Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-25
STANTON.
Secretary StantOn's Political Position
in 1850.
"reminiscences Of the Close Of Buchanan Is
Administration.
The Hon. Iere. Blacks Card TO the PabllO.

To the Editor Of the Mem York Herald;
Since the death of MI stanton solllS
newspaper writers have revived the ~ sot-4t-
dalous accounts which began 10 be Proi'a-
gated, 1 think, in 1867, concerI,ns n9
conduct while a member OF Mr.. buchan-
ans cabinet. It is asserted that ne came
into administration with views en-
tireiv oDnosed 10 those OF the President
and The men who were 10 De ms col-
leagues. allOf whom, except Messrs. holS
and Dix. were in favor OF the southern
Confederacy and ready 10 sacrlnce the
T-r5or. that supported by these two he
b,IIied the rest; that he terrified the
President bv threats Of resignation into
measures which otherwise would not
nave been thought of; that he urged I'M
mediate war upon the seeding States
TO crush out the rebellion; that though
defeated IN this by the treason Of his as
sociates. he carried with high hand oth-
er uoints Of sound policy; that by these
hardy displays of hostility to the admin
tstratiou which trusted him he promoted
= interests and won the gratitude OF It's
u ~ies.
enel. e the substance expressed IN my
ms u English of many statements
own pla- Vsri0us sources extensively
coming rom 50 generally believed that
circulated ana ~s3ictod they are likely to
II nos soon cont ~Sstio history. They are
Dc received as ~H.h' Nsy must be lnJurl-
u
Gus to Mr. Stanton's req dead az well
are grossly unjust TO othe.
am not the special defenU. :, 5ssaij
Stanton and I certainly would n, S>.ao-
him, Before he fell away from the u, "a
cratic faith our friendship was intimA
and close. There was no separation aIter-
wards. except the separation which Is IN
evitable between two persons who dlner
widely on public subjects believed py
both 10 be vitaily important. Our cores
pondence Of last summer ana autumn No7-
gan by himself) shows that was aDle 70
forgive him my particular share OF the
injury he had done to the liberties OF the
country. and he had my sincere GOOD
wishes for his future health and welfare
His political attitude towards the Buch-
anan administration previous 10 MS stP-
pointment as Attorney-General IS wholly
misunderstood or else wilfully nlIsrep-
resented. He was fully with US at
every stage Of the Kansas question:
and no man felt more loathing con-
temnt than he did FOR the knaYery OF
the A bolitiOnists in refusing TO vote upon
the LecOmptOn Constitution when noun
ing but d vote wBs needed TO eNpel siaN-
erv from the new State, and thus Ierml-
nate the dispute by deciding ii in the way
which they themselves pretended 10
wish. he wholly denied Mr.. Douglas
notions. md blamed him severely for the
unreasonable and mischievOus schlsIu
which he hal created in the party. The
Know NOthingism Of Bell and EVeretI
found no favor in his eyes. In the cam
,-ass of 1850 he REGARDED the salvation Of
the country Hs hanging upon the iOrlorI
hone Of BreckinriiEe's election We kneW "
the AbGlitiOnists 10 be the aYOWed enc
mics of the Constitution and the Union,
and we thought the Republicans would
necessarily he corrupted by their alliance
with them. As we saw the march o.
these combined forces upon the capital
we felt that the constitutional hoertlesioi
The country were in as much peril as
Rome was when the Gauls were pouring
over the broken def5nses of the city
Whether We were right or wrong IS no'
the question now. Il Is enough 10 say
that Mr.. Stanton shared these apprehen
Sfons fullv. he more than shared them
10 some extent he inspired them, for h'
knew Mr. Lincoln personally and inc ac
count be gave Of him was anything pu
favorable. NJ
T-l7,. 6th Of November came, and Mr.
Ffnroln was legally chosen President bl
ne electoral machinery OF the Constltu u
rion. though the IusjOrity Of the popula
-ofs was agsinst him BY more than a mil
lion The question was now 10 De tesle'
49, a,.-,ssf experiment whether q party
which existed only in one section, aht
vvhicn was organized on the sole PTlnclpi
OF hostility TO The Rights, interests an @a-,
--aliro-- ur the other. CGstid or would ao
.5[jL1.- ne Federal Government IN
yigbreous SpsftI of justice. or whether IN
,Tsaietfous Of ail our great statesmen 70
thirty wears must De veTned LhaL IN
Abollti5nisIs when Jhe5 goI lnIo pow
would disregard their sworn duly 10 u u
Constitution, break down me luu.flal au
fhorilies. and claim obedience 70 III
own mere Will as "higher law lhdn %
law OF the land. The danger was greatl
aggravated by the criminal mlsoondu'
Of large bodies in the South, anu pa
ricuInTlv in South Carolina, where pfepo
rations were openly made for resislahc {,
What was the Federal Executive 10
under these circumstances Make WaI
He had neither authority nor means
do that. aud Congress would not give hi'
the one or the otner. Should he cohPi
mise the dispute? He could ouer y
terms and make no pledges WhlcD Mou'
not be repuCiated by the new auinlhls.I, I /,
riou. Could he mediate betMeeh u
parties2 Both would refuse MS ulh pig Z
l0r both were as hostile 10 hlEl as IAs
y-ara TO one another. Nevertheless, !
was bound 10 do them the best service
l~3uld fu spite Of their teeth; ana lnat sc
.,ics consisted ia preserving the peace
tba q, Sti0u. Il was undoubtedly right
lsqva L - PresidCnt-elect ana Dis aisflse
i'm a situa zion where they could t4he the
choice bet " IN a-itAA = 'aaA--1----1
Eny In fact. Mr.. Lincoln was IN laVor
~ former. if his inaugural be any sign
his continent.
The mind Of no man vas more deep
imbued with these opinions Ihah, =.
.stanton's The idea never enttreH
Head-certaiuly never passed his APs
that the President ought 70 mako W
upon States or put the Whole people o
of the protection Of the laws and expo
Them an TO iudiscriminate slaughter
public enemies because some lndiNlouh
afnonCthem had done or threatened 10
what was inconsistent with their obhg
lions to the United States. He knew We
III that no such thing was either
II ~ or physically possible. Gen. Sec
a 1ortod that Eve companies cons
ha~ ~ e whole available force VIII
a',ld Ia a. mt 10 Ghe South for any PS
coulu -,s.,,s,i1 p or defensive. lis Il pOs-i
h'et NJ Stsnt, N would have underiaA
tliA- -.--,,,,s, -, 4ba South with half re
,.9 lie was tSoroughly conylnG
+t,t var At ti.at time OF II
And and under those clrcu .ll,t.,Ll ilsteli,
uvould not only " are INC iu.-'
besrt - fnr give to the secessionlsts
-. -,,.,,, =, ~ 81 an the world, and ultimate
~ure their success, Mhlle i Voet- Vi
IA but cripple, dtsgrace anc rum -,
help aftbe Union. Nor cld ne IegI PAs
cause the anticipation o. any clNA
ure in ne Two sections OF MS c"@li1
between l. NudpOint which nc tAeu oS'
From the sta II war was dlsunion-lLN
pied he said III 'tiOn, terror ana tes
blood, confagr. general corruption
public debt and at best, not IN
morals, all ending, NBt ia the subJu
union Of the States, Npoti0 viii OF
tiOn Of some 10 the de = a sOm6re VI
Others. He was apt 10 tax che dark =
0f things, and he looked u p~pEt
of this subject. The glory Vrud d.
plunder the political distincs ~. re !
of power which brighten II no
included In his prospective sur .,s-,-,,
ON the 2Oth Of November 1 II
rhe Presidentis questions cOncerf. ing
IagsI poyyers and duties, holding IN !. =
,,r9fusnceg OF secession were mere 'mul m
1ies. that the seeding States we're a.
,.onld be as muchin the Union az eve
sbst the Federal Executive was Dou
tbars as well as elsewhere TO eNecutYg !
lsN-s. 10 hold the public properly anu anu = y
Fect ne revenues; that If the means /"
machinery furnised by law for theso
noses were inadequate he could noI 81,
others and usurp powers when @ nan
been delegated; that nellheF lho q .
tive nor legislative departments hau
1horitv under the Constitution 10 Hlt
var upon q state; that the military pO'
, IZld be used, IL necessary, III ,iluinS
= Gcial authorities TO eXecnbe 'he i a.
yll acting the revenues, I'D ueien1Ill >
r,.ts king the public properly put ~. ~
t pf indiscriminate hostiuly aSaiit9
- ~ eODle Of State. This u thS u
s3 which has since been 50 ol0e5A'
L lon and so well abused, denounceu
liiiiFe d. Mr.. Stanton did not SUI @