Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-12-04
From the N Y Courier AMI Enquirer.
Mr.. Buchanan's Policy-The Opin
ions and Speculations Of Gen. j
Watson Webb

1t is very natural that great anxiety should
exis. in relation to the policy Of Mr.. Buch-
anan's Administration; and it is equally
natural, ,that those who aye acquainted Nth
the personal ,Elations rhich erist bet,reen the
Uriter and Mr. Buchanan should deluge us
,riM inquiries to learn what we think of the
future.
If Mr. Buchanan's advocates at the North
had been half as honest and frank as are
his supporters at the South, no man of Or
dinary intelligence could entertain doubt
in regard 10 what W ill be the policy of the
incoming Administration. If the Northern
demarngues who advocated the election OF
Mr.. Buchanan hid been true to the platform
of principles put forth at Cincinnati, and
claimed and secured the election Of their
candidate u on the ground that he was
pledged to sustain those principles. then
there could have been no room to question
what would be Mr.. Buchanan's course
But precisely The reverse was the fact; and
consequently, the public are greatly in doub:
in regard to the future; and ;, we presume,
Mr.. Buchanan himself, greatly embarrassed
by the position in which he finds himself
placed by the expcdiency policy of his lead
ing friends in the recent campaign.
1t would be superfluous to say, that If
Mr. Buchanan should administer the Gov
ernment upon the principles Of the Cincin
natl platform, no earthly power can prevent
Kansas becoming a Slave State, or avert
| from this country war with the great
Maratime lowers of Europe in defence Of
our seizure OF Cuba and portions of Central
America. Such are the inevitable conse-
quences Of carrying out the principles OF
the Cincinnati Convention, and the well
establishe and openly proclaimed purposes
of the Slaveocracy. The ouly question is,
will Mr.. Buchanan, by his administration,
illustrate ,,those principles! We have no
certain means of solving this qeestion, u J.
less we forget that Mr.. Buchanan, pending
the late contest, ignored hi, past political
life and al. his personal feelings. Once
permitted to do this, and we could not ;en-
tertain doubt but he will oppose every ef-
fort to extend the institution of Slavery in
to the free Territory Of the United States.
aud frown down every movement calculated
to reflect upon or National faith, o. to in
volve Us in "A war for The extension of hu-
man Slavery. We are assured, however.
from source of great espectability, that
Mr.. Buchanan is not pledged to carry out
the principles of the Ostend Circular or the
Slavery propa gand SIN put forth by the Gin
cinnati Convention in connection with our
foreign relations.
Then, as to Slavery-extension; ii is also
said that not only does Mr.. Buchanan find
himself greatly embarrcssed but it is add
ed, that his friends have absolutely ignored
his pledge TO adopt and carry out the prin-
cip!es of the Cincinnati Convention. Al
an early period of the late canvass, it be.
came apparent TO the Democratic party
North and South, that if Mr.. Buchanan's
friends di not repudiate the principles OF
the Cincinnati Convention in relation to the
extension OF slavery into the Free Terri
tories of the Union, he would lose every
Northern State. Consultation ,caS therefore
had among the leaders of both sections of the
country; and the result ,oas, a determination
TO claim throughout the North, that Mr.. Buch-
anan is opposed TO Slarery-frfension and the
admission of Kansas as Slaue State. In
conformity with this determination, every
public speaker on the part of the Demo-
cracy, in the States Of Ne,0 Jersey, Penn
sylcania, Indiana and Illinois, declared most
solemnly from the stump, that Mr.. Buchan-
an is opposed to Slavery-extenson and to
| the admission of Kansas as a Slave State:
and it was these declarations, confirmed by
Democratic banners everywhere, bearing
the inscription James Buchanan, Free Kan
sas, and Free SoiI,' that the States named
were Carried for the Democratic candidate.
This fact is conceded onss ssall hands, and it is
especially insisted upon by the Northern