St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-04-19
The Sorrows of JeemS.
PITY the sorrows Of poor old man,

that old and familiar poem, called the
Beggar's Petition" would have
formed an appropriate heading to
President Buchanan's late message to
the House of Representatives, pro-
testing against Mr.. Covode's resolu-
tons of inquiry into the abuses and
corruption of his administration. That
message, with the exception OF the
part of it where, ignoring one of the
foundation principles of this free gov
eminent, he claims for the office of
President an irresponsbility and sa-
credness equal to that claimed by the
most despotic of Kings or Emperors,
exhibits Mr.. Buchanan trembling with
fear before Congress and begging for
pity. He has need Of pity-the pity
Of Congress, and the pity of all the
people of the United States. For one
we give him our pity-that pity to
which the respect that we willingly
gave him and chccrlully expressed for
him, when he first entered on the du-
ties of his high Office, has been changed
by his subsequent acts. There should
be pity for James Buchanan, that his
Administration has worn such look
of abuse and corruption, as to render
it duty of Congress to institute in
vestigation and there should be pity
for him that he should deem it neces
sary to send message to Congress,
betraying a trembling consciousness
before such enquiry. There should
be pity for him, that while in his eele
bratcd letter to the Pittsburg Ccnten,
airy Celebration, he could give utter
ancc to such right sentiments, as that
the use of money at elections poisoned
the fountain of free government, and
that when "publjc virtue is corrupted
and the people become venal, there is
:. canker at the root Of the Tree ui
Liberty, which must cause it to with
or and to die" he should, almost par
allci in point Of time with such utter
ance, have endorsed on letter to the
Secretary Of the Navy, recommended
ton 70 his attention, without word
OF hint of disapproval, of direct pro,
posal of an act Of political corruption
to influence an election in Philadelphia
in favor of the Democratic party.
There should be pity for James Blu
chanan, that almost at the same mo-
ment when in his message to Congress
he called God to witness his political
purity, there should have been made
such developments concerning his or.
gan the Constitution, and the public
printing, as were made before the
House Committee on Public Expendi
lures, in relation to the Public Print
ing. There should be pity for James
Buchanan, that his organ at Washing
ton, the Constitution, has no better
defence for him than mere assertion o
, his innocence and immaculatcness an(
the most gross abuse of those who in
stitntcd the investigation. The fol
lowing from the Constitution is spcci
men Of this proving innocence by
abusing those who seek simply to in
vcstigate whether there be guilt or in
nocence. Says the Constitution, speak
ing of Mr.. Covodc
> BY and with the advice and consent of hi
Black Republican, cOniedcrates, their allies
and William Pennington, he has become
most prominent among the Black Republican
dctancrs of public and private character ant
we do not believe that in the entire gang
from Sherman down to himself there is IA mi.i
who can exceed him in reckless defiance of al
those principles and rules of conduct which
honest men hold dear and respect While h,
openly bcgs the dcluicd believers in Blacl
Repuhlcanism to contribute dimes and cent
to IA Black Republican election fund of whicl
he is the treasurer, or =" bag holder" while h,
, sends round the hat in the hope that the crcdu
i0us may deposit their cUppcIs III it to pay tn,
jugglers for their performance and enable then
to carry the cheat still further he dgres to out
rage the American people, insult their digni
ty, and violate their laws, by arraigning theil
President on infamous accusations which he
has preferred, and before Il secret inquisitor
of which he and two of his accompices are
members. There are degrees of crime, and
this man has attained the mcancst.
1t is no light thing to impeach a
President of the United States, and
therefore the Constitution has wisely
given Congress the power to take
every necessary step before impeacl-
ment, to discover whether such i'm
parchment be demanded, and not, by
the simple fact of a causcless i'm
parchment, cast an unnecessary stain
upon that high office. james Blu
chanan, i'll his present attitude before
Congress, is fit object for pity. In
his message, and in all defences by
his organs, we see only the two first
lines Of the Beggar's Petition" For
the sake of the high Office which he
holds, we would that it were other
wise, and that james Buchanan, Pres
ident of the United States, had no
pity to ask, but only honor and re-
spcct to demand as his rightful due
1 Democratic corruption and abuse,
however, have reached a eliminating
point, and President or no President,
let investigation show it's extent, let
punishment fall where it should, and
thus let corruption, by all parties,
have a wholesome fear to check it.
When the Democratic party, after
the election of President Taylor,
charged corruption upon that Admin
~. I