The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-03-02
We shall watch the course. Of s.: the Senator
with some curiosity, on his own account
and, on account of the State, with much
solicitude. j-@s-\. 49, - = -
The Morality OF Buchananisln.

The MOr0ltty Ok OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Perhaps nothing illustrates the quality of
what may be called Buchanan morality, more
aptly than the means which are taken by
tile administration influence to misrepresent
the state Of Democratic sentiment and &C.
ton. The states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Minnesota. etc., have elected delegates to
Charleston against the opposition of the
Administration, and instructed them to vote
for DOUGLAS as the Presidential nominee.
And yet after this fair, direct trial of strength
between DOUGLAS and BUCHANAN, resulting
thus in the triumph of the former, we notice
that the Constitution, the immediate organ
of BUCHANAN, claims part of the delega-
tion from each state, except Illinois, as
opposed to DOUGLAS. This claim of the
Presidents moutbpiece is caught up and
echoed byfeach Administration press, and
pensioned adherent, over the country.
This claim, if, it were true, would expose
the BUCHANAN influence to most damaging
suspicion of political immortality. For in
all these states the delegates to Charleston
were elected upon the distinct DOUGLAS
issue; with the certainty that no man could
be elected unless he was pledged to DOUGLASS
support And this pledge, always demand
ed and given, was clinched by instructions
from the conventions which appointed them.
This being the spirit in which the primary
contests were waged, and the instructions
given, it is apparent that, if any of these
delegations contain men hostile to DOUGLAS,
they must have got their places through de-
ceit, and that their continuance on the dele
cations is fraud upon the masses of the
party. And the Administration in using
the assumed fact as an argument against
DOUGLASS success, exposes its privity with
the movement, and demonstrates by such
claim its participation, or its readiness to
participate, in such fraud.
But the claim itself is false. And this fact
reveals the Administration in still worse
light. 1t is bad enough to lie when the subject
Of the falsehood is, in itself, meritorious but
the lie becomes doubly venal when such
subject is intrinsically dshonorable. Thus,
man may falsely say that be has performed
charities; and we can understand such lying,
because the subject of the lie is creditable,
though the lie itself is sin. But we cannot
comprehend how a man could falsely say
that he had robbed henroost; because such
lying would be trebly disgraceful-First, by
reason of its preparation Second, if the
lie was believed, by reason of the criminal
act of robbing; Third, if the lie was dis
credited, by reason Of the implied confession
that the liar would rob henroost, if he got
chance. Now, this last style of lying is
that adopted by the Administration. In the
first place, it is false that any of the North
western delegates are opposed to DoueLAs; in
the second place, if the Administration claim
to that effect is believed, such belief must
be accompanied by the further belief that
the Administration has been guilty of per-
petrating fraud upon the party. And in
the third place, the lie, if disbelieved, is
damaging, because its utterance shows that
the Administration would practice fraud
upon the party, if it got chance. And
such is the morality of Buchananism.