The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-08
PECUEIARY CALAMITIES TEMPORARY-Po-
LTTICAL ISSUES ENDURING.

-o1e oDOot InclE PeCunlaly tnAu pOilt1cal Op1-
gations-more interested in the fate of stocks
and banks than that of candidates for Office.
Some, we apprehend, overwhelmed by reverses,
or concentrating all their energies in the work
of selfpreservation, viii neglect their duties as
citizens.
The Administration Party will be the gamer.
Its transactions in Kansas, and its recent adop.
ton of the odious extra judicial opinions of the
Pro-Slavery Judges of the Supreme Court. by
which Slavery is recognised as normal insti.
tuition in all United States territory, beyond the
reach OF Court, Congress, or Territorial Legis.
iature, will be apt to escape criticism, and fail
to arouse that indignation which they would
provoke in ordinary times. Meantime, no
Federal of6ceholder or ofice-seeker will be
idle. In every State, leaders sustained by Fed
eral patronage will neglect no means to mar
shall their forces, and bring them to the polls.
Hard times will not be accepted as an ex-
cuse for not doing party duty.
Some of the advocates of that Party tell the
People that the Administration is their only
hope in this emergency. They do not favor US
with an explanation on this point, but hint
that it is because it does business on the specie
basis Just as if Mr.. Buchanan were entitled
to the credit of a Treasury which receives and
pays out nothing but gold and silver. That is
the established policy of the Government. no
matter who may be the President. That Mr..
Secretary Cobb is doing something to relieve
the country, by redeeming the public stocks, is
all true; but this, too, has been the policy of
every Administration since we have had sur
plus In the Treasury. A man with more money
than he knows what to do with, will naturally
seek to save himself from unnecessary interest
by anticipating his obligations. Of course,
Mr.. Cobb, as in duty bound, has managed the
disbursements from the Treasury so as to give
as much relief as possible under the existing
pressure. What man in his place could do
less?
We do not arraign the Administration Party,
because large portion of it is in favor of
serve restrictions on paper money or, because
some of its leaders in former days made war
on the United States Bank: or, because
Democratic Party, of which it claims to be the
regular successor, gave the country Sub
Treasury: on all these points, we should agree
with it; but, they are settled-they are not to.
day before the People for discussion.
We arraign the Administration Party be-
cause it is sectional, Slavery Party. "Mr.
Buchanan" says the Richmond Enquirer, "was
the choice of the South. The sIaveholdfng
States sustain him, and will stand by him
throughout. His policy is the policy of the
slave States on the Slavery question. A few
freeaters may repudiate it, but the conserva-
tive sense of the great mass of the Southern
people will not"
The policy of the slave States is, the perpetual.
ton and expansion of Slavery, and it's assumed
constitutional existence in all United States ter.
ritory. At one time, "a few fre-eaters" did
distrust and even denounce Mr.. Buchanan, be-
cause they feared be was playing into the
hands of the Free State men in Kansas. But.
his letter to the New Haven memorialists has
treasured them-they no longer question his
soundness. By his oath of office, he has sworn
to support the Constitution of the United
States-and, by implication, all laws passed in
pursuance thereof The Kansas Nebraska act.
he assumes, is among these laws, and this recog.
misses the right of the People of Kansas, the
bona tide settlers, to elect their own Leeisla-
ture.
A body, styling itself Legislature, was
chosen through fraud and violence, in violation
OF the organic act, it is asserted on one hand
In strict conformity to that act, it is asserted
on the other. 1t passes certain acts, which it
calls laws, oppressive to those who do not rec
ognise it as a Legislature. Mr.. Buchanan,
finding it in existence, pledges himself to sus-
tain and enforce these acts with the whole DOW
er of the Federal Government, against what he
denounces as rebellion: and he pleads his oath
of office
Is he sworn to support the laws of any Terri
tory? No-his simple oath ia to support the
Constitution of the United States. Suppose
he have reason to believe that the Constitution
was violated by the enactment of such laws,
what is his duty? To examine into them
first, their nature; secondly, their origin. If
he become convinced that they were passed
by bod elected in violation of great consti-
tutiOnal act, and therefore illegitimate, or that
they are inconsistent with rights guaranteed by
the Constitution, what then is his duty? To
enforce them? That would be to violate his
oath of Office. His first duty is to the Consti.
tuition of the United States and fidelity to that
requires of him careful examination of any
law that he is called upon to enforce. We
have no evidence that he pursued this course
In relation to Kansas. On the contrary, he
bhndly recognises what exists, as rightfully ex.
listing All that is alleged concerning the VIC.
lation of the organic act, in the election of
what claims to be the Legislature, he totally
ignores; and instead of constituting his oath of
Office to impose on him the obligation to recog-
Mise that act, cons!rues it as imposing on him
the duty of maintaining any Territorial law, So
called, whether in accordance with that act or
not.
No wonder that the "fre.esters" are satisfied
with this position. 1t is all they could ask Let
them anywhere usurp power, and establish the
usurpation, and on the principle of this New
Haven letter, President Buchanan stands com.
mitted to maintain it. All an unlawful enter.
prise needs, to secure Federal support, is sue
cess
We hope the people who love justice, no
matter what their pecuniary distresses, will be
careful not to overlook these things.
Bat this is not the worst. AS we remarked
in our issue two weeks ago, President Buchanan
and his party stand committed to the support
OF the odious extrarjudicial opinions of the
Pro-Slavery Judges of the Supreme Court.