The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-09-29

the late emancipation proclamation Of Gen.
| Fremont tallies or conflicts with the Buffalo
Platform. But. at all events, our loyal people
| of New York and of tho whole c0uHtry are
curious to know the position Of Martin Van
! time for him to write letter on the crisis, ad-
missble of no doubtful construction.
| John Tyler, who figured so conspicuously at
| Washington last February as the head of the
so-called Border State Peace Conference, has
turned out full-nedged rebel. His summer
seaside residence near Old Point Comfort has
been appropriated to the comfort of some of
our army officers, and they expect to call upon
the Captain ut his winter quarters at the ancient
little city of Williamsburg before the winter is
| over. His last official act at Washington as
peacemaker was very cool specimen of Sc
cession insolence-a solemn protest against the
insult to Virginia involved in the planting Of
cannon on the land side of Fortress Monroe
Willard Fillmore, it appears, has lately de-
clarcd himself Outand-out in favor of President
Linccln's conservative policy for the prosecu-
ton of the war, which is the best political plat
form that Fillmore has occupied during tho
whole of his public career.
Franklin Pierce is fishy. He lately attempted
out West little patriotic speech; but it betrayed
only the white feather. This is not matter
of surprise if we look back to the facts and acts
Of his mischievous administration. When he
came into power he found the two sections of
the country reconcied to each other, tie slave
ry question adjusted, and he was under bonds to
keep the peace. But he was beguiled and
became the tool of his Secretary of War,
JEFF. Davis, and his Southern confeae-
rates in Congress; and thus, in reopening
the slavery question, he inaugurated in Kansas
the issue and those scenes of civil war and re-
bellion which now menace the capital of our
country and the very life of the nation. The
public humiliation of poor Pierce, in conse-
quence of his faith!essness to his trust has been
too much for him, and doubtless he would now
be speaking the peace speeches of Brock
inrdge but for a wholesome fear of Fort Laiay-
cite.
Lastly among these ex-Prcsidcnts we come to
Mr.. Buchanan. Compassion for the unhappy
old man and his many troubles, and the belief
back and weak in the knees, he was trying to
do right induced us to assist in keeping his
head above water to the last. Now, however,
leaving his motives to the benefit of doubt,
the fact stands out in bold relief TO all the
world that Mr.. Buchanans administration is
directly responsible for this great rebellion,
and that pennyworth Of sound discretion and
moral courage ON his part would have nipped
it in the bud.
He could have done this in the timely dis
mission of the traitors of his Cabinet; he could
have done it by adopting the seasonable advice
of Gen. Scott, urging strong garrison in each
of the forts at Charleston; he could have done it
by warning and stopping the rebels when they
commenced the erection Of their hostile bat
teries around Fort Sumter; or, failing in all
these things, he could have rendered the rebel
lion impotent in Virginia by seasonable mea-
s,lres for the safety of the Norfolk Navy Yard
our great naval squadron there, and those stores
of ammunition and those three thousand pieces
Of artillery. But lie failed even in this impor-
tant duty, and the consequence is, that from
Harper's Ferry to South Carolina the rebels
have lined the right bank of the Potomac and
of Chesapeake Bay and the sea shore with their
forts and batteries, from that depot of federal
cannon seized at Norfolk
And so, to the vanity and foolish ambition
of poor Pierce, and to the deplorablc weakness,
blindness and credulity of his poor old sue
cessor in Office, the labors of hundred
years of patriots and sagcs, and of the great
American people, in building up the glorious
fabric of this Union, have been brought to the
verge of destruction. Let us hope that. as our
next ex-President, to " Honest Old Abe" will
belong the glory of our country's salvation
The New Governor General Of Canada.
There is no question of the value and import
ance of Canada as dependency of the British
Crown, nor of the interest which England has in
the issue of the great contest now being waged
on our own territory la time of peace on this
continent the government of that province, al
though always involving heavy responsibilities,
may be conducted easily enough by any gentle
man of average capacity. BY simply abstaining
from doing anything which in the ordinary
course of his official career he is not called
upon to do, and complying willingly with the
ordinary requirements of his office, he may live
out his term with satisfaction to himself and the
community over which he presides as vceroy,
and, if possessed Of good social qualities,
may even make himself extremely popu-
lar. One rash measure, however, one
indiscreet action, may not only result
in his being personally hated far and wide, but
in dragging the British government into
sea of troubles If, for instance, the Governor
General of Canada, at a period like the present.
provoked quarrel with the United States by
any obnoxious act, his government would in
evitably have to fight it out, and, whatever
might have been the vanity or folly of its repre-
sentative it would have to reap the conse-
qucnces. And these have so often been severe
already that the British government cannot
plead TO inexperienced The foolish and bonn
bastic conduct of Sir John Bowrng in China re-
suited in disasters the effects of which are still