, 1860-12-24

appointed the 4ea of January
as day Of hnc,.;stintion. fasting and prayer,
adding the comforting remark that "hope
"seems to have deserted the minds Of men,
.sand Gods afm alone can: save ~ from !
"tbc awful etfsc.speo our crimes and follies."
Now, the propriey Of holding day Of ma
tional payer, none can question Tn.
doubted1y, as 9: people; ,whila We hare
waved In power We have waned in grace:
md it is greatly to be hoped that the day
may universally observed as one Of ilumili-
::tion. While VIC Of the North arc confess
log our short oominga, It may Ike well for
Southern Doctors Of Divinity to consider
whether we really arc :ctssittic because We
do not believe slavery divine
But while The Presidents proclamatiP Pn
was en,incntly proper, people wonder ia
reading It, whether he hns Forgotten 4 pit
Of literature known to all school-boIs,
t,uchlns Hercules and the Wagner: True
+ 4.sop was u slave, and his fable nny pc
considered by the Presidential intellect Us fn
"incendiary: publication."::7 The President
however, should remember tl.at its lesson
--.'t].c Gods help thoscwho help them
;; st::vcs~-is taught as well in Christian
lies: and if lie really desires TO save the
i-alon, the best thing ho can possibly 4o'
!! ;> 10 make q vigorous use ofthe powers of
lis Office. let him remember that " Pro1i-
+: ,!encc Is generally on the aide ofthe strong
ct battalions."
l., Seriously, when we see tile President DE-
| |iferately refusing tic demand for rel ip-
lo-cemepts Of the commander Of Fort Moal-
! trie, left with sl1ty-six men 10 hold hispost
against the entire force Of South Carolina; j;
wien we SEQ General Scott. urging the
=,anting Of the rcquisition, and Cass abso-
l1tcly resigning, because it is refused; and
| when we further remember that the Presl-
| dent directs the commanding officer TO de-
| lend the fort, while he withholds from him
all means Of doing so, and thus condemns
him and his garrison to choose between an
isnom;nious surrender u ccrtain destruc-
lion, il the event Of m outbreak, we are
forced to ask, L. he a traitorf Is be mad
! t)r, is he merely pusillanimous coward
Mr.. Buchanan came into power with Ger
tain. reputation for conservatism, ability
and pride Of personal character. Never tlie
reputation more signally c1ucble undc1
tue responsibilities Of otf7ces While preach
ing hypocritical homilies sbout politica
virtue, he has used his tigh station to de
bauch our political morals. His State pa
pcrs have been most remarkable for thei
contemptuous disregard Of truth. Ills poll
cy has been one Of brutality to the wea1
and subseryicnce to the strong. he tyran
uizes over Kansas md COVERS before Care
: lima. lie has not even been faithful to hi
private friends. lie began by, eacrifcn
Forncy, to whom lie owed 50 much, an
, courting Bennett who had been the MOI
: bitter Of his defamers.. And now, at Ii
: close Of lis career, We see him stipnlatin
! with South Carolina traitors, that, if the
: will reffain from interference with the for
= of tile United States while his term ofoflit
l. lasts, he will leave these forts defcncclcs
= to be wrested, m easy prey, from the hunt
+ Of his successor.
6 h1r. Buchanan was born too late. +
+ might have made q respectable Greek
the Lower Empire He weld hare bet
u :. fair confederate Of the Borgias- Or
l. might have sllone in The court Of the Spa
ISL Bourbons at the end Of the last centur
a But may Heaven deliver our politics fro
u his uara14cI in future.