Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1859-03-17

expenditures OF lIlc 'rONcf0ment NaU
increased from $40, 600, 900 to $780,
00o, 900 III one year. and he was at a
loss TO account for 1T. | am not at a
loss to account for it; nor are you.
Corruption has been sown broadcast
over the land The election of 1856
was the grand vortex which swallowed
up the revenues of the country. The
report of Sherman's committee tells q
part of the disgraceful story.
But what further do we hear?-
What wild policy is about to be in
augurated?-Alarming unprecendent-
ed and unconstitutional! Why, first,
President Buchanan proposes an arm
ed protcctorate over the people of
Mexico. VIII he give us the same
protective power over Mexico that he
welded so beautifully over Kansas
Will he write his history in Mexico,
as he did in Kansas, in the blood Of
his slaughtered fellow-citizens? Yes,
he is to have protectoratc over Mex
icol Why. they have encountered all
the evils of civil war. instructions and
anarchy. They have suffered the ty-
ranny of lturbide. and thrice repeated
usurpaton and revolution under Santa
Anna, but it seems that God has re-
served the seventh vial of his wrath
to be poured ont upon them in the
person of James Buchanan and his
armed protectoratc. An armed pro-
tectoratc over the States of Mexico,
God in his mercy forbid that such n
dance of death and feast Of blood shall
ever be reserved for the people of poor
Mexico.
Mr.. Buchanan, in recent message,
asscr:s doctrines which would be more
practicable in the rotten deSpotisms OF
Europe than in free Republic He
asks modeStly that the Congress of the
United States should DO what, with
ont the violation of their oath, they
can not do, give the war-making
power into the hands of the President.
Why, he says in effect, Queen Victo-
ria and the Emperor of the French
have the right to declare and levy war
to protect the rights of their citizens,
without consulting any Congress. and
he can not see why he should not have
conferred upon him the same right
What Confer upon the President
the right to make war! Take from
the people this power, and give it to
Mr.. Buchanan What wonderful mill
tary exploits has he performed, that
extraordinary powers should be con-
ferrcd upon him? Where has he ever
shown that YOU should take this power
to make war from Congress and give
it to him? Let us look at his military
history! We find that, when quite a
young man. according to cotempora-
ncous history, during the war of 1872,
the British army beseiged the city of
Baltimore, and Mr.. Buchanan raised a
company of volunteers in Lancaster,
and marched upon Baltimore. But it
has been disputed point in history
whether the British heard that Buch-
anan was marching upon the city and
consequently evacuated it, or whether
Buchanan heard of their leaving and
marched upon the city. Thus ended
his first exploit, (none Of his command
either killed or wounded. and before
this great military chieftain the glories
OF Alexander and the CAESARS pale their
Intellectual fires.
We are prone to hero worship. 1t
is implanted in our constitution. You
recollcct with what devotion the peo-
pie Of the thirteen colonies almost
worshippcd the Father of his Country.
How they followed him with undying
hope and confidence through the dark
and stormy years of the revolution.
He will ever be remembered, in all
history, as a pattern of the highest
human excellence. You all remember
the glory of Alexander, whose imperi-
al conquests reached from Eastern
Europe to the banks of the Ganges,
and when that conquerer wept for 9TH
er worlds to conquer; since which he
has been known as rather a distih
guished military leader. But where
is Alexander, compared to Mr.. Buch-
anan? Why, Mr.. President. after
Buchanan has conquered Kansas, and
Utah. and Baltimore, he sheds whole
buckets full of tears over Cuba, Cen
tral America and Paraguay. We
sometimes read of Jena, Austerlitz and
Marengo, to say nothing about the
bridge at Lodi, we read of the world
in arms against Napoleon, still con-
queror; but, M. President. who has
ever, or will ever, compare Napoleon
to our President?
In my hurry | may forget some oi
the grand events in Mr.. Buchanan 5
life: his history is SO replete with
striking military exploits that | have
not time to follow him through his
cventful career; SO let us come down
to his proposition to keep the transit
route through Central America-in
other words, Buchanan wants you TO
make him an overseer of the roads and
highways OF Central America. and to
give him musketS and cannon instead
of spades and shoyels to keep the
roads in order. l see no good sense
in any such thing. Our Government
has existed for seventy five year,
under our present Constitution-iol
seventy-fve years it has been admins
tered and no such power claimed be-
fore. How was it in 1912, when free
trade and sailors rights was the battle
cry that rang from Maine to New
Orleans? Did not the President then
have power TO protect the people
without a change in the Constitution!
| Let the Thames and I,undy's Lane and