Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-11-21
MIR. BUCHANAN AS PRESIDENT.

OF the proDaOlnIy OF tne success ol MI Du-
chanan in the Presidential contest. Of Mr..
Buchanan and the policy he might be cx-
pected to pursue, the Times holds the fol-
lowing plain and forcible language
Mr.. Buchanan has been the most ductile
and flexible of politicians. He has been
federalist and is now Democrat, Pro-Free-
Trade and Anti-Free-Trade, and pro and
anti almost everything else about which
parties in America have warmly disputed. |
He is not man of great resolution or vio-
lent counsels, but he possesses peculiar ia
cility of efacing himself and yielding i'm
plicity TO the influence of those who sur
round him, often persons of inferior judg
ment to his own. He is Thoroughbred
demagogue and unscrupulous partisan, and
though unexceptionable in private life, has
grown gray among all manner Of intrigues
and maneuvers. In this country we have
not forgotten how adroitly he kept alive the
quarrel with England which Lord Clarendon
strove so earnestly to terminate, not from
any wish to involve the two countries in
.
from the continuance of the dispute an cleo
tioneering advantage to himself Europe
has not forgotten the unseemly spectacle of
the Congress of Ostend, when the represen-
tatives of America in Europe met together
under the presidency of Mr.. Soule to hold
a aconference on the best manner of attacking
the governments of friendly States, and ac-
curing the lands of weaker Powers. The
same principles which were laid down in
that Congress by Mr.. Buchanan and his as
sociates have been embodied by the Dem
ocratic party in the Cincinnati platform, the
manifesto under which they proposed to
fight the Presidential campaign. From the
conclusions of the Ostend Conference we
extract the following, to show into what
hands the Government of the United States
of America is perhaps in the very act of
drift lg:
"Our past history forbids that we should
acquire the Island of Cuba without the con-
sent of Spain unless justified By the great
Lay of self preservation. We must at any
rate, preserve our own conscious recituGe and
self respect. While pushing this course we
can afford to disregard the censures of the
world, to which we had been so often and
so unjustly exposed. After we shall have
offered Spain a price for Cuba far beyond
its present value, and this shall have been
refused, it will then be time to consider the
question, ''does Cuba in the possession of
Spain seriously endanger our internal peace
Al. i TTt,to
This passage seem to need no comment.
It's doctrines were not obScurely reiterated
in the Cincinnati platform. To that plat
form Mr. Buchanan gave his assent in these
memorable words: "Being the represen-
"tative of the great Democratic party, and
''not simply James Buchanan, must square
'my conduct according to the platform of
"of that party, and insert no new plank nor
stake one from it." This singular declara-
tion has been the subject of much ridicule
and comment in America The press de-
light to remark that the Democratic can
didate is no longer a man, but a platform,
and have absolutely carried their irreverent
mirth so far as to re-christen Mr.. Buchanan
in true Yankee fashion, "James B. Plat
FORM" These arc, as we have said, portions
of Mr.. Buchanan's character which would
lead us to suppose that although in assent
ing to the Cincinnati programe he has nom-
inally adopted as principles American as
cendacy in the Gulf of Mexico and the un-
If1inching application of the Monroe doctrine,
he will not be very forward to put these
principles into execution. We may antici-
pate, also, that his accession to power as the
representative of the South will raise such
a domestic commotion as will fully occupy
his time and attention, without leaving him
time to disturb the peace of his neighbors
this might we'll be if Mr.. Buchanan could
rule alone. But he will be as much and
propably more than ordinary Presidents =
creature of his Cabinet, and he will be sur
rounded by men who have the head to con
ceive and the hand TO execute any scheme
that they believe beneficial to the party in
terests of the South. To such persons a:
are the advisers of Mr.. Buchanan, foreign
: war is immeasurably preferable to domes
tic defeat, and the acquisition Of new Slav'
State, to oppose to the next Free Territor.
from the northwest that may demand nd
, mission to the Union, is cheap at any expen
: diture of blood and treasure. There ar
some civil discords that incline to peace
: Others that urge directly toward war. l
} remains to be seen whether the furious com
Z motions of Republican America be of tn
4 former or latter character. For Englan
] the course of policy marked out BY events
: clear and obvious We cannot forbear syn
t pathizing with the party which would chee
7 the extension by armed force ofthe degrad
= ing and debilitating institution of SLAYER.
D into countries unsuited for its operations an
e utterly hostile to its extension. But in tn
0 future President of the United States, who
: ever he may be, we recognize nothing br
: the elected chief of friendly power
r Whatever his antecedents, whatever hi
). professions, We will persist in believing tbs
e the chief of the people of America will whe
: once elected, rise to the dignity of his pos
o ton, and, casting off his more questionabl
+ antecedents, will know how to maintain g
|. once the dignity of the Republic and the r.
II spect due to the feelings and interests
n foreign and friendly powers.
&c The Result In Illinois.
) After all the Egyptian voting and fig
ring, the majority for Buchanan in Ii
I ~ .