Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-08-20
For the Enquirer.
To Ex.President Buchanan.

occupying the most elevated station OF YOU
country, you retired, in March last, to the quiet
scenes Of Wheatland.
| will not SO far question your rcgardlo LOT tue
welfare of your fellow-citizens Throughout the
late Union as to suspect you OF indifference
to those great public events which have since
lranspired. All will admit that such an ius
p~utation could find no warrant IN your poHt''
cal antecedents. :.
While ysur responsibility Us President
ceased on the 4th of March, your responsibility
as a patriot will cling to you and rest upon
you through life. Nor is this all. we nave
the highest authority for asserting that much
will be required of him, 10 whom much mas
been given. -l
You are familiar with our constitutional
history and have filed q large space IN the
eyes Of your countrymen. Your views always
| command attention and often exert conslaera-
bic influence.
No special duty requires you to disclose
your views to the Southern people, but you
are under a high moral obligation to inform
your fellow.citizens of Pennsytran'a ana her
co.StateS, whether you do, or do not, endorse
Lincoln's several usurpations OF power, anu
the violations of the Northern Constitution oy
his subservient Congress.
] venture to affirm that the course pursued
by the present Administration meets with your
decided condemnation, and I shall produce evil
dence in support of this assertion.
Miraculous conversions often occur among
politicians eager in the pursuit OF power. and
| who have not passed the prime of life.
Your right to change your opinions is
cheerfully conceded. 1t rarely happens, how
ever, that statesmen of serenity do change their
views Of great constitutional questions, which
they have fully and calmly investigated. lr
is possible, but not probable, that your senti-
ments have changed since last December.-
What were they then2 In your annual mes.
sage Of December, 1860, are to be found the
following remarks:
"The emergency may soon arise when you
may be called upon to decide the momentous
question whether you possess the power tyJoTce
Of arms 20 compel a State to remain IN the
Union. l should feel myself recreant to my
duty were l not to express an opinion on this
important subject. The question, fairly stated,
is: Has the Constitution delegated to Congress
the power to coerce q State into submission
asAich isattempting to rithdruw, or has actual.
~ uithdvaUn from the Comfderacy9 If an
swered in the affirmative, it must be on the
principle that the power has been conferred
upon Congress to declare and to make war
against q State. After much serious reflection,
l have arrived at the conclusion that no such
po9sr has been delegated to Congress or 10 anY
other department Of the Federal Government.
| 1t is manifest, upon an inspection of the Con-
s~titution, that this is not among the enumerated
powers granted to Congress, and it is equally
apparent that its exercise is not necessary
and proper for carrying into execution
any. of those powers. So far from this
| power having been delegated to Congress, it
aoas expressly refused By tho Conrsntion piich
framed the Constitution"
You then quote the authority of Mr.. Madi.
son in support Of the foregoing views, and pro-
coed as follows:
without descending to particulars, it may
be safely asserted that the p0aoer to make 7car
against a State is at u~ariance Nth the whole
spirit and interest Of the Constitution. Sup.
pose such q war should result in the conquest
Of a State, how arc we to govern it afterwards?
Shall we hold it as u province and govern it By
despotic power? In the nature of things, we
could not control the will Of the people and
compel them to elect Senators and representa-.
tives to Congress. = r The fact is,
that our Union rests upon public opinion, and
can aerer be cemented By the blood Of its citi.
Gems shed in cieil aoar: If it cannot livei in the
affections Of tic people, it must one day perish.
Congress possesses many means Of preserving
it by Cancellation, but the sa0or6 uas not placed
in their hand to presers it by force.
These views are creditable to your under.
standing and your patriotism. Had the con.
sentative men of the North embraced them
sincerely, and urged them zealously before
their own fellow. %citizens, the present war might
have been averted. Unfortunately, nearly all Of
your conservative men eyinced an utter destitu-
ton of moral courage and political integrity.
They succumbed to Lincoln as plant willows
yield to the storm. They ought TO have known
that popular decisions are not immortal, and
that the passions and prejudices Of the masses
cannot be permanently kept up to the boiling
point by any amount of a~rtifce, clanor, de.
nunciation and mendacity.
The Southern States did not desire war, nor
are they responsible for it's existence. AS the
war was commenced by tho North, the
South will prosecute hostilities with rigor, I'm.
til the North offers ample evidence Of her de,
sire for peace. The conquest of the South is
the dream of de magogues and fanatics. The
return OF f~raternal feeling and the restoration
Of the Union, are just as likely as the future
salvation Of Lincoln, Seward and Scott.
Your present opinions, whether favorable to
war or peace, will not influence the course Of
the South; but l respectfully inquire whether,
under existing circumstances, silence, on your
part, is compatible with the duty which You
owe to your fellow citizens OF Pennsylvania
and those Of her sister States, in the Northern
Confederacy?
Unless a radical change has occurred in
your views since December last, you must re.
gard Lincoln's war measures, and those of Con.
gress, as palpable and alarming violations Of
the Constitution. You must consider them as
entirely unjustifable and eminently unjust to
the South. You must regard them as utterly
destructive of that very Union, the restoration
of which is their professed object. Tfso re-
gardiug them, are you not solemnly bound, as
a patriot, to promptly denounce them, and to
invoke all the honest men of the North to pro.
claim their indignant reprobation?
You are personally known throughout Penn.
s~ylyania. There are thousands who look to
you for light and instruction. A large number
may be enlightened by your arguments and
influenced by your appeals. Your example
could hardly fail TO arouse the conservative
! men of other Northern States, and strengthen
thei: exertions in favor of the early termina-
ton OF a war, not less disgraceful 10 the North,
than it is disastrous to its diversified interests.
Men may cherish good wishes for peace and
constitutional liberty, but good wishes are a
poor substitute for the performance Of duty
Active exertions are necessary, and they should
be made, regardless of the clamor of politi.
clans, or the censures Of the press. In the
discharge Of every duty something is hazard.
cd while duties neglected or violated cause
sclfreproach. However, fond of repose, you
must be sensible, that continued silence will
subject you to imputations notifying to your
feelings and highly injurious to your future
fame. cannot believe, that you will allow
the public to long doubt, whether you have
the moral and political courage to avow openly
your genuine sentiments and to proclaim your
hostility to the crimes and usurpations of the
present Administration. 1t is for you to decide,
Hhether You gill hu ynur silence authorize