if he had particle of this quality he
could not reflect upon the parthe bad
borne in the canvass in Pennsylvania with
out kindling a fame upon his cheek That
part, the representation to the iron la |
borerS of that State that Mr.. Polk was a
better protective tariff man than Mr. Clay,
was undertaken that he might earn q re-
ward, and after such humiliation, to i'm
pose still greater, was the extreme of cruel
city. But he bowed his neck to the yoke,
and received his burden.
There is something too about this Gin
cinnati platform nomination, and the phra-
seology Of the Wheatland letter which
sayors of bargain. Contrary to the Gus
tom Of Democratic Conventions the plat
form was framed before the nomination
was made. 1t was adopted both in com
mittee and before the convention without
difficulty, amid wild and uproarious huz
"a Of applause. The platform was the work
of the South, and favors Though very in
Southern views. 1t was well
known that Northern members of that con-
yention, held and freely expressed at home,