Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-07-05
Gov. Wise on Buchanan.


The following Is an extract from Gov.
Wise's speech delivered IN Richmond at
the recent Ratification Meeting by the
Democracy of that city:
Who is Jas. Buchanan? He has no
military pretcnsions. He is no Caesar with
a Senate at his heels He never set a
squadron in the field, nor wears hea sword
10 throw in his scale, TO make it Kick the
beam. He Is simply that which is ex-
pressed BY the word most precious to Re-
publlcans; PLAIN, unpretending, but
sound, safe. conservative citizen. Civil in
every sense, he is civilian, a statesman,
Of training, OF age, of experience in public
affairs, prudent, cautious, honest. patriotic,
able, and has rendered the country not
some but much service. He has especial
y rendered this State and the South the
service Of that sacred regard TO the consti-
tuition which protects property and persons
and maintains State sovereignty and State
equality, the only policy which can guard
the Union A man Of sound morals, he
has conserved himself and kept his faculties
SO well by virtuous life, that he now, at
the age IS, has many years Of service still
in him. Though his bead be white as
snow, full of years and full Of honors, he
is yet vigorous IN mind and body, and is a
man OF herculean labor.
Here Mr.. Wise paused and apostrophis-
ed the men of the heroic age of the Revo-
luton, and those who Immediately sue
ceeded them and were imbued with theiI
spirit. He said James Buchanan wa.
about the last link to that line of sage.
who had settled our systems, and secured
BY their virtue and wisdom the lbertie,
OF our free institutions, who could in the
c purse Of nature be made to serve in the
highest office aud set last example Of che
men of old to guide US. We should moi
Icse his lessons derived from personal con
tact with their wisdom aud PATRIOTISM
He was truly Of the order Of the Roman
Cato, or, greater still, the Virginia Madi-
sou Of the better times of the Republic
Venerable with age and sobered by expe.
rience, lie would command the confidence
and respect OF every conservative man who
venerated the past.
Such is the man, and his services rem
dered are the best vouchers and creden-
tials Of his yigo- and his merit and of tn.
debt due him by Virginia. He has beer
especially faithful ON the subject of slave
ry. Mr.. Wise undertook to say that no
only no man North, but nc man Soutl
could show better record than tina. o
James Buchanan on that vexed and aan-
gcrous question. He had been arraignet
for the imputed offence, rhen he was
mere boy, very youth, of having presi
ded at Or attended meeting in Pennsvl
vania, which denounced slavery and re-
solved in favor of the Missouri Compro
mise. This charge had been actively
circulated against him in 1852, and it SC
happened that then Mr.. Buchanan had
with his own HAND, furnished HIM, Mr.
Wise. with the irrefragable evidence &c
show, not only that the impntation wal
false, but that it was next to impossible
for it TO be true. Mr.. Buchanan had man
lfested his politics by his early adherence.
TO the Madisonian war of 1912. He lat
shouldered his musket aud marched t
Baltimore-and though 1t had been der
sively SAID, che marched to Baltimore
and marched back again ! that was all h,
did yet, that march had shown the ''qut
aaimo," and that was all which patriot
ism required! He was as early as 1915
in the Pennsylvania Leg .slature, ant
there sustained the war of 1912 and voted
il supplies. He did not support the Mis-
souri, compromise. On the contrary, wher
he went into the House of Representa-
tives Of the Congress of the United States
Ae was found with the great Democrat,
party. supporter of the great arch friend
Of Southern Democracy. Andrew Jackson
Of Tennessee: When The issue OF incen-
diary publications arose. he voted 20 vio-
late the very mails rather than permit the
dgitators OF a Nat. Turner insuIrection tc
light the fires of incendiarism by The Post
Office When the WIImot Proviso wss
invented especially for his destruction By
a Cameron faction in his State. he firmly
withstood an insidious contrivance in a
tree State to undermine the tenure Of slave
property, and was found maintaining this
sovereign equality Of slave States wher
others faltersd and others fell Oh that iata
| issue When the issue of annexation O
Texas arose, he contented not himself by
going for measure which would admit
State with or without slavery about her,
but he went "undividedly and uLspent'
for measure which admitted State,
new State, not with or without, but ,oitl
slavery already established as her "peculia
institution" In 1916, when these qurs
lions were coming to an issue of inlerna
strife Of separation, he did go for an ex
, tension OF the line OF the Missouri Com
promise 20 the Pacific land every South
ern man went with him. On that poin
MI. Calhoun himself went further Mort,
than Mr.. Buchanan went. He submitted
his amendment to The Oregon bill, whicl
proposed that the clause against involun
tary slavery should BIZ the law North of tn
line ii no question should be raised agans
slavery South OF the line. This was i,
the spirit Of 1Sl9-'20. They did not pro
pose that what was constitutional on on
side OF the line should be unconstiuliona
OH the other side; but they agreed to dis
agree that if no question was raised pro
slavery on one side, none should be raise,
con.slavery on the other side. They sab
mitted to the law OF climate, that Jacl
Frost should reign North OF 360 35N ian,
Jack Frost had decreed that the "E5o.
shin and Gizsard feet of negroes shout.
not and could not live IN the Morrill,