Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-06-04
Death Of Ex-Prssident Buchanan.

The telegraph announces that james
Buchanan died at his residence, Wheat.
land, Penn, yesterday morning.
Though this event was not altogether
unlocked for, recent intelligence of O
decided improvement in his health had
led to the hope that he might not YET
| leave the scenes in which he has acted sc
conspicuous part.
! With him has passed away almost the
! last survivor amongst those statesmen
whose names are linked with the golden
age of the Republic, and who are the
contemporaries and co-laborers of the
Clays, the Jacksons, the Websters, the
Calhouns, the Bentons, and host OF
other names that adorn the pages OF
our history.
Mr.. Buchanan was born in Franklin
county, Pennsylvania, April %, l79l,
and had attained the age Of seventy
seven years. He was ofIrish parentsge,
his father having emigrated from Done
gal in the year 1888. Mr.. Buchanan
graduated with distinction at Dickinson
College, Carlisle, in lS09 was admitted
to the bar in 1872, and sooR attained a
position of eminence in his profession.
He entered political life at an early age,
and became member of the Pennsyl-
vania Senate in 1914. He was elected
to the United States House of Represen-
tatives in 1920, and soon attracted atten-
lion even when the statesmen of that
period were at the zenith of their fame.
In the heated contests which soon fol-
lowed his entrance into political life, Mr..
Buchanan warmly embraced the cause of
Gen. Jackson in his contests with Mr..
Adams and Mr.. Clay, and continued ever
afterward warm and consistent Demo
crat, actively participating, in the House,
in the Senate and on the stump in the
questions which then excited the public
mind.
At the close of his fifth term in the
House Of Representatives. in 1881, he
was appointed by President jackson
Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of
St. Petersburg, which position he relin-
quished in 1888 for a seat in the U nited
States Senate. He continued Senator
of the United States until the accession
of Mr.. Polk to the Presidential chair in
l845, when he became Secretary of State.
In this capacity he negotiated the treaty
with Great Britain, which settled our
northern boundary on the 49Ih parallel
of latitude. At the close of Mr. Folks
administration in l849, he retired to pri-
vate life; but on the Inauguration of
President Pierce, in 1853 received the
appointment of Minister to the Court Of
St. James. He returned to the United
States in 1856, was nominated as the
non 1oio he
dency and was innugurated President of
the United States on the 4th Of March,
1857.
The events of his administration are
too fresh in the public mind to require
recapitulatiQn. The divisions which had
so long distracted the country culmi
mated, at the close of his administration,
into preparations for open war. His
acts have passed into history, and will
be more dispassionately judged by the
next generation than by that which is
still biased by feeling of bitter par
tisanship.
1t has been said mems evil manners
live in brass-their virtues we write in
water" Yet We belieye that when the
passions of the hour shall have subsidized
an impartial public judgment will con-
cede to the administration of President
Buchanan a patriotic PURPOSE to main
tain the peaceful union of all the States,
under a constitution so construed as to
protect and not to oppress the weak.
If the closing acts of his administra-
tion were an error, they can only be re-
garded as the error of patriot who de
sired to exhaust every effort at paci6ca-
ton before consentiug TO plunge the
State into war which might prove fatal
10 the Constitution which was the Cam
pact of their union. Courier. |