The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-05-26
Ex.President Buchanan...A Letter
from Him...Poli tcal History Set
Right.

To The Editor of the New York Erening Post:
S1R-In the New York Tribune of yesterday
read, with no little surprise, an extract from
| the Erening Post (Which do not see), stating
in substance that the Cincinnati Democratic
Convention of June, 1856, (not "May ", had
| come to a IS dead lock" on the evening before
Mr.. Buchanan's nomination, and had adjourned
until the next morning, with o fair prospect
| it would meet only to adjourn sine die :" but
| that in the meantime arrangements were made
| to secure his nomination as soon as the con-
ventiOn should re-assemble, in consequence of
pledges given by his friends. The nature of
these pledges, according to the article in the
| Post. was openly avowed by Judge Black on
| the floor of the convention, Immediately after
| the nomination. According to it, "a silence
ensued for few moments, as If the conven.
ton was anticipating something prepared,
| when Judge Black, Of Pennsylvania, latter
ward Attorney General under Buchanan, rose
| in his place and made set speech in which
he proceeded to denounce 'abolitionism and
| black. republicanism very freely, and to argue
| that the States possessed, under the constitu-
| ton, the right of secession. He went further.
and told the convention that if the nominee
| was elected, and black republican should be
| elected as his successor, be Mr.. Buchanan
| would do nothing to interfere with the ex.
erciae OF it. This pledge was ample and was
accepted by the Southern leaders,
You will doubtless be astonished to learn
| that Judge Black, afterward Mr. BHchanan's
Attorney General by whom the pledge is al.
legged to have been male, and through whom
| the evident purpose now is to fasten it upon
Mr.. Buchanan, was not a delegate to the GIN
clnnat Convention nor was he with 800 miles
OF Cincinnati during its session. Instead of
this, he was at the very time performing his
high official duties as Judge of the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania
1t may be added that from the date of Gen.
Jacksons message of January, 1881, against
South Carolina notification and secession nm
| til that of his own mess ge of December. 1860.
| and indeed ever since, no public man has more
steadfastly and uniformly opposed these dan
gerous suicidal heresies than Mr.. Buchanan
Had any person, in or out of the Convention.
| dared to make pledge in his behalf on this
or any other subject, such an act would have
been condemned few days thereafter bv the
terms OF his letter accepting the nomination.
In this, after expressing his thanks for the
honor conferred, he says that Deeply sensible
OF the vast and varied responsibility attached
to the station. especially at the present crisis
| in our affairs, have carefully refrained from
seeking the nomination either by word or
deed !" and this statement is emphatically
true.
few words in regard to tie alleged "dead
| lock IN the cincinnati convention at the time
OF its adjournment, on the evening of the 5th
OF June, after fourteen ballots had been taken
| tor candidate. 1t appears from it's proceed.
iDgs, as officially published, that on each of
these ballotings Mr.. Buchanan received a plu-
rality, and on The sixth attained majority of
all the votes of the convention, but not the re.
CURED tWo-thirds. On the fourteenth and last
ballot OF that evening, the vote stood 1928 for
Buchanan; IS for Pierce; 6S for Douglas. and
5ts for Cass. This being the state of the case.
when the Convention assembled the next
morning the New Hampshire delegation with.
| drew the name of General Pierce, aud the I'LL
nois delegation withdrew that of Judge Don.
glas, in obedience to instructions from home
| by telegraph on the day before the ballotin0
had commenced. After this the nomination ri
Mr.. Buchanan seemed to be matter of conrse
! He had never heard of dead lock " in the
convention or anything like it, until he read
| the article in the Post.
1t may be proper to state that Col. Samuel
W. Black, OF Petersburg was delegate to the
| CINCINNATI convention from Pennsylvania, and
| being well known as q ready and eloouent
speaker, "shOuts were raised" for q sneech
| from him, Immediately after the nomination
was announced To these he briefly responded
in an able and enthusiastic manner. From the
identity OF their surnames, had this response.
reported with the proceedings, contained the
| infamous pledge attributed to Judge Rlack or
anything like it. we might in charity have in
ferred that the author of the article had merely
mistaken the one name for the other Rnt
| there is nothing in what Col. Black said which
| affords the least color for any such mistake
Col Black afterward sealed his hostilifv IN
secession with his blood. At an early stage of
| the war he fell MORALLY wounded on the field
of battle while CALAMITY leading on his regi-
meut against the rebels.
Idoubt not you will cheerfnily do me Justice
by publishing this letter, and would thank
you for a copy of the paper containing it.
Yours very respectfully,
JAMES BUCHANAN.
WHEArIAND, near Lancaster, May IL 1866.
RRiICs-The rage for relics in thia CONN