The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-07-28


Tue oiive branch nor the sword. lou refused Ia
Settlc, and you made no preparation for contest
hut you reveal now what was then the secret de-
sire of your hcar-that the administration. in de-
nance OF law and without means would declare
war on its own responsibility. This would hnyt.
neen an expulsion of the Southern States from th.
mon. for it would have placed all their peop.
beyond the protection of Federal law: they woulJ
necessarily rise in selfdcfcnce; little army OF
I'VE I'VE hundred men would perish in fortnight; br-
% lore .hr 4ti OF March the independence of the South
would be settled fact
moreover as you and your party friends in Con-
Srt>s ald not call for war, the President had
rlghl mad ne not to suppose you approved of hi.
determination 10 keep the peace Perhap, yo,Ir
approval of his conduct is not very powerful evil
/ 'ence of lis justice or legality But here is tn,
point: How can you have the face to denounrc a
man criminal, after he is dead for public. art,
which you consented to by your silence al the time
they were done:
But this is not all. You give your unqualified
appreciation to Mr. Lincoln'S administration | DO
! not say you We're true to it (tor believe the eyl-
dence is eytant which proves that you We're notJ;
but you have lauded it as strong and faithful. Nj.
Lincoln adopted precisely the same legal principles
with regard TO the coercion of States that Mr.. Bu-
chanan had acted upon and carried the policy of
reconciliation infinitely beyond him. He ayOwei
MS intention not to make or to provoke it a.
plainly as his predecessor had ever done. Neither
he nor his Attorney-General asserted their c0n>t-
tutonal authority to commence aggressive and
general hostiicS for any cause then existing. He
received commissioners from the Southern State
y
ais, dockyard>, cuStom-houseS, etc, then in the
hands of the seceSSionistS. He promised to con
tnue the mail service in the seeded States if they
would permit him. He went further still, ald
publicly assured the Southern people that he w0ult
not lrrltate them by attempting to execute the
feIeral ae1 laws at any place h%re t II Mould M ,
to the South which Mr.. Buchanan had steadily 70
fused to make; and if he had make them, yuu
would nodoub have pronounced them treas0nahlr
But the Lincoln administration did not stop there.
! Ia n n
dcfthV Fort Sumpter-Mr. Blair being the OnN
ulssentcnt. The President il be did nut yield iu
| the majority, must have wayerel Il considerable
| time; the Secretary of State was 50 sure of him
that he cause, the South Carolina authorities to M.
informed that the fort c0Nld be 0irpA ttp. lnu
Will not deny these facts, but You will continup n
| heretofore. to say that the Buchanan a,lmmi~trA-
| ton weakly and wickedly favored secession white
| that of Lincoln was firmly and faithfully opposed
| rhe man who involves himself in such inconsi--
tencies, whether from want of information, w.,uO
OF Judgment. or want of veracity, j. not qualified
to write on an historical! subject
| have given more time and space than intend
ed 10 this part of your paper, hut am ailres>lu-
Il man of peculiar character. TO person Who's
moral perceptions are healthy and natural, could
make my defence in a breath But being rIuurrd
to apologize for MT violating sworn duty, SONG
crrumoculon Is necessary
| lour mere railing gaccusaans against Mr.. Bu,hti-
an are hardly worth reply. The place h' /, ,.>-
fined to occupy in history does not depend on any
| thing You can say torbear TO say. You have no
knowledge whatever of his character. Morally, IN
tellectuay and politically he WAS altogether ton
much of II man for You to comprehend The
world viii look for Its information concerning hm
To the acts of his life, and to the testimony of nru
who knew him and had minds large enough 10 taI,,
in his dimensions. would not offer YOU the wort
of Il Democrat but among those who We're With
him continually during the last week, of his ld
ministration are some who since supported lsadird
measures with a zeal warm enough to maxi, them
good witnesses. Let Gen. Dix speak of his know
ledge and say whether he saw anything of the trra-
| son. the weakness, or the WirkrdntSs which yuu
mpute so boldly and 80 reckle,sly. Mr. King, iha
Postmaster-t General, cannot be ignorant Of any
portant fact which bears ON this question. Nc,
Holt has already, on several occasions delivered hi
testimony. 1t is a teryent tribute t" the wise
tateSntnshp and unsuliied PATRIOTISM ot Mr. Ru-
chanan, we'll aS to the firm and generous sup
port which he constantly gave To men and mrl
rres approved by his conscience. The proof ol hi
great ability and his eminent pubIl' services are
| found on every page ol MS country history from
1870 to 1861 During All that long period hr sr.,dI
/ ly, faithfully, and powerfully sustained the prin'
pies Of free constitutional government This MA
tion never had triltr friend. on itS laws detrudl
who would more eheerfally have given his life do
save them from violation, No man was eyer sian
dered So hrutay His life was literally lied awsN.
| In the last months OF his administration he d.Np-
ed all the energies of his mind and body to th,
great duty OF saving the Union, if possible, from
dissolution and civil war. He knew all the dangrr~
to which it WAS exposed, and it would. therefore.
ne vain l." 10y ti.tt l' wa not nl"rmc'l t.r Il.
country; hut he showed no sign of mmlnly t,af
[
hilltF> A. larry rs any thrl Magistrate We ever
had IN no case dld he shrink from an attempt 10
tNWit Them. lHr accusation nf thtlit4 ana in'l-
cNlon Is most prepoNlefouS. Ills IahN were All q!
another klhd; his resolutions once formed Wrr-
generally lmmoNabl to Il de%Eee that hnfdrred oH
obstlnaey.
ON every m,ter of prrat iuntr, iln,. he ,Irlb.r-
ted calously y, and sometimes tried the patience ot
hi, friends by refusing to act until hr had n,a p
! I'm opinion which he could live and die hy rLr~r
characteristics eyDain the fact thai his whole polit-
zeal fife. from the time he entered Congress untu
he retired from the PrcSidencv-al his acts speech
es and paprrs-huve a consistency which belong.
to no other American statesman. He never fouut
it necessary to cross his own path or 60 back uuou
| his pledges His Judgment was of course NOT IN
ttilibe and in 1861 he announced Il determination
with reference to the south ,lronl commissioners
which | ana others thought crroueou, but mn
nntr,rv Ia his us,u habit of ,teadiust seicrrjiou
he rnnS,neJ to reconsider and materially inter- M,
decision This change and ALI the rilt,IIu~ aur,-
which hronuht il nbnut were alike honorable. tu hi.
unIrrst.nIinr ma his heart | admit tl,at y,t,
| war. moi thr ti,st inventor of These SANDERS. Inn
Won ouoh ia know that il does NOT Lrrolnr a man
in your station 10 take I'M an evil report ana re-
nrat il like n parrot without >tnppu. to consider
| whether if has any foundation or not
| Van are net content with tra,lucine Mr. BucLau-
an himself. Won take un the head. of Departments
| who served under him and deal out vuIlr druuu-
citations upon nearly all in 4lrce~siou