The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1865-12-15
The Book Of ex-President Buchanan.


A lew advance copies Of the work to he
published by The Messrs. APPLETON, from
The pen Of ex President BucHANAs, are
ackuoH lodged BY some Of cur co,enpo-
caIIes. We defer remark until The work
, can / g examined With the care due to the
distinguished author. His preface, how
ever, We print below:
TIE following historical narrative Of
the events preceding the late rebellion
MAS prepared soon after ia o2t break.
>nhstan Tally III tie present form. 1t NAV
he asked, why, lien, MAS 1t not published
At all earlier Period The answer is thai
| the publication was delayed to avoid the
possible impu.alion, urj Just as this would
lave been, that any POI ion Of ii was in-
tended 10 en,harras> Mr. Lncoln's admin
Istralon IN the vigorous persecution Of
pending hostiiities. lie author deemed
1t f"r better to suffer temporary Injustice
than to expose himself to such e,arge.
/ lie never doubted the successful events -;
lie war, even duIlng It's most gloomy
periods. Having drawn BIS frs, breath
soon after the adoption Of the Federal
Constitution and the Union which it es-
tabllshed, ard, having been a, eve
witness Of the blessed effects Of these-in
securing Liberty ard PR sperity at home.
au.4 III presenting aD example 10 the on
pressed 10 other iands-he felt an sb;diro
conviction that the American people VI ou!d
never suffer the great charter Of their rights
to be destroyed To the Constitution, As
interpreted by lis trainers. be has ever been
devoted, believing that the specific powers
which 1t confers on the Federal Govern
ment, Notwithstanding the experience Of
The last dreary years, are sufticien, for al
most every possible emergency, whether
in peace or In war. He therefore claims
he herlt-if merit it be to simply do
oue's duty = that while in the exercise of
Executive functions lie never violated any
Of its provisions.
1t may be observed that no extensive
and formidable rebellion of An INTELLIGENT,
/ people against an established Government
has ever All en- without a long train of
/ previous and subsidiary causes A prjn
c1paI object of the author, Therefore, Is to
present TO The reader historical sketch of
HE autece0ents ending IN the late rebel
! tlon In performing this task, the eve
naturally likes itself, as the starting point,
upon the existence of domestic slavery IN
the South, recognized and projected as this
was BY the Constitution Of the United
States. We shall not inquire whether lis
patriotic and enlightened trainers acted
with wise foresight. in Welding their sane
/ ton to an institution which is in itself a
! great social evil, though they considered
! this vas necessary 10 avoid the sill great.
er Calamity of dissolving the Convention
OF our Fedora! Unlon
he narrative will prove that the orig
IA! and c"nspiilGg causes Of all our future
/ troubles are 10 be found in The !oEg. active
and persistent hostility of the \ or,hern
Aholitionisl>, both in and out Of Congress,
against Southern slavery, until the final
"'th OF their cause III the election Of
| PRESIDENT Lincoln; ana on the Other hand
The cor e>fonding antaconism and violence
With ~hIch the advocates Of slavery re.
sisted these Efforts, an,! INDICATED It's pre-,
se'vatlon and exten~ion up to the period
OF secession SO excited were he parties
! that had they Intended 10 furnish material
10 lriame the passions Of the one against
The other, 'he' could tot nave mote etf-c-
'uaiis succeeded than they did by heir
mutual examinations and re EXAMINATIONS
| he strugg 10 continued without inte1mi,
sion TOR more than quarter Of a century,
except wiliin The blei interval between
! he passage Of the compromise measures
/ OF le0U, and the ieICal Of the Missouri
cvlnprCnise III 1854, during which tie
hostile feeling, of Tie parties were greatly
aiiayed, and hopes were entertained that
the >tIife might finally suhside These
peaceful prospects, 1t will appear, were
soon blasted BY the reieai of this COM
ih"nlse a"d the struggle was then re-
ne"eu with more bitterness than ever. I'M
III The final catastrophe. Mary grievous
errors were committed b, both parties f, ON
tie beginning, but the most fata Of them
a.. vas Tie secession of he Cotton S,a,es.
The authorizes cited in the work will
show that Mr.. Buchanan never failed upon
al! suitable occasions, TO warn his country
men OF The approaching danger, and to
advise them Of the proper means to avert
1t. H"th before and after he became
! President he Was al earnest advocate of
comp'omlse bet"een he parties TO save
the Union. Congress di>regarded his re-
concentrations. Even after he had, in
hi message, exposed the dangerous COP
dllon of pubic affais, and when it he'd
become morally certain Iha, all his efforts
TO avoid The civil war would he frustrated
by agencies far heyond his control, they
peisl>IenIly refused to pass any measures
e"ablng him or bis successor to execute
the laws against armed resistance. or to
de'eod he country against approaching
rebellion.
| lie took concludes hy notice of the
successful domestic and foreign policy Of
the Administration In the portion of it
concerning our RELATIONS with the Mexican
Republic, a hist, ~ Of the origin and ma
ture OF the Monroe Doctrine is appropri-
arely included
1t has been the authors intention, in
The following pages to verify every state
ment OF fact hy documentary or other
authentic reference, aud thus save the
reader, as far AS may be possible, from re-
lance on individual memory. F1om the
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