The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1858-09-16

the North and to the South their respective bene.
Ats on each side of it as proposed by its original
friends. Therefore, il was, that while at for
eign court absent from his own country, his
name became peculiarly the name OF the Amer.
can people, as the one that would lead the
Democratic party to victory again. His old
friends in Pennsylvania moved forward, and
again we organized. We saw the time had come
when our champion could be presented to our
people. We repaired to Cincinnati Rivaries
home rivaries--had been exunguished bit.
terness growing out of the Missouri line and the
passage of the Kansas Nebraska bill had tempo
rarily removed other candidates from the field
Tor so we thought); and Cass men, Dallas men,
and Buchanan men in Pennsylvania made com
mon cause, and repaired TO Cincinnati for the
purpose of putting this gentleman in nomna-
ton. When we reached there, the first indica-
tion that appeared was, that the extreme South
had resolved upon Mr.. Buchanan's annhilation.
They saw in him the light of a moderate con-
servative sentiment. They saw in him, for the
first time, q public man who having been absent
from the country, therefore disconnected from
the exciting rivalries of the day would be com.
pelled from h,S rGGSSitlon 10 do justice to North
crn feelings, and extinguish sectionalism. They
did not trust to him on the issue of the day.
He was .lot good enough Kansas and Nebraska
man for them and they fought us, as the his
tory Of that Convention will show, for five long
DAYS with a bitterness and animosity such as
political conventions can scarcely rival. But
he was the only man to rescue the Democratic
party from defeat. He was the only man to
prevent the election of a Republican, and the
only man who could carry Pennsylvania; ; for
upon the contest of that State did the entire
tide Of battle turn. From your own State a
similar disposition was manifested IN certain
quarters. In this quarter now, where tins dis
ease Of Lec0mp tonism RACES the most violently,
and where the affection for the administration
is INDUCED the most ardently, Mr. Buchauan
received nothing but GOODNESS and contempt
But we nominated him and returned to Penn
sylvania, Tor the first time joyous in having
achieved our long cherished wish. And when
we returned there, we came with the full and
confident hope that there would be an end to the
difficulty in electing man whose nature was
behaved to be SO conservative. whose character
was believed to be so prudent, and whose entire
record had been national aud constitutional
At that time | believe the Republicans them
selves abandoned the campaign. They looked
around in vain for candidate; but events (and
there is no necessity for spinning out this detail
TO greater lengthy brought on u series OF ex-
elements such as we have never witnessed In
our country, an by the middle OF August 1896,
the campaign was more than doubtful Why
did it become doubtful? Because Tic rr"n'lc
opinion of the North had been stirred to it's
deepest depths by the excesses ct The pro-slavery
minority, backed by Federal power, in the Ter
rltory of Kansas. That was the only question.
1t was not the OSend Conference, it was not
the Pacific Railroad; it was nothing but the
single issue--Shall the people of Kansas be per-
mitted to dispose of their own affairs in their
own way? Shall they vote upon heir domestic
institutions, not slavery alone, but upon all
their institutions, unmoested by the bayonets
of the Administration on the one hand, and the
onslaught of bands of foreign marauders on the
other. No man felt more deeply in reference
to Kansas than did Mr.. Buchanan. No man
talked more freely about it. In his letter OF ae-
ceptance of the nomination and in the speech
he delivered to to the Committee upon it in his
paror at Lancaster, (at which happened to
be presently he laid stress upon the great prin-
ciple that the will of the ma jority should pre-
vail. Why he said to me thousand times,
"The South tSt vote for me, and the North
must be secured; and the only way to secure
the North is to convince those gentlemen that
when | get in the Presidential chair will do
right with the people in Kansas. am now
66 years of age. | have reached that time OF
life when | cannot have any ambition for re-
election, and if have, the only way TO secure
it is to be strong with my own people at home.
watched this struggle from my retirement in
London; | have seen what conceive to be the
mistakes of Others, | am not responsible for
the administration of President Pierce; there
fore, | will inaugurate new system | Will
show to those gentlemen that Pennsylvania
President will stand firm to the pledges OF a
Pennsylvania gentleman and Pennsylvania
Democrat" Now, fellow ciizsns in that let
ter of acceptance, if you will refer TO tit is
not necessary for me to produce 1t here-you
Ga a. ka ii .efinn 10 hat % ma n
pie of the Territory of Kansas should be pro-
tected in the sacred right of suffrage, unawed
by any influence whatever, and that the Will OF
the majority should prevail
We went into the canvass. 1t fell TO my lot
TO be at the head of the State Democratic Com
mttse of Pennsylvania. All my affections
were in that State all the emotions of my ma
ture, physical and mental, were enlisted on the
side of the candidate she had presented. His
whole career, his character, my personal attach
ment and the sincere devotion felt for him,
his family, his cause, and all about him made
me so anxious for him to succeed that indulge
in no vain expression of speech when say to
you that would have forfeited my life for him
Nv devotion tor him knew no bounds. Day
and night, night and day, toiled in that cam
paign. And there are those here to-day from
nv own Stale who will bear witness to the fact
when sd, that all my OwG resour' es, all my
fortune, my every exertion, every sId that could
be enlisted Was enlisted TO produce the hnal re-
suit. Aud tu,vt all Others in that campaign
was the great principle of popular sovereignty
Applause rha' was The slondard winch mar
shaled tn way. That was h. shibboletn thai
was the war cry. From Lake Erie 10 thr Dtla'
ware River--trom Pittsburgh TO Philadelphia
in every village and town in the Sate-every-
where that could induce pen 10 write, or
tongue TO speak, that was the theme upon which
those pens wrOIe and those tongues spoke
Why, gentlemen, Mr. Buchanan had no conf
dence or reserve upon this subject. He was
public, he was open, he was unreserved In ms
declarations TO everybody. He sent TO the ira
duced John Hickman, ia an adjoining county
He told him, through his friends and agents -
" You John Hickman, occupy peculiar rela
ton you voted for the Topeka Constitution
you denounced the Kansas Nebraska bill you
100 were opposed to the repeal OF the Missouri
ompromise line /; the Democratic party OF YOU
district have nomina aed you; the Republicans