Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-09-10
Forney at the Confessional.

town in New York, in which he made sort
of general confession of the part he played in
the great drama of Hypocrisy and Corrup-
ton, enacted by his party in 1856, in Penn
sylyania. and amongst other things disclosed
the treachery of Mr.. BUCHANAN, on the Kan
sas issues These disclosures furnish addi-
tional proof of the correctness of the charges
of the American press in 1857, that the adj
ministration were the real authors of the
Stanton Walker policy to make Kansas a free
State.
The following are extracts from this speech
of Mr.. FoRNEY
BUcHANAN's POSITION ON THE KANSAS QUESTION
IN 1856.
(Mr. FoRNEY. referring to the position of
Mr. Buchanan at the time of his nomination
for the Presidency, said j
No man felt more deeply in reference to
Kansas than did Mr.. Buchanan. No man
talked more freely about it. In his letter of
acceptance of the nom. nation, and in the
speech he delivered to the committee upon 1t,
in his parlor at Lancaster lat which 1 hap
pened to be presently, he laid stress upon the
great principle that the will of the majority
should prevail. Why, he said to me a thous-
and times, "The South must vote for me. and
the North must be secured; and the only way
to secure the North is to convince those gen.
tlemen that when | get in the Presidential
chair will do right with the people of Kan
sa.. / am now sc years of age. have reached
that time in life when | cannot have any am
bition for reelection, and if / have, the on
ly way to secure it is TO be strong with my
own people at home. L watched this strug-
gle from my retirement in London; have
seen what | conceive to be the mistakes of
Others am not responsible for the admins
tration of President Pierce; therefore | will
inaugurate a new system; L will chow to those
gentlemen that Pennsylvania President will
stand firm to the pledges of Pennsylvania
gentleman and Pennsylvania Democrat"
Now, fellow-citiZens, in that letter of accep-
lance. if you will refer to tit is not neces-
sary for me to produce it here-yOu will find
that he stated distinctly that the people of
the Territory of Kansas should be protected
in the sacred right of suffrage, unawed 10y any
influence whatever. and that the will of the
majority should prevail.
HOW PENNSYLVANIA WAS CARRIED.
We went into the canvass. 1t fell to my
lot to be at the head of the State Democratic
Committee of Pennsylvania.
And above all otf ers in that campaign was
the great principle of popular sovereignty
TApplause.1 That was the standard which
marshaled the way. That was the shibboleth
that was the war cry. From Lake Erie to
the Delaware riyer-from Pittsburg to Phila-
dclphia-in every village and town in the
State--evtrywhere that 1 could induce pen
to write, or Il tongue to speak. that was the
theme upon which those pens wrote and those
tongues spoke. Why, gentlemen, Mr.. Blu
chanan had no confidence or reserve upon this
subject. He was public, he was open, he was
unreserved in his declaration to everybody.
lie sent to the traducCd John Hickman, in an
adjoining county. He told him through his
friends and agents: You, Mr.. Hickman, oc-
cupy a peculiar relation; you voted for the
Topeka Constitutions; you denounced the
Kansas-N Nebraska bill; you were opposed to
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise line;
the Democratic party of your district have
nominated you; the Republicans like you
they believe in you. Now, l want you to
take the stump, and go before your people,
and pledge me, James Buchanan that intend
standing by, and if necessary, dying by this
principle of Popular Sovereignty" For my
self if could descend to the baseness of re-
publishing private letters might ill vol
ume with similar pledges from similar author
ity. Why, gentlemen, when the distinguished
Secretary of State, Mr.. Cobb, who, from hav-
ing been Il superline Union man, has been con-
verted into fre-eater, equal to Mr.. Chaubert
himself-when Mr.. Cobb came into Pennsyl-
vania, and traversed our State from end to
end, and from county to county, talking to
delighted audiences all the time, what was
the burden of his theme? Why-Popular
Sovereignty.
would use the Army and the Navy, | would
use every power of the Federal Government,
1 would surround the Territory but what the
people of Kansas should vote, and by their
vote the destinies of the future State should
be decided. Whenever Southern orator
came into Pennsylvania and called upon me,
L said to him: Nov. Sir, l have but one thing
TO say to you; we have but single thing be-
fore the people; every day is making the cam
paign more and more doubtful; every day is
making the popular feeling more and more
intense; Mr.. Buchanan himself feels that
everything depends upon the prudence, the
sagacity, and the spirit of Cancellation by
which this campaign is conducted, and for
Gods sake take Care what you say about
Kansas; leave your violent southern feelings
at home; you must not come to threaten: you
Governor Johnston, and you Mr.. Scott of
Richmond. and you Mr.. Extra Billy Smith,
and you Mr.. Secretary Floyd, all of you. must
remember that if you lose this battle here,
you lose it altogether; ii will be your loss,
and therefore you must allow us TO manage
1t in our own way. And they did accede TO
that policy, without any protection, and
gladly. There was no deception in that fight,
the State with private letters aud private
pledges upon this question. There is not
county in Pennsylvania in which my letters
may not be found, almost by hundreds, p'edg-
ing Mr.. Buchanan. in his name, and by his
authority, to the full, complete and practical
recognition of the rights of the people of
Kansas to decide upon their own affairs. APP
plause.1
THE PRESIDENT AFTER HIS ELEcTIoN-PLEDGEs
TO GOV. WALKER.
AS if for the purpose of accommodating
pledge upon pledge, as if for the purpose of
piling up a pyramid of promises upon this
question, what did he do nextY He looked
around to see whom he should get 10 go to
Kansas for the purpose of settling the vexed
question which had rendered Kansas, what il
has been graphically termed, 1.-THE graveyard
of Governors" He sought no inferior man;
he would not be tempted to take an ordinary
man. lie selected gentleman, u statesman
who had been presented by large portion of
the leading and prominent men of the South
for a seat in his Cabinet. who had for years
represented his State in the councils OF the
nation. He selected Robert j. Walker. And
when he called upon Mr.. Walker, aud asked
him to proceed To the Territory, Mr.. Walker
said to him, "Why, Mr.. buchanan, that would
finish me forever; il has ruined every man
who has gone there; il will ruin me. | have
reached that time of life when cannot afford
to risk all my prospects, and probably the
peace and happiness OF my family" And
he said further, ms if gifted with knowledge
Of the future, II cannot run the risk Of being
most probably betrayed ard deserted by the
Administration that appoints me-" MIR. Blu
chanan said to him, Mr.. Walker, If you will
10 there, you will settle this question in a
few weeks. Everything is ready; here are
your instructions pledge you my word
that everything you desire, you shall have"
Mr.. Walker, as il inspired by sublime sus-
picion, said, Mr.. Buchanan, will not 20 10
Kansas until you allow me to meet your Cab
met face 10 face, and ascertain from that