The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-06-10
James Buchanan.


The telegraph announces the demise of
this venerable statesman, which took place
ion thelst inst, athis home, "Wheatland," !"
5after protracted illness. James Buch-
anan vas born in Franklin county, Penn
.sylyania, April 18th, l79l, of Irish pa
zrsntage, and was educated at Dickinson
college, where he graduated with honors
1909. he Immediately devoted himself
so che study Of the law, and was admitted
to the bar in 1872, but attained no par
:ficnlsr distinction until four years later,
when be successfully defended one OF the
most eminent Judges Of the State, who
had been arraigned upon articles OF lm-
parchment. From this time forth SO re-
1nunerative was his practice that he was
zenabled.to retire upon its proceeds at the
early agetot forty
In the meantime, in. 1914, he had been
elected to the Pennsylvania House OF
Representatives, but animated by the
-sFevFor engendered amongst all patriotic
classes blythe struggle with Great Britain,
he enlisted as q private soldier IN q com,
pany of volunteers from his State, and
marched to the relief of the city OF Baltl-
more, which was then threatened. The
absence from the balls of legislation and
the forum thus produced, delayed his po-
litical career, and it was not until 1871
that he appeared in actual public life as a
representative In Con gress, and two years
afterwards established reputation by.
mis- celebrated maiden speech in defence
of Mr. Wni.= H.cCrawford, Of Georgia.
who was. then Secretary OF the Treasury
OnSthe.tsriff question, which at that time
aenerossedSthe, attention of Congress, he
took: great pains to warn members against
sectional iealo1sies, and, to use his own
language, tGnfammatory speeches within
walls which ought to be sacred to Union. "
s AS early as 1924 he cautioned Congress
against the formation of any alliance with
Mexico, which might embarrassits action
an the future, and with the whole energy
of his nature opposedthc severance OF the
sIsland OF Cuba from the Spanish Crown.
eIny182Sf he was active in the canvass TOR
Tho election of Gen. Jackson, to the Pres-
rdency, and in the same year was engaged,
as.one of the prosecuting attorneys In the
impeachment trial of Judge Peck, OF Mis-
souri,, q case which stood pre-eminent
among the causes cslebres Of this country
until the late one which has terminated
so happily for the bos5 interests OF the
whole nation.
In 1881, Mr. Buchanan sflled the mis-
sion to St. Petersburg, and on his return
two years afterwards his pen and elo-
ouence were earnestly enlisted in the de:
FENCE of President Jackson, against Aenry
Clay. aud tho party which had boen prop.
2aoated by the disputes upon the United
States Bank Charter question. When
the slavery question was agitate.d, IN EI, I,
rope in 1885, he freely expressed himself d
averse o-the contagion. bred by Aboll,
etionism creeping into the legislation OF
eConl,a,ress belie7ing thatit would not only
nroTe fruitful source of political evil but
would actually defeat the humanitarian
snnrooscs of it's advocates by retarding The
samelioration of the negro race.
To the Administration Of President
Van. Buren AIr. Buchanan was opposed,
but supported that OF President Iyler.
except in regard TO the ratification OF the
celebrated Webster.Asbburton treaty, MS
oblection=in this case being based upon
the plausible ground that it lett room tor
future. complications. He strenuously ad-
.yoested the annexation of Texas, q mea-
sure which " as perfected during his ten
nre of Office as Secretary Of State under
President Polk, and when his labors in
this character were concluded, he retired
TO private life, from whence he emerged
to accept the Embassy to Great Britain
by the nomination of President Pierce.
Whilst b., occupied this responsible posi-
sion the question of the purchase of Cuba
by. the United States arose. Conferences
on the subject between the United States
Ambassadors at London, Paris and Ma-
jrid were held at Ostend, and the memo
:rsgdum then drawn up for the mainte-
nance of the Monroe doctrine has become
one of the most famous Of the historical
documents of record in the Department
of State in this country.
Mr. Buchsnan was elevated to the
Presidency in 1856, and contrary to the
general. impression which prevailed in
England where he was believed to be
pledged to war of territorial aggression,
: he devoted the Iabors Of his adrinistra-
ton chiefly to the destruction OF evory
Ground of antagonism which existed be-
tween the North and the South. Beyond
this nothing very striking is to he chron-
icled in his term of Office except, perhaps,
his arrest of General Walker and bis
Nicaracuan expedition, and his course in
z4ho foolish San Juan dc Fuca quarrel
OF his conduct in the exciting time which
ansned upon the Presidential CANVASS of
1850, and the way in which he filed the
Presidential chair in the unhappy days
which followed, it hardly becomes us TO
snsak. Time alone can enable the Ameri-
can people of both sections to judge
whether he was right or wrong. but VIC
cannot believe that the unimpassoned
Z will deny him the credit of having acted
= l<,,-a fa,. Z h % nor con try