New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-12-16

the surrender OF Sumter ana went nouIc' iho
truce was broken! Why not now avenge the trea-'
sonl Carolina was not ready. Major Anderson,
according to Secretary Holt, was acting under or
ders "to stand strictly on the defensive" Mr. Bu-
chanan forgets this when he gently chdes Major
Anderson for not bombardng Fort Moultre when
the Star Of the West was assaled, and not putting
on him the responsibility Of directing thatbombard-
nent. Here again Mr. Buchanan, the writer, is
best answered BY Mr.. Buchanan, the President,
through Secretary Holt. He cannot fasten upon
Major Anderson the shameful humiliation which
he permitted America to suffer.
More time was wanted; and We had the Peace
Conferences Virginia scheme to postpone hostill'
ties John Tyler came on q mission Of reconcilia-
ton" and succeeded SO well that he gained twenty
two more days. and left Mr.. Buchanan but two
weeks government. The truce which Gen. Scott
subsequently denounced, and which MIR. Buchanan
deliberately explains and defends, was really truce.
Ii gave the South the start. 1t allowed the people
of Charleston TO make their haTbor so strong that
twenty thousand men could not, according to Major
Anderson, rescue Fort Sumter. We see now, and
the country saw then, that all these delays were
intended to gain time. The South meant war, and
meant to begin when il got ready. Mr.. Buchanan
gave it this time, and threw upon Mr. Lincoln
disguised and paralyzed North prepared and vim
dctve South. Those who criticize Mr.. Lincoln
for what is called his tampering with Fort Sumter,
should dwell upon this fact. Mr.. Lincoln found the
South armed aud ready, burning for Waffle North
dormant and weary with the hundred days of cow
ardice and trifing Mr.. Buchanan had the oppor-
tuniiy; Mr.. Lincoln had not-and 1t IS FOR sacri-
icing this opportunity that we censure our author
to-day His defense does not rescue him. He tells
US he had no law TO authorize the raising Of troops
M Lincoln found law in public necessity and
raised troops, although no law was passed BY
Congress until eight days after the battle OF Bull
| Run.
The long protracted controversy with Gen Scott.
on the subject Of the truce is closed BY the pub
lica,ion of this book. While We do not think
that Gen. Scott fully appreciated the moral duty OF
the hour by recognizing the sin OF Slavery, he
was enough Of soldier to see that there was moth
ing more humilatng than TO furl tho Union colors
before Rebel guns. In this, as in other respects,
he differed from the President. He would not have
hanged Robert Toombs. He would have hanged
| noDouy. ess"Htidiy P'hcclui' hS
saw in war greater danger than disunion, because
to him war meant not only dsunion, but the at
tendaDt horrors of debt, and DEATH aud desolaton.
Therefore, if these people would CO. let them.
" Maynard sisters" he thought, depart in peace.
You will be glad to come back to the comforts of
the old home, the pin-money, the fatted calf and
family fire. Go, and let US have no words about il
But if you attempt, in the act Of going to dishonor
the nation flag We must, soldiers, punish you"
This was tho substance of Gen. SCOTS philosophy.
The nation however, saw only al old soldier who
had commanded their grandfathers fifty years be-
fore, great soldier in the days Of Wellington and
Bonsparte, the hero Of two wars, the trusted COM
mander of the American Army during three-fourths
of the Republics existence, contending with Reb-
els, and demanding ships and guns and troops, and
craving to be permitted to go to Charleston Bay, as
he gone thirty years before, when he sienced the
fathers Of these very freeaters So, while the phi
losophy of Gen. Scott was but little different from
that of Mr. Buchanan, the very fact that there was
a contingency in which he would not be non-re-
sistant brought him close and dear to the American
heart How We loved that stately, tottering old
man, and fred guns in his honor, and wrote songs
about him, and cheered him in the theaters, and
prayed that God would lengthen his days, and
blessed his good, gray head that all men knew
The war IL done, the great drama Is over the pup
pets have played their part, the curtain has fallen
giants have come and gone, new names have arisen
from tsnneres and village courts to be forevermore
remembered with Washington and Franklin, but
the good, gray head" still remains. America has
/ md han ha hall coll nd bal
minute guns sound slowly, and the drums are
mutied, we shall think Of him not as at Lundys
Lane nor Chepultepec, but as the one American Of
degenerate Administration who resented the dis
honor of his flag.
During all these events, We find on the part OF Mr.
Buchanan no fixed purpose. He never apparently
seemed to forget that the Democratic party not
the country, and that there was power higher
even than the dictates of partisan Conventions.
The ocean was upon him, and he mopped it with a
compromise; but the waves were not to be stayed
with q broom. Therefore, every step, while it
probably meant peace, really fastened war. lie
was in the hands Of bad men. His Cabinet were
the leaders of the conspiracy. We believe be
wanted peace. We cannot but feel that if he could
have turned aside destiny, he would have given
his life; for there is nothing in his history to
make us suppose that he really designed to
hurry on the crimes and calamities of Rebellion.
He was Q weak man with the work OF giant.
He had seen dangers before, had "faved" the
Union twenty times, when the only necessary
salvation was surrender to Slavery; and he did not
know but that he could again bring the North to its
knee. The snirit OF aggression however, had gone
abroad. Anti-Lecompton had doneits work. John
Brown soul was walking the earth, and the Ameri-
can people were instinct with resistance TO the