American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-09-06
I. From the Louisville Journal.
.Aw INGgcRTArST HygosE.

= iNiH 'hS ipuisN ii'0 JuuIudt.
.Aw IEGgoRTATST EEgosE.
| The American nation knows that
Isthc Democratic party has always been
Ecndeayoring to make vast amount of
political capital out of the passage Of
the Compromise measures Of 1850. Al
though President Fillmore and his
whole Cabinet went strongly for those
measures and secured their passage,
the Democratic champions have claim
ed for their own party the whole cred
it; and they have proclaimed, q tllous-
and times over, that, but for the suc-
cess of those measures, the Union wod
have been dissolved. The leaders of
the Democratic party have all treated
opposition to the Compromise Meas
mes of 1850 .as the rankest and most
unadultcratcd treason, although Jeff.
Davis, and perhaps three or four other
ultra Locofoco disunionists were in the
opposition. And now for a rather
startling exposition. We find the fol-
lowing in the Clarksvillc Chronicle of
the 1st inst:
Sin examining Buchanan's record,
as made out by his friends, we have
been surprised to find no evidence that
he was in favor of the Compromise of
1850. We have it, from source en-
tirely reliable, that he was opposed to
the measure, and if SO, it gives black
er hue to record already black c.
Snough."
The charge here made against Mr..
pBuchanan is true. 1t is entirely true.
We will state why We say so. In 1851
q squad of Democrats met together in
Mississippi and nominated James Bu-
chanan for President and jefferson
Davis for Vice President. Thereupon
Andrew Jackson Donelson, rs editor of
the Washington Union, wrote and pub
lishcd an article headed "Too Fast"
in which he made mention of the Mis-
sissippi nomination and stated that Mr..
buchanan was in favor Of the Conpro--
mise Of 1850, while Mr.. Davis was Bit
terly opposed to it. AS soon as this
article appeared in the Unton, Mr.. Bu-
chanan feverishly anxious that the Mig
sissippi nomination should not fall thro
wrote lettcr to Major Donelson, say
ing that he was opposed to the Com
promise measures of 1850. That let
ter is now in Major Donelson's S posses
sion, who says that he stands ready to
publish 1t if any of the Democratic or
gans shall republish his article from
the Union to show that Mr.. Buchanan
was in favor Of the Compromise meas
urcs Of 1850, or shall make the charge
that Donelson said that Buchanan was
in favor of those measures. The issue
is thus squarcly rendered. Let Mr..
Buchanan accept it, or any friend of
his that dares; and then, if Mr.. Donel
son fails to establish his position by the
production Of Mr.. Buchanan's letter,
the shame will be upon him, and the
injury upon his party.
We hardly believe that Mr.. Buchaii-
an was actually opposed to the Com
promise measures of 1850. We be-
leye that he, like most of his party,
was in favor Of them, but, if he was,
the infamy of his letter to Major Don
elson in the following year was unit
terablc. In that case the letter shows
as strikingly as any thing under Heay-
en- could, the utterly unprincipled char
actor Of the man. II, after having
been favorable to the Compromise n1ea-
surcs of 1850, he declared himself op-
posed to them in order to place himself
in the attitude of q person At to 90 Up
on the same ticket with Jefferson Da-
Wis, then he is an unscrupulous and
false and base man, capable Of preten-
ding any thing for the sake of Office,
or eyena chance of it. The great mass
of the Democratic organs, as We said,
have treated opposition to the Compro,
mise measures Of 1850 as treason to the
country; they have proclaimed that no.
thing o.. 81. the death Of Gen. Taylor,
who { opposed those measures, saved the
Republic; & now, if any ofthcm dare to
face the facts, let it be shown whether
their candidate was really opposed to
the great measures ofsalvation in 1850
or whether he hypocritically or falsely
pretended in 1851 to have been oppo-
sod to those measures, SO as to get him
self upon ticket for the Presidency,
with jeff. Davis for the Vice Presiden-
cy.
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