The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-10-27

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"Wednesday. - Get. 81, 1888
GE The absence of tho Editor dur
ing the past week is The cause of no edi-
torial in this paper,
=
The PresidentandH His Traducers.
Since the days of Andrew jackson,
no prominent man of the nation has
been SO violently assaulted. or 50 grossly
abused as James Buchanan. Previous
70 his election il wss generally conceded
that be possessed intellectual powers Of
ahieh order that his attainments were
quite fsspectable; that his experience
qualified him for almost any position;
that his moral character was above re-
proach; and that, as q gentleman, a
statesman, aud patriot, b ewas verymuch
such a man as was wanted to occupy the
position Of President o these United
States. But, no sooner was he seated
inthe Presidential chair, than it was
discovered BY the exasperated hosts of
his enemies, ard that he was not only
destitute Of al needful qualifications for
The Office to which he had been elected,
but was afflicted with all imaginable pro-
ciiyisies to evil. This, coming from the
enemies of Democracy, was about what
might have been expected. SHch aecu-
cations aud assaults have long been con
sidered Us authentic Endorsements of the
prominent men of our party and he
who is not found worthy to be thus as
sailed, can never rise above .m~ediocrity,
or stand approved By the American peo-
pie. 81
But Mr. Bucbanan, in addition to the
uAnal Endorsement, has been favored with
the most inyeterats hostility Of a few
OF those who we're formerly classed
among his friends. This renders his
souudness in the Democratic faith Gu
tirsly unauestionable, and gives him the
strongest possible claim upon the respect
aud confidence of his friends. To be ac-
cusod oil, trucking to the South, of com
hitting a monstrous fraud in relation to
Kansas, of being vindictiVe towards his
enemiss, and of being unr~easonably par
tial TO his friends-these unfounded &C.
cusations give him an elevation truly en-
yiable, and will constitute N of the
brilliant adornments of the history of
the man and his Administration.
A@feature, however, in the warfare
vaaed against Mr.. Buchanan is, not
that he has been Virulently and persist
emily assailed, but that q word uttered
in his defence has been treated as a NOR
a~ldisQrace, and accounted for only on
the supposition that it must necessarily
proceed from gross selfshness, or from
some ebliquity of mentae vision. His
assailants have not only claimed and
eroised the right to heap all manner of
abuse upon him, but they have demand
ed thar his friends shall be silent in his
defence, on pain of their concentrated
displeasufe. The mendacity of the OPP
position press has in this instance gone
beyond anything before Witnessed
Brov.beating has been reduced to a;sci-
once and to such an extent has that
kind of insolenee been carried, that pa
thence has ceased to be q virtue.
From q general survey of the field,
We 1 q conclude that the Republi-
can press has never had a disposition to
do the common act of Justice of COM
mendipg the conduct of the President,
eyenEin those cases which demonstrate
The wisdom of his craftsmanship, aud the
exalted purity of his motives. Too mar
row in their views, and too groyeling in
their selfshness, to see that any good
thing can come of our Democratic
Nazareth, they scold while the world
appiauds, and condemn when praise
but refecr honor upon themselves.
But Of this wo do not complain. We
are accustomed to that kind of treat
nient from that quarter. Bot from
those presses which still claim to be
Democratie, aud who are unwilling to
be classsd with the opposition, we did
expect something moro in accordance
with our old-fashioned ideas Of proprie-
" and decency. It was reasonable to
suppose that, from a regard to their own
Interests, they would keep up q show of
respeot for tie head of the Democratic
party, and that a sound policy would
Naturalization as are generally APP
and commend them to.the favor
able consideration Of the Fublic. But
theY have net darel to be magnanimous,
even when nagnahimity would have
been greatly for their advantage.
As illustrations of the general faet
now insisted upon, take ForHey's Press,
the Cleveland Plaindeaier, and the Chi
cagos Times These papers all claim to
be Democratic-remarkably sol They
assume to be organs of the party, and
with the airs of those having authority,
they read us sage homilies for our politi-
cal heresies, and damn us. with nick
namesoand crooked epithets, as though
there were no souudness in US, or for
g~iyeness for our manifold offences. They
call us ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS dis
oraaniEers-and other hard names stoo
numerous to mention, But we have
yet to learn that they have SO much as
a word 10 defence of tue party,
or it's chosen leaders; or that they are a
step behind the most rampant Republi
cans in their open abuse, or sly insiuua-
tious against Mr.. Buchanan and his
Ifsthis proves that such jour
nails are friendly to the Administration,
to It's principles, It's distinctive policy,
or the party by which it is and will be
sustained, then We are at fault in our
most careful estimates of the meaning
of words, or the tendency Of things.
Out upon the cant of such bypocritesl
Il wifi be q long while before people of
Common sense, or common honesty, will
that friendship for the President,
Or respect for the integrity and success
Of the Democratic party, can be made
manifest By silence as to the Reritorious
acts of eitheT-much less by gross as
snlts ,lz5on both II is time that the