Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-09-17
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN DEMOC-
RACY.

JOnn D. t1aSkins III tue ttn 1OnBlthsioihi
District of New York, Col. John w. Fornoy,
of Pennsylvania, made a speech. As Mr..
Forney deservedly has the credit of clectng
James Buchanan to the Presidency, and was
deeper in the secrets of the canvass Of 1856
than any other man in the country, history
Of that canvass from him must be authorita-
tive. The following is his speech on the
above occasion. and it is deserving careful
reading by all men whether they are Republ-
cans or democrats:
SPEECH OF MIR. FoRNEY.
Mr. FoRNEY said
FELLOW CITIzENs; feel gratifed in be-
ing able to appear before you as one to parti-
cipate in the ceremony which has been an
nounced-the nomination, as the people $
candidate, of one of the iribunes who stood
up during the whole exciting session of Con-
gress for an undying principle. And | am
gratifed. further, in being able to bear, here
in your presence, my personal tribute to the
courage. the independence and consistency of
the gentleman whom you have thus formally
placed before the people for reelection
Having taken some part in the controversy
which is not yet closed, and having been
present when various demands were made at
the seat of the Federal Government, ! saw
Mr.. Haskin tried, not only by frowns and
the threats of power, but by its Establishments
too. And there never was a moment, from
tho beginning to the end of that struggle, in
which that man quailed or ialtorcd. Cheers. !
It required on his part, gentlemen, uncommon
courage, sustaining peculiar personal rcla-
ton, as he did, to the Executive, to resist
these combined influences, It required great
independence and great self-denial to tear
himself loose from those with whom he had
been thus closely associated and, more than
all, it required that he should keep constant
watch over himself, lest in that great political
center, where public virtue is constantly sap
ped, where the public man is constantly in
danger of being betrayed, he should fall into
the hands of his enemies. 1t required on his
part that he should so bear himself as to be
able to stand without suspicion. lie came
from a District which had not only given him
a large plurality, but which had given for Mr..
Buchanan a decisive vote and to no man
more, | venture to say, is Mr.. Buchanan in
debtcd than to Mr. Haskin for the manner in
which the Democratic party in this vicinity
rolled up the vote they gave to the Democrat
ic candidate in 1856. His active excrtions,
his personal devotion to the character of the
President; we feel that that candidate recip-
rocated Tor pretended to rociprocate) all the
devotion which Mr. Haskiu himself manifest
ed, rendered him of all men the man upon
whom the President might rely in conducting
the affairs of the Government at the seat OF
the Federal Capitol He did not 60 to
Washington to betray principle, or to de-
sert the candidate of his choice. He saw this
Administration which he had thus toled to
elect, with four years Of power, with unbound
cd patronage. Beside, as have said he was
his friend The Cabinet was filled with men
toward whom he sustained the most intimate
relations. What reason, then, had he to dc
anything but the right; What induccment
was there on the part of Mr.. Haskin to take
any other than an honest course | say
then, my fellow-citizcns, that you do well in
placing him before his constituents for anoth-
or trial. Cheers and applause. Yes, you
not only do we'll, but YOU would not do well /
you did not do so. But / say now, that wher
/ the time comes that public men in the Nortl
are not sustained who have done what Mr.
/ lIaskin has done-when that time comes
/ that the people of this Congressional Distric
refuse to do honor to such a man, then we be
come in this region a race of towards an,
slaves. Cheers Of applause. My fellow
citizens, | must be little personal, because
appearing before you | do, am impeled
if not compelled, to refer to portion of tn
political history in which have borne prom,
inent part. My relations to the present exec
utiye of the United States begun with carl
boyhood, from the time long before ! becam
a voter, when was his intimate confident an
friend. From early youth down to the pres
ont hour, or rather to period one year age
sustained toward Mr.. Buchanan relation
not only of intimacy, but of more than intima
cy. Had he been my father, if his blood ra
in my veins, could not have been more dc
votedly attached to him. Applause. ! be
lieved that that sentiment and affection wa
rcciprocated. We had tried in our good oil
State OF Pennsylvania, for many years, to cleo
this gentleman to the Presidency 1t fell t
my lot-born in the county in which he gre
to manhood, in the county whore he rea
law, in the county where he still has his re.
{ idence, in that county where he says he eS
poets to die-and knowing him thus well,
fell to my lot to do a good deal of the har
work incident to the fulfllment of the aspire
tons of himself and the wishes of his friends
In 1874 we went to the city of Baltimore il
structed to vote for a distinguished citizen
| your State, Mr.. Van Buren, but owing to tn
publication of his celebrated Texas letter. tn
delegation from PENNSYLVANIA, as is we
known, concluded that Mr.. Van Buren, ha
forfeited the confidence of the Democrat
party, and that it became us to present on
own favored citizen for that high place. w
did so, and we failed. But still in 1913 W
reappeared upon the scene with our fellow
citizens, and there the friends of Mr.. Va
Buren, in this State repaid us in kind for I'll
= good turn we had served them four years be
fore. Applause. Undaunted we continue
to organize, and in 1852 we reappeared in tn
same scene with our former friend, and "
were again defeated. That seemed to be tn
, last chance-the last shot in the locker-if
may use the expression But he was appoint
J ed by President Pierce in 1852 to FIJI tn
high and important mission of Minister t
England. While there he was removed froI
the scenes of domestic politics, and quietl
and observantly watched the movements
home pending and succeeding the repeal
the Missouri line. Mr.. Buchanan had bee
: known for his attachment to that line. Tn,
in 1919, while a student-of-law with NJ
Hopkins, at Lancaster, Pa, he attended
meeting in which he denounced it subs
g quently, in ls47, he came out in his celebr
= ted Berks County letter, and stated there thu
= the only way to settle the Slavery questiC
] 20. 81 Il u