Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-12
BUCHANAN.
fThe Bachelor Presideut-EEis Private
LAfe aud Habits-His OPlniOns OF
Contemporaries.

chiefly for the perspieuity OF his Statements
Like Lincoln, he presented a case 30 that
both sides Of il were exposed. his voice
was Of fair strength, very deliberately
enuneiated, snd pitched in = peculiar tone,
attended With blinking Of one eye e. he
drew fine sights of meaning. He had no
personal collision Hith opposite counsel,
being too cold ef temperament 70 cell his
heart with his talents. Nobody ever saw
him cast down he,W sometimes angry,
/ but put small value upon Vindicti yeness
whatever personal despite or humiliation
| be felt was husbanded up in his secret
bachelor heart and no man shared its pAng,
/ He laughed often, more Vehsmently than
heartily, and chiefly at his Own relations OF
things past or persons absent, - .rf8G
Il BUCHANAH's MODELS AND AvERsIoHs.
Mr.. Swarr, his executor says4hst be has
/ often heard Mr.. Buehansn express his adj
miration Of Henry Clay. This was, OF
course, after Mr.. Clay 3 decease. Said he
'sOf all the men / ever knew, Mr. Clay
stood highestin magnsnimity, in conscious,
positive superiority. He was q splendid
leader, largely endowed with the graces,
with eloquence, genius, heartiness and
soul" ........-...
His generic admissions were not cast
about among popular and representative
/ fayorites. however. Mr.. Brown, leading
LAWYER here, states that the old gentleman
used to mention, with high respect, Silas
| Wright a. his chief model. So did be adj
I mire Nathaniel Macon, WIN. Lowndes, Of
/ South Carolina, Mr.. Chestnut aud Mr..
| Pinckney. He had q regard for the good
| that was in President Taylor's intentions
/ His faVorite author among Statesmen was
| Thomas Jefferson, and he used to describe,
| with singular mixture of amusement and
astonishment, the rough-grained sagacity
| Of Andrew Jackson
From the combined testimony of his
1 visitors il appears that Bucbaaan's express
/ sion of love for his State favorites wss an
| intellectual Measurement rather than q
reverence or grateful reminescence. BE
stated TO Mr.. Smith, editor of the famous
| old Democratic sheet, the Lancaster Intel
Eiganeer, that Andrew johnson had once
| visited Wheatland, and impressed him
/ (Buchanan) with an idea of Joknson's
earnest honesty of purpose. During john
sons disputes with Congress, Buchanan re-
| marked that the President seemed unduly
| anxious about his relative rank with his
supporters, The ex-P President said that
President ought to do without such jeal-
ousies. .r.s1 1H .etr. .rs
Buchanan believed that johnson would
be convicted. He said 30 repeatedly during
the trial, once alleging that an aggressive
party having committed itself to project,
was bound to carry it out on the principle
of self-preservstion.
| HThere will not be enough independent
Senators TO clear him." he said, among his
last remarks upon the news. ..
When told that the eleventh article had
failed, Buchanan said -et
"The' wind. shifts. Parties are where
left them, when retired"
Mr. Buchrnan disliked Douglas, proba-
bly, more than any contemporary Democrat.
The men were equally selEmeasuFing, but
Buchanan disliked the manner Of Douglas,
sttributing 10 his novel dogmas the breach
in ihe Democratic Fsnks, which hassensd
the var and covered ais own admieistFa-
tiOn with ignominy. aI
Seward was looked upon by Buchanan as
the founder Of the Republican party. OF
him he dictated these words: /" he was
much more Of politician than states
man. Without strong convictions, he
understood the art of preparing in his
closet, and utteEing before the public anti-
thetical sentences, we'll calculated both to
inRame the ardor Of his anti-slavery friends
and ezasperate his pro-slayery oppOnents.
He raised storm which, like others of
whom We read in history, he wanted both
the courage and power TO quell."
BUCHANAN's BOOK.
took up to Lancaster Buchanan's book.
II il the weakest and the most honest and
the driest book ever read. II is all OF
Mr.. Buchanan in dignity and the eonsci-
ousneas of ex-Presidency. He details with
himself in the third person, keeps his name
from the title page, but adds "Wheatland"
10 the date of the preface, and in the letter
text there is no egotism or any piausTbilI-
Ties of argument. There is scarcely one
figure Of speech in il, nor is there any ele-
CANT writing, nor any original thought /; i
Is the unimaginstive statement of a conssi-
rational lawyer who dared not deal with
civil war as as possibility Of government
And this was Mr.. Buchanan, European
diplomat, nice to draw balances Of power
and with a conscientious belief that COM
promise was the most Christian form Of
right.
AS POLITICIAN.
In the day of Woolly Heads and Sill.
YER Grays, or Seward and Fillmore Whigs
Mr.. Mcpherson edited the Woolly Head
paper Of Lancaster in the Interests Of Mr
Stevens. II was new paper, and Buchanan
subscribed for it. At that time Frank
Pierce had sent for Buchanan and offered
him foreign mission, Uhereat the hearts
: Of the Pennsylvania Democracy were lifted
up. They anticipated what afserwaFC
came true, that Buchanan would Fetur,
from Europe in four years, and be mad;
the Democratic candidate fos the Presi
/ dency. Just before Buchanan LEFT Lancas
r ter, Mcpherson wrote long snd causti'
leader reviewing Buchanan. He arrayeC
| his long history as that of q statesman wis
had never originated enc public measure
led one new issne, or impressed himsel
upon the time rs any thing beyond pub
. tic funetionery. Next day the stately fora
; of the ambassador was seen crossing tn
= street; he entered the Office and demanded
: his subscription receipt. II was produced
he paid his money and solemnly departed
For many years Mr.. Buchanan and MI
Stevens have not been upon terms OF com
= municaiiou. es
= The definite place of Mr.. Buchanal
8 among Presidents il is not even now dii
. fcult to fix. He does not stand among th
least notable ones. His learning, eTpe
rience, responsibility, the high plane Of b
. associations and ambitions, his couEtl
I. manners, and his self-respeci, are worth
: TO rank With Van Buren,, at least-perhap
with Monroe. His name is etrongeT ths
2 Tyler's, Pisrcea, Fillmore's, or even Polk
7 Had be been citizen Of any other State hi
!, rank would have been high, but as Penn
|. sylvania's 'fsvorite son," we'll nickname
'Old Buck, :" he was urged by promiscI
!. Gus FRY Of camp-folloWers At the WrOn
y time, and when he failed 20 feed them al
= they first deserted him. he wSs the wron
- man for the eve Of the war, bat few Dem'
= cratic politicians Of bis rank would hAv
{, been stronger, and not one from Pennsy
- vania. When he died, died the first Dem'
= cras in the State Of Rennsylsanis, BY abil
: ties as well AZ By rank. Thsre is not
Democrat 10 the State to-day his persons
a equal, nor for his school of statesmanshi
: any Pennsylvania Republican. The Sta
:, Of Pennsylvania Is always a POLITICAL
- BngFateful State 10 its own great men. N
4 Buchanan got less help and more abui
4 / from hiR own State people than from az