Washington sentinel., 1856-07-24


do not indulge in so jealous an exclusion.
There is scarcely nation In Europe which
does not habitually employ the talents OF
strangers, wherever they can be most useful.
"The committee therefore recommend a
dissent from the proposed amendment"
Mr.. Buchanan concurred fully in this report
and it was adopted unanimously by both
Houses.
THE CHARGE OF FEDERALISM.
This miserable attempt to injure Mr.. Buch-
anan at the present day by Juggling up issues
long gone by, and with no bearing whatever
upon the present contest, is thus summary
treated by Mr.. Horton:
Originally the name of Federal was as
honorable designation as any other. 1t took
its rise from those who approved OF our Fede-
raj Constitution, while those who felt that the
Government was too consolidated called them
selves anti Federalsts or Republicans; but
after the Constitution was adopted, and 1t was
accepted as the fundamental, organic law Of
the land, as Jefferson truly remarked, We
are all Federalists, we are all Republicans
| After the adoption of the Constitution, there,
fore, the term Federal, so far as its primary
| sgnihcaton was concerned, had no meaning.
| But in few years it was soon discovered that
the very men who had approved most earnestly
of the Constitution began to claim for it doubt.
ful powers, and to give it a liberal construc-
| ton.
| Mr. John Adams, the second President,
was the first who boldly inaugurated this policy,
and by The passage Of the alien and sedition
laws, overwhelmed himself and his party in
disgrace. This was the first stain on the other
wise fair name Of Federal. Then came the
war Of 1872, when they completed their ruin as
party, not by opposing the war in reasona-
BILE manner, but by an odious and unconstitu-
tional opposition, which finally terminated in
traitorous convention in New England, to
make separate peace with Great Britain.
These two acts destroyed the Federal party,
and brought upon the name an odious re-
proach.
1T will not be pretended by any one that Mr..
Buchanan approved either of the measures to
which we have referred. The principles Of
the Federal party were, however we have
! before observed in favor of claiming from
| Congress the exercise of doubtful powers, in
opposition to the doctrine of State Rights as
embraced in the Kentucky and Virginia reso.
lutions of 1898. They also claimed The power
in Congress to establish a United States Bank.
Yet, upon Mr.. Buchanans first appearance in
public life, we find him announcing himself as
| opposed to bank of this kind, and denying
the power Of Congress to establish such an in.
stituton.
"Now, there is no sense or propriety in
calling any man Federalist, who has not ad-
vocated or supported Federal doctrines. Yet
there is not an enemy of Mr.. Buchanan who can
point to a single act of his life which is con-
trary to the doctrine of State Rights, or to a
strict construction of the Constitution. From
first to last, from beginning to end, he has ad
1 lv N fa,t In, he
general disruption of parties after the war Of
1872, he may have technically ranked with the
Federal party, but he certainly never supported
q single one of its measures, as the reader
who peruses the remaining pages of this volume
will be fully convinced"
| In support of the above statement the biog-
rapher proceeds with a detailed narrative of
Mr. Buchanans public career, interspersing
them with his Congressional action and speeches
on Military Appropriations, the Bankrupt
/ Bill, Internal Improvements, the Tariff Ques-
ton, and host of other great forensic con.
tests, in which our nominee was ever found
battling for the people and the best interests
of society.
On the tariff question it was, that in 1923,
Mr.. Buchanan measured bis powers with Mr..
| Webster in debate; and even the youthful
giant OF Massachusetts, found his peer, at least,
in the stately and careful logic of the son Of
| Pennsylvania" There were giants, on all
sides, on the floor Of Congress in those days,
and the Franklin county farmer-boy stood
front to front among the proudest.
1t is impossible, in the brief limits to which
we are confined, to even give sketch of so
eventful and illustrious life. We can but
mention Mr.. Buchanan's long tried and stead.
| fast friendship for jackson the impeachment
of Judge Peck in 1922 and his celebrated
speech thereon; his opposition to Sectionalism
| OF all kinds his defence of the freedom of the
press his almost prophetic mission to Pana
ma his splendid negotiations as Minister to
| Russia, where he concluded, with Nesselrode,
| the first commercial treaty between the Gear
and this Confederation, and obtained for us the
advantage of Baltic commerce. On this score
we have the eloquent testimony Of the venera-
BILE William Wilkins Of Pitsburg, Pa, who
succeeded him al St. Petersburg.
After his election TO the United States SEN
ate in 1888, Mr.. Buchanan continued to defend
the patriotic side Of every question that came
| up. Witness his speech on the French Repr-
sails, Executive Patronage-his gallant sup.
| port Of Texan Independence, and many others
| equally interesting and important. Can the
merchants Of New York ever forget his warm
| plea in their behalf when the Relief Bill was
offered in the oath Congress after the Great
Fire Of 1885? Let them read his words upon
that occasion and ponder well.
THE Low WAGES sLANDER.
Compelled to pass by many brilliant episodes
Of Mr.. Buchanan's career, we come at once to
the vile accusation that he favored reduced
wages for the laboring man. We extract the
/ following true statement Of the case invented
by John Davis, of Massachusetts, during the
great debate on the Independent Treasury Bill;
"His triumphant reply to the special plead
ing and sophistry Of Mr.. Davis was not the last
compliment Mr.. Buchanan paid that individual
for his attack upon him. The matter would
not have been of so much consequence had il
not been that it was just previous to a Presiden-
tial election, and the charge of the Admins
tration being in favor of low wages, was
likely to be used with some advantage as an
eectioneering cry in the contest Mr.. Davis,
in his reply to Mr.. Buchanan, insisted upon
the most unreasonable and outrageous inter-