Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1856-06-25

1t is not necessary to recapitulate the distin-
gushed services renderd by this great states
man, in the highest Legislative body on earth,
SO well and so widely are they remembered.
In the debate on the admission Of Arkansas
and Michigan; in his opposition to the de-
signs of the abolitionists, in his resistance
and exposure of the schemes of the Bank of
the United States, after it had been transferred
to Pennsylvania, as vast political moneyed
monopoly; in bis opposition to profuse ex-
penditure Of the public revenue, for the cre-
alton of an unnecessary publicdebt; govern
ment, bank of discount, circulation, and de-
post, under the British name of Exchequer;
substitution of paper money for the consti-
tutional currency of silver and gold; the
surrender of M'Leod upon the insulting de-
mand of England; the unjust distribution of
the public revenue, to the States of this Con-
federation; in his courageous hostility to spe-
cial legislation, no matter how concealed he
co-operated with Wright, Woodbury., Benton,
King, Linn, and other leading Democrats Of
that day.
AS chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, during series of years, in the
Senate of the United States, he sustained
the honor of the nation, by his unanswerable
demonstration of the right of each State to
punish foreign murderer, who in time of
peace, kills an American citizen upon his own
SOIL His mastery expostions of our
title to the North East boundary line, were
upheld by the decisions of Congress, and he
won high honor for his opposition to treaty
which gave large portion of the American
territory to foreign government. He was
the advocate of liberal and enlightened
policy in regard to the pnblic lands. During
the memorable extra session of one hundred
days, when the opponents of the Democracy,
in the Senate of the United States, had re-
solved to push through series of high fed
eral measures, beginning with the Bank of
the United States, and ending with the bank
rupt law, Mr. Buchanan was constantly in
his seat, and was frequently put forward as
the leader of his party, in certain trying
emergencies. An early and fervent advo-
cate of the annexation ofTexas, he sgnalized
his career in that body by giving his views
on that important question to his country
men, in speech of unsurpassed ability and
power. .g
1t hardly necessary to goover Mr.. Buchan-
ans record, to show how true he has been
on all those great questions involving the
rights of the States, and the rights of the cit
izens of the States.
When at the session of Congress, of 1886,
the two bills were reported, admitting the
territories of Michigan and Arkansas as
States into the American Union, Mr. Bu-
chanan was selected as the Northen Senator
who should present the bill admitting Ar
kansas, and advocate it before the Senate,
which he did with signal ability, and Mr..
Benton was chosen as the Southern Senator
who was to present and advocate the bill ad-
mitting Michigan into the Union. During
the exciting debates on these issues, Mr..
Buchanan spoke repeatedly. He took the
broad ground that the people ofthe territory,
having formed Republican Constitution,
after the modle of the other States could be,
and should be admitted into the Union irres-
pectve of slavery, and that Congress should
not interfere to prevent their admission, for
any such reason as is now urged against the
admission of Kansas.
1t was during the debate on the admission
of Michigan that he used these memorable
words, on the first Of April, 1886, in his
place AS a Senator from Pennsylvania:
THE older I groaO, the more I am inclin-
ed to be what IS called a State rights man.
The peace and security of this Union depend
upon giving to the constitution literal and
fair construction, such as would be placed up
on it by plain, intelligent man, and not by
ingenious constructions, to increase the pow
ers of this government, and thereby diminish
those of the States. The rights of the
States, reserved to them by that instrument
ought ever to be held sacred. If, then, the
constitution leaves to them to decide accord
ing to their own discretion, unrestricted and
who shall be electors, it follows as
a necessary consequence that they may, if
they think proper, confer upon resident al
lens the right Of voting" DC, DC.
After the campaign of 1914, which result
ed in the election of Mr.. Polk, to which re-
suit Pennsylvania, led by James Buchanan,
contributed her electoral vote, the President
elect, casting his eye over the long roll of
democratic statesmen then living, weighing
the claims and qualifications of each and ALL
sensible of the exciting questions
which must come up for adjustment during
his administration, and after consulting the
venerable sage then in the sunset of life in
I 4 Al w.. d..