The Washington union., 1857-06-06

m
Of Mr. Fillmore personal and political friend, he had
no alternative but TO support him. with almost GER
tainy TO the result for Mr. Fillmore and the ddest
foreboding for the country Occasionally some CLEAN OF
light would flash the landscape and excite mo
mentary hope that Mr. Filmores election might be
cured by casting into the House of Representatives but
vanished almost quickly il came, and the gloom
only relieved by the conviction that Mr. Flmore's
candidacy prevented the contest assuming entirely
Oal aspect and thus restrained many from giving their
votes TO Fremont Thus he strengthened Mr. Buchanan
by continuing in the field = and this opinion uttered daily
by his supporters the streets and highways, published
in American and whg papers, entertained by all men of
ordinary perception, and shared by him in common with
the whole South is perverted into accusation that he
supported Mr. Fillmore to elect MIR Buchanan. The
very fidelity to personal and political friendships the
fltering adherence TO hopeless minority which then
characterized his course is to-day made the ground for
accusing him of bad faith and dread of mnorities In
their elegant language, he fodder being all gone in the
fields and the fence down. he had crossed into new
pastures but his hearers might rest assured that as
his should become convinced that their
sfodder all out, there would be perfect stampede
amongst them fences would not restrain them. With
such politics merely question of odder and
they judged and attempted to degrade him to their
standard 'Ihe knoweth his owner, and the ass his
masters crib :; they II stay long there is blade
left unconsumed and no longer.
All those who heard him would bear him witness that
he had in the done entire justice to Mr. Buchan
ans integrity his great abilities his wide experience, his
unquesoned patriotism that the sole ground of his OPP
TO him the construction ne placed Ills
letter endorsing the doctrine of squatter sovereignty
He elected by the democratic party, maintaining
conflict almost unaded, against the enemies OF the
South They achieved great victory over our invet
crate foes rescued the constitution from their pollutng
hands, preserved it and the Union from destruction.
What had been the result In his inaugural address,
voluntarily, emphaticay, courageously Mr. Buchanan
repuates the doctrine he had attributed to him. and
maintains, to the full the rights which all of all
parties the South had asserted adopts the construction
of the constitution for which the South had uniformly
conended and pledges himself to its maintenance In
the construction of his administration he gives further
that this policy shall be pursued Follow
ing it the decision of the Supreme Court,
forcing the views and determining, finally, the
correctness of that construction adopted by the south
ern people Thus everything resting ON principle,
demanded by him his party associates of any adj
mnistration, attained. Did it matter through
whom Should it be less acceptable because it came
from the democracy Was it his duty to stand in sui
len purposeess opposition and regardless of the great
question of the day bind himself to organization
based the solitary policy of reform in the naturaliza
ton laws Contract the whole theory of government to
suit the caprces of faction dgnifying itself by the
Of party that had but idea touching the disc of fed
eral politics He could not sle down either his
spirit or his conceptions of duty. His duty was to his
country, not cqueto principles, not to party inde-
pendent of them. There were, he knew some old and
true friends who absorbed in their contemplation
of the past that it cruel to disturb them to awake
them from their devotional exercises dead mems
bones to the actual present he parted from them with
regret with emotional sympathy, and left them in
the pleasing occupation of cold Mortality, rescung
from the effects of time the inscriptions upon the tomb
stones of the venerated dead and passed to the
iicts of the present, N
But, with all the of safety which might be
derived from the character and ability of the adminst
ton, the necessity for vigilance for the promotion of
harmony amongst ourselves and confidence amongst
friends in the North remained undimnished The black
republicans defeated but not dsbanded dismayed
still maintained their organization, Formidable in
be powerful in the intellect and sagacity of its leaders,
terrible in the naticsm which united its masses they
remained upon the field and awaited but the opportunity
for renewal OF the contest Behoding such prospect
in the future, and knowing all who heard him knew,
that the democracy was the only national party standing
between our enemies and the accomplishment of their
purpose which fell nothing short of the destruction of the
tnon the annihiaton of individual and State rights the
substitution of anarchy the despotism of majority for
constitutional liberty he could remain neither idle
indifferent spectator of the conflict, but compel
led to enter the ranks of this great constitutional
scrvatve party and do his duty against the
my There could be no neutrality in such battle, and
he desired to the uaduded South moving forward in
unison with the true of the North in array for
the defence of their rights under leader who
might proudly address the hosts of our enemies:
Our battle is more full Of ,aan,ss than yours,
Our men more perfect in the use of arms,
Our armor all is strong, cause The best, +"
Where would his old associates be Would they linger
behind hugging their solitary idea to their hearts, when
such a waging There could be neutrality,
speak, dic!''
The last election had demonstrated that the American
had ceased to exist distinct party capa
bic Of eecting any national purpose that it power
less ally against black repubcanism and its last
national PLATFORM deprived of the most acceptable portion
Of its first gave but slight TO the South Of its
determination to maintain their rights The democracy,
in the contest through which they had recently passed.
them and in the hour of victory they had
been reasserted by Mr. Buchanan in his inaugural Ac
ceptng that the most authoritative enuncaton Of the
principles that would be enforced recognising it the
basis for sound conservative, constitutional party he
felt hesitation in declaring his intention to become
member of it, and to abide its fortunes whether good
evil He joined 1t, it true, when it majority
party in the hour of its success when it flushed with
victory. But it a victory noby won for noble pur-
poses, that promised booty to sposmen, license to
corruptiona victory Of anaticism, of the
country sectionalism, of the constitution over
"higher law The secret of its success was not in
the possession of attractive name but because it
had identified itself with national progress, with
government, with the extension of lib
erty and the preservation of law; because il had
appealed to the patriotic impulses of the popular
heart and rested its claims TO support what it might
proudly assert itself TO bee party Of the constitution
He cast aside all the dead issues of the past the differ
upon policies that had become obsolete and spoke
Of the democratic party of 1887 and to it he would adj
here long they maintained those principles upon
which they acting. Some of his old associates
had said they not very sorry to part with him he
could them he heartily glad to leave them.
He meant not this for those who sincerely his friends
blinded by temporary feeling but for those who
sailed his motives to beget confidence in the sincerity
of their own They might hurl their missiles at him, but
they reached his brow and fell harmless at his feet