The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-27
The Judgmen of Mr.. Buchanan.

Hon. WILLIAM ID. KELLEY, in speech delivered
during the past campaign, stated that
by the consent OF Mr. Bnchanan. and his
by The letier.pooi or of General Twiges now In
the possession of his executor, Edward Ship
pen, Esq, OF this city), our army stationed by
rendered to the forces OF the Con federacy, while
the forts and arsenals within the Confederate
limits had been gorged with arms and mum.
uons of war"
On the appearance of this speech, Mr..
William B. Reed, as Mr.. Buohanan's literary
executor, wrote TO Mr. Edward Shippen to
know If the facts were true as stated by Judge
Kelley. Mr.. Shippen replied that he was not
General TwiRgs' executor, and had not a
letter written by that officer, but that
III had seen copy OF portions of the cores
poEdence OF General rwiggs with the lale
President Buchanan. written after the election
. of the Jate President Lincoln, and many weeks
before the surrender of the army to the State
authorities of Texas, to the following Intent,
viz:-Tbat In case the State OF Tex as should
require the SUR ender of he army and materla, F.,
he General Twiggs) would feel it his duty to
acce de TO tue demand. | have also stated that
! learned, upon inquiry, that the late President
Buchanan had taken no notice OF these letters
until IL wes TOO late, and that, wlsn the sue
cessor of General T1iegs arrivei in Texa",
the army had been surrendered and paroles
taken"
Mr.. Reed then inquired of ex-Secretary Of
War Holt if he knew of any such correspon-
dence, and he stated that he did not know Of
it and did not believe that it existed that
there was mi5apprehension of facts. The
files of the War Office do net reveal its exist
ence. All this and much more is published in
full in our morning Democratic contemporary.
What does all this amount to 1t seems to
us ii can be summed up in a few words.
General Twiggs, in order to free himself from
the fearful odium which would attach to his
actions, wrote letters to the President, to
acquaint him with his intention. Copies were
kept, but whether the originals were sent or
not is problematical. If Mr.. Shippen is cor
rect-and we feel sure from what we know of
him that he speaks after deliberaLion and has
good authority-then there are but three alter
natives:-First, the letters when written were
never sent, but copies kept as though they
had been. Second, they were sent, but were
intercepted. Third, they were sent and re-
ceived by the President, but kept secret by
him. For the sake of charity, we will sup
pose the second of these alternatives.
Do the people care which is correct Will
the public judgment of the conduct of Mr..
Buchanan be altered at this late day by any
such correspondence We think not The
verdict has been sealed and delivered. We
would speak with all kindness Of the dead
The ex-President, had he been called on to
preside over the nation in ordinary times,
would have left the chair respected for his
courtesy and no mean ability. He had, how
ever, task which required Hercules, aud
he was but human. He was weak, wavering,
irresolute, and not great man. We do not
think he was traitor. 1t was a negative
treason, a treason due to weakness and
timidity, which caused him to be the most
wretched failure of the age. He was not false,
he was but weak. Such, we think, is the
judgment of great majority of the people,
and all the correspondence of all the literary
executors in creation will not alter that deci-
sion. The acts of Mr.. Buchanan furnish
a more powerful argument than any literary
executor or special pleader can bring to bear.