The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-12-27

ascetic, IN scholarship a. DcODlyre, ln pol
itics q man determined 70 VIII, be was the
lmpersonatioa OF what Americans cal
pluck.
Among these who stood M his side on the
gangway OF the California steamer was
John B. Haskln, then . rlIdy-t4ce5 Young
lawyer, whose name was occasionally mem
toned IN the newspapers as 81 member @.
Democratic Ward Committees. Il his
veins ran the blood OF Dutchmen who had
lived for 200 years by the side Of the Har-
lem River. But more pleasing than lend
lng sheep on his fathers acres was tle
noise and excitement OF New-YOrk politics.
This man rose rapidly until be represented
the home OF his ancestors in Congress.
BrOierick was energy-Hask.n audacity.
BrOderick had immense respect IL. Or-lui-
cations Haskin loved % break rings"
and smash states" Il there had been no
sin IN Mr. Buchanal's course. the tendency
Of Haskins nature would have sent him
into opposition before the end OF hls lrsI
term. From the moment he jolnel the
alliance, there was no rest. Others might
hesitate. He Went forward ike busy
restless spirit, hunting up recruits. s-lmu-
laung the weak. denOunclng the treacler-
Ous, going with the Republicans In 0rgaul-
zng the House. John ". Forney Nr
Buchanan's lifelong friend. and q nan of
resOlute, earnest nature. keen ju ige of
the motives OF human action. an agreeable
speaker, and superb politician. joined the
alliance, as Wei as John Hickman 0i Penn
sylyanla, an orator and thinker. an earnest.
thoughtful man, who never rose I'm his seat
but, with his haggari. grizzly face his ln-
cislve, deliberate, dissec,iag sentences.
commanded the attention o. tile House.
He went with FOrney 10 the Republican
party without, we think taking part in the
intermediate comedy Ot supporting
Douglas"
The antl-LecOmptOn alliance gave o. the
Republican party the strength Of victory.
II broke the Democratic organization. uni
ted the North, and showed the South the
hOpelessness OF eternizlng Slavery hy leg
lslatIOu. Auii-Lecompton was the first
aggressive blow. John Brown struck the
second. LincOlns election. The natural
frnit, was the third Autl-LecOmnrcn
aimed at the life Of Democracy John
Brown al the life Of Slavery. The Demo-
cracy killed Douglas Slavery killed Brown.
The spirit of the men lived after them.
We have fingered upon this anti-Lecomp-
ton episode because its effect. as one of the
n
We just remarked il was the first effective
step OF national resistance TO slavery. Mr.
Buchanan's defence OF LecOmpton il the
weakest part Of his book He tells how
sadly he felt over the trouble occasiOnel bv
the LecOmptOn Constitution and repeats
one OF his many lectures upon the necessity
OF obeying the law. When LecOmptOn had
run its course, his soul turned for cOns0la-
ton 70 the Dred Scott decision. which in
vOlved all the contested questions in re
gard 10 Slavery, and presented % him j
cheerful but delusive prospect" He con-
hdently expected that the decision OF the
Court would settle all the questions and
eventually restore harmony among the
states. This Dred Scott business was re-
markaOly characteristic OF those crafty old
politicians, Buchanan and Tanev. The
President in his inaugural, enjoined oJeIi-
ence 10 the prospective decision. Two
days after the inaugural. Tanev rendered
80 Tho poinfS 0t that infarn rs dacrna ai
men know. How il saddened The National
heart by showing that Slavery had at las.
risen 10 the fOuntain-head Of all law ard
justice, and that nothing remained % free
dom but battle for its existence, Tanev
was Democratic politician Of the cast o.
Intellect fitting him Tor prosecuting attor-
ney, who had been made Chief-Justice for
Obeying an unjust decree OF the iuperi0us
Jackson, and who never, during his many
long years upon the Supreme Bench. forgot
that he owed his ermine 70 the Democratic
party. Tne most exalted citizen OF Amer
lca, he was Slaverys most supplant tool
Mr. Buchanan is surprised that the infa-
nous decree Of 4 small, narrow-minded
politician, was not accepted by the Repub-
lican party In vain. It was not written.
in the book of fate that one weak. old.
partisan Judge should revise The decree OF
God. Mr.. Buchanans confident hope
speedily became "delusive." Let Us
take warning" he SAYS, "that the late dis
astrous civil war, unjustifable as il was.
would most probably never have existed
had not the American people dsObeved and
resisted the Constitution OF their country,
as expounded By the tribunal which they
themselves had created for this express
PurP0so IN other words, Mr. Buchanan
would have US know that the war would
never have occurred if We had quietly bent
down beneath the yoke OF the Shareholders.
accepted Slavery rs now Gospel, Siiiel
as our political Messiah Davis as President.
Taney as an apostle, ami the Montgomery
Constitution as our moral law You were
not alone in that thought, Mr.. Buchanan. iu
1861.
We cannot dwell with Mr. Buchanan
upon the Helper Book, the slr.ies OF Con
ventlons, the Democratic rupture al Charles
ton, its final dissolution al Baltimore. the
rival nominations Of Mr. Breckinridge and
Mr.. Douglas, and all the petty strifes of the
canvass. Events were rushing, and at thi:
time there suddenly appeared one Of those
phenomena that come in the ages-sOme
thing more than human-who are cast Ike
sunlight across the centuries, who become
/ apostles, and Biblemakers. and the preach
ers Of sermons upon the Mount. Moses
Contucius, Plato, Shakespeare. TOussaint
/ John Brown. are wOrd-men. neither Chinese
/ nor Greek, nor Italian. nor negro. nor phi
/ iosopherS, nor poets, nor warriOrs-bu'
/ phenomena. the moral growth Of ages. and
as Mont Blanc dwarfs the Pyramids, 0uthv'
and diminish all worldly fame What are
NapOleons, and Frederics, and Marbor
oughs. 10 these. They are mere soldiers
who ire guns and build roads, and ca.
themselves kings. and ruin millions tha
they may have palaces. ap1 velvet CiOaSs
and dlamond-studded scepters 10 play with
The higher order Of men. whom We 81 ou
oeWuderment cal phenomena, our children
viii revere as apostles: anl, when al thes
ages are dead. our language only remem
bered by poring monks, and nothing lel O
Us but strange aud fanciful fables, 0ec0m
ideas Ike Hercules. and Jupiter, an
Vishnu. Such q phenomenon was Johl
I Brown. Who was he, Whence did b
comes Was he Of good family Did hi
parents belong 10 the church. Was q
ever al Assemblymal or a Member OF Coz
gress. he came from nothing: and vet 3
had in him the thought OF this age. and b
spoke il, and acted II. and sealed II Wit
bis blood. Before him the greatest OF Z
are mere opera-goers, readers Of Dewspa
pers, l0ungers on Broadway. Mr. Buchau
? an calls him "lawiess. violent and fanat
cal" II Is poetic and moral justice that
James Buchanan should abuse a job
Brown. When God sends Us a David. b
generally adds saul
: Mr.. Lincoln was chosen Pres dent. az
the strife was upon Us l. vas evident tha
Slavery was about 10 fight Tor empire
What should we do, Surrender all il i
manded, and lo0k to the future for reaso
and resumption or our old relations. @
draw the sword al once and c0mpe. ooed
? ences TIE month succeeding Mr. Lincoln
election was one OF anxiety and specull
fi0D Some we're wiling n avert Evar