Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-09-17
Mr.. Buchanan Thirty Years Ago.

Mahy of the Know Nothing papers of the South
making garbled extracts from speech delivered
by Mr. Buchanan in the House of Representatives,
in 1926 to show that he opposed to slavery and
regarded it as an evil. That speech was delivered
on the 18th day of April, 1926, on the Panama
question. We have it before US now, in Gales and
Seaton's Register of Debates, vol. 2, page 2,l6s.
These papers quote just enough of this speech to
accomplish their unjust purposes, and suppress the
balance. They suppress all that part of it relating
to Cuba and all that he says in favor of the slave
holders of the South. If the reader, for example,
will look under the Editorial head of the Raleigh
Signal, he will find the following:
"Perm here Mr.. Chairman, for a moment to speak
upon subject to which have before adverted upon
this foor and to which, trust may again have
oeeasen to advert the subject Of Slavery Be
BEEN CAST IN A STATE WHERE IT DOES NOT
FxST Upon RI T TAsT BE ESro SgkSE EN
MAKES 1T A SUBJECT OF REPROACH TO QUIZ IN
STITUTIoNs." Bucdaaan.
See Gales and Seaons Register of Debates page 21so,
vol. 2, part u
Now, let US see all that Mr.. Buchanan said on that
occasion in relation to Cuba and about domestic
slavery In that speech Mr.. Buchanan said:
"Important as this island [Cuba may be to in
merca it still more imporan, in political view From
the OF Cults both OF
Mexico and Florida The report of Committee For
egn Relations truly says that the Moro be
as fortress the mouth of the Mississippi: Any pow
possession of this island with small naval orce
could Theoretically seal the mouth of the Mississippi hus
the agricultural productions of that valley which is
channel nature intended for their passage large
portion of the people Of the State one OF whose
For this feel particularly interested in this Of
the subject The great aa0 Of seresereatso" so".ae IS
suffer it to Spain, under schose dotnon It @N be
harmless And yet Government have never even pro-
tested against its invasion by Mexico and Columbia
There still another view of the subject in rela to
this island which demands particular Lei u fera
in Mexico and Columbia should attempt uti onize
it. Have they not always marched under the standard of
Sp Have they
ton Of the island what will be the probable nee!
servie which, in has been the bar
desolate the land The dreadful scenes IF St. Domingo
acted almost within sight of shores cub S,ou
be cast magazine the cicnity Of the Southern States
s0oss erposo" aDod be dangerous to their tranquility and
Permit me here Mr.. Chairman for moment, to sneak
upon subject to which have before advert ID on
this toor, and to which, trust, may again have
occasion to advert. mean the subject of slavery be-
lieve to be great political and moral evil thanh God
WfTHoUT REMEDY It has been an es a.
tailed upon us by that nation which makes it subject
OF reProach to our institutions is however one of those
moral evils, FROM WHICH IT is IMPOSSIBLE FOR
Us TO ESCAPE, WITHOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF
EVILS INFINITELY GREATER. There are porti. ms of
this Union in which, if you enancpae your slaves thew
will become masters There can be middle course, Is
indulge the horrd idea of aboshng slavery by the mas
sacre Of the minded and the cvaro1s race Of men
WOULD 1s1 Ell T9k ny RYE
ON MY KNAPSACK AND MARCH in company with INV
f TE ron Mr. Everet IN DEFENCE of
am willing to consider slavery as question en- irely
domestic and leave it to those States in which exists
conduct this subject. have good reason of eye
tnat the honest but mistaken attempts of phanthrc pss
have done much injury the slaves themselves Th at.
tempts generally reach the of the slave and wh they
inspire him with false hopes of liberty and thus max him
disobedient and discontinued with condition. they COM
pei the master severity than would otherwise
have been necessary"
[See Gales and Seaton's Register Of Debates, vol.
2, 1926, pages 2, 179 and 2,1s0]
Here, then, We find Mr. Buchanan thirty years
ago taking strong ground for Cuba, and announcing
his willingness to buckle on has EaapsaeE if necessa-
ry and march to the defence Of the South ogainst the
aooHtsonssts. He is the same man now that b. was
then. 1t deserves to be noted that he occupied in
the Ostend Conference the same position in relation
to Cuba, which he announced in this speech in 1926.
For thirty years he has been the steady unf inch
ing, and fearless friend of the South All his speech
es and ell his votes, both in the House and Senate
prove this to be so. Indeed, while member Of the
Senate he stood by Mr. Calhoun on every question
affecting Southern rights and just and constant
was he in this respect, that Mr. Calhoun more than
spoke of in his place in that body and thank
ed him for it Yet Mr. Buchanan is no sectional
statesman. He was true to his constituents and
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