The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-30

When a writer takes upon himself the char
acter of a historian. he thereby gives an implied
pledge of honesty, impartiality, diligence and
candor in respect to the events he narrates. If
he consciously fails in any of these particulars.
he ioTfets his personal honor. If an uncop-
sClous bias betrays him into false or garbled
statements, he IS bound to attend to evidence
offered in Tectiication, and, so far al IL is not
capious, either to invalldate its ioTce or acknow-
ledge his errors.
1he editor of the Tribune, who has recently
published q hIstory,oi the wal, made on Monday
an elaborate assault on the patriotism of the
Democratic party in support of the charge
made in the House of Representatives by Mr.
Ashley, for an unparhamentary contradiction of
which a Democratic member was arraigned at
the bar of the House and censured. The editor
of the Tribune offers his accusations as a result
of his recent historical researches. After a
long array of garbled facts, he uses this EN-.
phauc and apparently deliberate languaep:-
1--WE might multiply such facts 10 indnty: but
need we? Suffice it that, as the result of a most
anxious, intent contemplation OF the history of
our great struggle, we do most undoubtingly
believe that the Democrats, as party, were not
at heart iOr the Union in ITS terrible struggle
with Secesslon-tLat they did not rejoice at lis
triulnphs nor deplore ITS deieatsn
We shall not adopt the laCOnic style of contra
dictlon Tor which Mr.. Hunter was censured. for
that would render it impossible TOR the Tribune
10 make retraciion or reioinder. We desire
to receive one or the other We could not no
provoked to handy that offensive monosylIdble
at all. II there should be need of severity we
can be severe without coarse epithcts. The ri
Ou2e makes twelve counts in its Indictment Our
space may not suffice to rebut the twelve: but To
avoid suspicion OF selecting, we will take them
in their order:-
l. Secession was first inaugurated in South
Carolina directly after the popular choice nf
Presidential electors eally III November. 1850
whereby the accession OF Mr. Lincoln to the
Presidency was assgred. The men who inaugu
rated 1t were all Den ocrats-that is, they had
supported Tor President Van Buren, IN 1870,
Polk in 1874, Cass in lS4S Pierce i'm 1879
Buchanan in 1866, and j. G. Breckenridge m
1860. There may Lave been one or two excen-
tions, but We know OF none. There was GER
talnly no Republican among them, whether in
that or any other State. And, whatever their
impulse to secession, their preteu Ior it was the
triumph OF the Republicans in the choice of
MI. Lincoln Aforesaid.
Facts may be so stated as to do the office of
lalsehood, omission or false connection beng
equally as indeiensible as invention. Toe uueS-
ton raised by Mr.. Ashley, and discussed by the
Tribune, relates to the course, during the incep-
uon and progress OF the Rebellion, OF the Demo-
cratic party Of the North. The whole Southern
people, without distinction OF party fought
tol their independence. 1t is impertinent to
refer to the course of any part of them as an
lnculpatlon of the Northern Democrats, whose
conduct Is alone in question. An unscrupu.
lOus party writer may resort 10 such tactics.
but they dlsCredlt prOtessed historian. The
Democratic party OF the Moth and that of
dental election of lS60 the Northern Demo-
Gratis supporting Mr.. Douglas, the Southern Mr..
BrC CKiDrluge. IL was not indeed clear di vision;
Mr.. Douglas received few Southern and Mr.
Breckenridge a few Northern votes: but the
Douglas party, which comprised the great BODY
OF the Northern Democrats, cannot be held re-
spons,ble for those with whom they openly
quGrIeled. A historian, whose business is m
tell the whole truth-that is, all which is essen
tlal to a correct Judgment of men and events
the t!uth without oyel'stating or nder-statlng
u, without helghtenlDg 1t by CLOSES or obscuriro
1t by shading, should not nave ignored that great
sctlsm in the Democratic party, and have
attempted 10 hold the Northern Democrats re-
|, sponslhle for movement against which thew
mace an organized protest
ii. Other Slates-at least ten of them-fOI.
lowed South Car DINA in her so-called secession
Two or three more pretended or were claimed
10 lave done so. In every instance this So
called secession was substantially the act of the
Democratic party of those States respectively.
mat Is TO say: the great body of those who had
previously rum the Democratic machine were
early and ardent seCessiOuists, while the mass
OF the opposite party were either adverse or
luBeWarm, Thus, every Democratic Governor
OF state, those Of Delaware and Kentucky
excepted, was at the head of the hunt for dis
union ana, OF the exceptions, each openly con-
IeHneu all lOTclDe resistance to the movement.
This is an itera ion of the same charge in a
dlnelent dress; it requires no separate reply
10 is wholly irrelevant 10 the course OF the
NoIlhern Democlatic party, which is the only
III. The Federal Government was then wholly
IN me hands OF the Democratic party save that
the House OF Representatives was ued-WillIanl
FehnlnI ton tmOderate Republican, having at
lenelh been chosen its Speaker by one majority
But IN no single department did that Govern
lnehl oppose any earnest resistance 10 secess ION.
PRESIDENT buchanan, III bis message OF Decem-
per per ., IooO, S9uarely proclaimed that Congress
hau no 't9ht 10 use force TO prevent the with
dIaWal OF State from the Union, nor TO COM
pei ner 10 yield Obedience to its laws. To do
inns ne argued would be to make aglT on q S,Qte,
%hlCn congress had LO constitutional power to
90. (See American Conflict" vol. /, D. 370)
IhiS proclamation OF national anarchy was
DaCbeu oy formal opinion from his Democratic
Attorney General, jeremiah = Black, who was
afterwards his Secretary of State, who affirmed
Ina. Lne use OF armed men 10 enforce the laws,
ih me existing state of things, would be
'Wholly Illegal" He further urged that an
attempt 10 make seeded State tull her Fede-
IaI oDilgatlons would be, ipSO fdctO, an eXpul-
sion Vi such State from the Union.' CIhe very
SoPhlslry which we hear every day from the
Democrats of lSC7)
Provoking as this Is, we will use only argu-
ment And tist a to Congress. The Demo.
Sla,ic party was major ty in that body only
py me presence OF the Southern members, and
we nave sufficiently exposed the injustice OF
holulng lhe Northern Democrats responsible
iol 'pS uongs OF party from which they had
ioIlh"LS separated by an acrimonious disruD-
non by the middle of the session most OF
lhese secession members had retired, leaving
the Republicans a decisive majority in both
Hou'eS, and responsible for the legislation.
And what did they do? Nothing. President
buchanan had explained to them that addl-
llonal legislation was necessary to enable the
Executive TO enforce the laws, but instead of
proVulng Tor the emergency, they rejected a
proposaI TO confer on the President authority to
call out the militia. and left Mr.. Lincoln, their
own PRESIDENT, so unprovlded that when sumter
fell he had to violate the law to save the
country.
Npyt as IN tha prasidont Tho T,;b,,os dis