Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-08-28
Mr.. Buchanan and the FIIIibusferfsEn Of
the Cincinnati Platforns.

acceptance OF 1ne Oihclnnau PLATFORM particularly
the Iibustering part Of it. namely that be accept.
ed it as a piece of advice, and not as matter of
doctrine BY which be meant to abide With this
excuse the ". Y. journal Of Commerce seeks to
pacify those of its readers who fear that, il he
should be elected President of the United States,
be would seek to execute the project of the Ostend
MsnifestO-the taking Of Cuba by force, If it could
not otherwise be acquired. We quote:
ATTEMPTS are strenuousy made to weaken the
admitted force of Mr. Buchanan's claims, founded
on hrs well known personal character and great ex.
perience 8 statesman by alleging that he stands
upon the declaration imputed 70 him after bis nom-
nation: II am no longer James Buehanan-I am
the representative Of the Cincinnati platform" II
hence inferred that Mr. Buchanan adopts the whole
platform without qualification, and that he will be
guided by it solely in the management Of public az
fairs, and particularly in what il is supposed ex.
press as to the foreign policy OF the government.
This it is said will result in war and conservative
men are asked to oppose him on this ground; al
though it is conceded that but for this be would be
the very man for the present emergencies of the
country. 1t will be easy to remove all apprehen-
Sion with respect thissupposed declaration of his
from the minds OF those who are honestly bent on
arriving at the truth.
Immediately after the nomination had been
made, friend of ours, who had attended the Con-
yention, stopped at Wheatland Oh his way home
from Cincinnati. Mr. Buchanan submitted to that
friend the draft Of his reply to the announcement
which in the course of few days was TO be made
to him, that he had been selected the Presidential
candidate. In that draft reply it was stated that
the resolutions, with respect to the foreign policy
Of the Government, were adopted as advisory reso
lutions merely. This impression as to the chsrac-
ter of those resolutions grew out Of the fact that
the vote to refer the resolution of Mr.. Mead Of Vir-
gina, that the platform in that respect should be
treated as advisory merely, was reported a vote
to adopt the resolution
"The final action ofthe Convention on Mr. Meads
resolution declining adopt the resolution as adv-
sorry, and treating as peremptory, had not reached
Mr. Buchanan until the draft letter had been thus
read, when the friend nquestion mentioned it, and
Immediately messenger was despatched to Lancss-
ter to ascertain the facts more fully. The messen-
ger confirmed the information thus conveyed, which
put upon Mr.. Buchanan the necessity of changing
the whole tenor of his reply. His letter to the
mittee delivered some days afterwards, con-
tanning evidence of the greatest elaboration the
beet in which he states that ut is quite impOssi
bic for any human forekDOwledge TO prescribe posi-
tive rules in advance, to regulate the conduct of
future Administration in all the exgences which
may arise in our various and eVer-changing rela
tions with foreign powers" &c.
The editor of the Journal of Commerce must be
obiviOus to the powers and uses OF the telegraph,
aud supposes his readers in a similar case, or be
could never have had the above story imposed upon
him. The foreign resolutions of the platform were
adopted on the 9Th Of July. In the papers Of the
following day the 9th wherever the telegraph reach
ed, the circumstances under which those resolu-
tons prevailed were announced. The columns OF
the Journal of Commerce for that day, as well as
those of the other papers Of New York. if referred
to, will show that the attempt to give tie resolu-
ii Ons merely advisory character steadily re-
sisted and defeated by large majority Of the Con.
ventiOn, AMI that, against this decision, Maryland
joined by o: two other States, earnestly pro-
tested. Yet we are 20 believe that intelligence o
this, perhaps the most salient point in the proceed
ings of the Convention, had failed to penetrate the
seclusiOn of the Wheatlands, or to impress itself
upon Mr.. Buchanan's remembrance, when, on the
9th, four days afterwards to party of synpathizug
friends returning from Cincinnati, "a moments con-
versation with any one of whom would have cor
rected the misunderstanding if such could by pos
sibility have existed) he used the following lan-
guage:
"Now, have been placed 90 platform which
heartily approve, and that shall speak for me. Be-
ing the representative of the great democratic par
ty, and not simply James Buchanan, must square
my conduct according to the platform OF that par
ty, and not iDsert any new plank or take any from
it. That platform is sufficiently broad and nation
al for the whole democratic party"
The Journal has been successful in showing the
necessity Ofrelieving Mr. Buchanan from the odum
Of endorsing portion Of the platform that neither
its good sense nor conservatism can approve, but
it has failed most lamentaby in affordng the relief
It designed We think there is good ground for
the belief that Mr.. Buchanan not only knew but
approved the obnoxious resolutions before they
came before the convention, and that they were
prepared aud submitted by Mr.. Soule with his full
consent. He has never recanted the doctrines OF
the 0stend manifesto, why should he now refuse to
recognise, in its fullest force, the approval of the
principles Of that document by his party, or hest
tate to take from it authority to carry them out i
placed in power.