The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1865-06-14

| doctrine BY other leading members OF the
same party but my statement in reference
10 H,em not having. been denied by my ama-
ble enemy, il is quite unnecessary for me
TO do so. Probably he is satisfied by this
time that there is zone word of truth in the
whole statement that he prouounces 'lres."
Now let us suppose for one moment, that
that message of Mr.. Buchanan's that >excit-
ed such holy horror in The loyal writer's
patriotic bosom, instead OF simple state-
menI of how the Constitution regards ihe
alleged right of secession denying the
| right, but at The same time noticing the
absence of any provision authorizing the
use of force to prevent, except in defense
! OF The public property and OF ;he functions
OF the officers engaged in the collection of
the revenue) had contained the same lan-
guage that have quoted from Mr. Lincon's
speech in Congress, and from the Tribune.
In that event, doubtless, the patriotic Stan
tons mob courts would have had the VEN
! cradle exPresidenrs head upon pole
more than three years ago. But what es
pecis ssnctiy does advocacy OF secession
and revelation derive from the pen OF Gree.
ley, or rom the lips of men who created
',he party of great moral ideas ~ All =
There is mighty difference "iwixt tweeGle>
dum and twedlsdee." Does not the writer
know that no statesman whose opinions are
regarded even in his own party as authority
upon questions al constitutional law has
ey er ye, undertaken, by an analysis OF that
message, to show that Mr. Buchanan's state.
Inenis therein, or his Conclusions were
wrong? Does be not know that, until the
bomnardnenl of Fort Sumpier, Mr. Lincoln
and Nj Seward fornd themselves in pre-
cisely the same difficulty that Mr. Baehan-
an had encounieIed, and tacitly, if not ex-
Pressly, recognized the soundnes5 of the
views he had expressed When political
iricksters wax so eloquent in their patriotic
Genunciaiions of that message, they uni
formIy ignore the fact that j. was cent to
Congress some two months before the al
tack on Fort Snmpier, which relieved the
country of all embarrassment upon this ques-
ton by throwing the government upon The
defensive.
Iu crilicising the conduct of public men
il is al least fair 10 keep in view the stale
of facts existing at the time OF the acts
complained ot-and in This connection ii is
bot Just TO say, that at the time Of Mr. Lin
cola s speech, be had no reason 10 believe
that The people OF any section of the Union
were then DESTROYS OF Shaking off the ex-
listing government and setting mp another to
sui; them better" 1t had been better, how.
ever If that doctrine had never formed
part of his official record for we have no
right 10 ignore the fact that that record, iu
connection with the plausible but fatal adj
vocacy of similar doctrines by leading or,
cans and leading men of The parry whose
advent TO power was coiemporaneous with
secession, iormed a very i'm 2oriaul element
in Southern estimate of the chances Of sue
cess in ihat movement.
In common honesty, LET me ask whether
the Southern secessionists had not right to
infer that whatever of power the then ne Ely
elected President. sustained by the T1iitne
and all the other influences to which have
advened, could exert upon this question
woulG be exered in accordance with that
record, and with those influences? Had
;hey not right TO inferthat all those men
in the North who believed in the Gospel
according 10 Greeley which, if UNDER
stand IT, dethrones Divinity and the Law,
and places in their stead 'fereat moral
ideas"-woud say with their master, 'ff
he cotton States shall become satisfied that
they can DO better ont OF the Union than in
II. we insist on letting them go in peace"
''The right 10 secede may be revolution
AIRY one, but it exists nevertheless OF
what avail to preach to them lha, 'Mr
Lincoln had been consltulionaliy elected, )"
when Mr. Lincoln had already furnished
them with the reply that ''any people, any
where, being inclined and having the pow
er, have right TO rise up and shake of the
existing government and set up another to
suit them belter?'
Unfortunately for them and for the coun,
try, they accepted his bad logic, and acted
upon 1t, doubtless in the hope that It's au-
tbors would, the language o: the Tribune
''do heir best to forward their views"
For the rroof in reference to The action
Of Senators Seward, Chase and Hale upon
the celebrated New England petition TO
Congress ''to devise sone plan by which
the Union may be divided would re
specially refer The writer 20 the Congress
ioEal Globe of that time. ! should be hap
py 10 furnish him wiiL the date, bat have
il not al hand. He can readily satisfy his
enquirng mind by looking i, up, or by en>
curing as 10 The fact OF any gentleman OF
ordinary intelligence whose memory has
not an unfortunate habi; of losing track OF
certain rather obiectionabie points in the
records OF certain public men.
In -. e L. - r---