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

Lie Ike shaft Of light scroU the and,
And ike lane OF beams sthwart the sea.
1hrough all the circle Of the golden year"

And ike lane OF beams sthwart the sea-
Through oil the circle Of the golden year
They loved peace, however, as the strength and
beauty Of the nations life and not as its price. They
wished no compromise, but only fair dealing. So
far as Mr.. Buchanan sympathized with this feeling,
we honor HIM. But the charge we make Is that he
sought peace at the price Of National dignity. We
can readily excuse bis dislike to Gen. Scotts phi
osophy, but We can see no reason for his neglect to
garrison the forts on the Mississippi and the coast
He was the Executive. He had one duty, and that
was TO prevent a. any cost, the degradation OF the
country. He tells US that Gen. Scott presented
no practicable PLAN" He had no troops he says
but " four hundred men" Lincoln found men; but
even accepting this excuse we all know that in DC
tober 1860, four hundred men might have had the
moral effect Of ten thousand. The Southern leaders
would have seen that, whatever the national will
might be-vhether the Presidential choice was
Breckenridge or Douglas, Lincoln OF Bell-it would
be sustained. Gen. scot,s plan strikes us as feasi-
bic. II would have shown the conspirators that
the power Of the Republic was behind the popular
will and that any step in aggression would be met
with blow; that they might reason and rail-, but
not rebel. Mr. Buchanan intmates the fear that
any course like that suggested by Scott would
have been Calculated to excite" the Rebels
"indignation. and drive them 70 extremities
lie wished 10 "refrsin from any act which
might provoke or encourage the Cotton States INTO
secession, but to smooth the way for such Con-
gressiona Compromise as had in times past happily
ayerted danger from the Union
Let rs consider this FOR q moment, as 1t In.
wolves the beginning and the end Of Mr. Buchanan
argument. He saw before him, on the one hand, q
people quietly performing duty in electing the
man Of their choice 20 the Presidency. IL was
natural, inevitable proper act. On the other hand
he saw bafied and discounted minority, Who pro-
claimed that the performance Of that act would be
regarded and resented rs crime. Its leaders were
engaged in warlike preparation. They were build
ing batteries and fornrng military orgsnizationsi
and while preparing TO fight, asserted, in the words
Of Mr.. Pryors celebrated resolution, that any at
tempt TO prevent their treason would DO "destruc
tive 10 republican liberty What Mr. Pryor and
hi. friends wanted was time. What Mr.. Buchanan
gave them was time. Mr. Toombs, in many re-
spec,s the ablest man in the Rebellion, the very
type Of revou,ionist seconded the words Of Mr.
Pryor, and placed an everlasting comment upon Mr..
Buchanan by openly and with IMMUNITY counselng
The capture OF Fort Pulaski by Georgia Rebels.
These were the men whom our President was
afraid to " drive" 70 "e1tremties" The coun-
sci Of Toombs was treason; aud yet that counsel
WAS publicly given and publicly followed. This
leader knew the President; and, in addition
TO u. ommending the capture Of a national fort,
H.. ~. hat ~. talt "a
revolution. We must stay in and win The
Nation likewise saw this. Here was Senator pro-
posing to usurp the Government by staying in and
winning; in other words. by driving Lincoln out OF
Office and placing Mr. Davis in his place. There was
wisdom in this daring thought and, had il been fol-
lowed, the revolution Of 1861 might have been Of a
different character. Toombs saw q party in the
North professedly willing to join usurped re-
public. A Philadelphia meeting cheered disunion.
wall-st believed Toombs and appreciated Buchanan,
for it advanced the price Of the Southern State stocks
as the States seeded. Wall-st. saw q trembling
President on his knees, and staked its money that
lie would remain there. The tabled Afrite was
rising. The old pro-Savery feeling was carrying
it's aggressions into the North. InJanuary, read
of an anti-Savery meeting being broken up in New
York, while Mr.. phillips was mobbed in Boston.
All this while, Toombs and his friends were organ
ling Rebellion; the forts we're being cireum-
yallated; the Rebels were discussing the policy of
abolishing universal white suffrage in the South
and q government was being created at Mont
Qomery. While Jefferson Davis was accepting his
Presidency" Mr.. Buchanan directed Gen. Scott
TO write that Z" the Government does not cOntem-
Plate calling any troops here (Washington) other
than the District militia and some detachments Of
regular troops and it is desired by the friends OF
peace that no organized societies or clubs, eren
WITHOUT arm,, shall make their appearance here
until the tranquility Of the public mind isrestored
The ex-President argues in this volume that lie had
no power to call out the troops -Four years ago, he
directed Gen. Scott to say that it was not the want
of power but of will. We quote Mr. Buchanan,
the President Of 1861 as the best witness against
Mr.. Buchanan, the writer OF 1865
What the Southerners wanted was time. Nr.
Buchanan granted it. On the 9Th of January, the
Rebels fred into the Star Of the Wet. This was
an act Of treason. How was 1t met Here was an
insult to the national dignity-s crime which could
not DO condoned without confessing national
cowsrdice. Let us sec what Mr. Buchsnans
state Of mind was ct this time. When South
Carolina sent Commissioners to him in Decem-
Der, 1860, ait was a happy omen" When Major
Anderson transferred his command from Fort Moul-
THE 10 Fort Sumter elsctrifying the nation by his
intrepidity Mr.. Buchanan felt "regret." lie was
not therefore, in the frame Of mind to grow pensive
or irascible over harmless shot Why was no an
aver made to those Rebel guns1 Because, we are
told, Major Anderson had granted truce, and the
President could not break 1t! truce to allow
messenger to bring . demand Of surrender from
nov picLens 10 the President! The messenger