The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1881-09-01
BUCHANAN AND GEN. SCOTT.
Ex-Attorney- General Black Replies to the
Criticisms Of his Recent Article upon
the Last Days Of Buchansn's Admins
teafion


tration.
From an Interview in the Philadelphia Press
do not know whether Gen. Scott
WAS true Ia the Union or not, for
never discussed the question with him.
/ took il for granted that he was. Blu
chanan always told me that he was,
and Southern men about Washington
at the time always spoke of him as
their enemy or rs one who could easily
he so. but one thing | do know, that
he somehow always seemed to be i'm the
way of relieving Fort Sumter. never
urged this relief upon the President
without being met by some counter
advice which the President said he
had got from Gen. Scott. Mr.. Blu
chanan put the question directly to
me on one OCCASION DO you think /
ought to act upon a suggestion of yours
on military question i'm opposition to
the General-in-C Chief of the army
To which | said: No, certainly not
if Ger. Scott will take the open re-
spOnsibility and declare i'm writing
that the fort can not be relieved, and
that you ought not TO try, | will in
stantly cease my entreaties l will not
even argue the question : and ut this
conversation Toucey was present. He
had said that neither the Brooklyn nor
Macedonian could get into the harbOr,
and / told him | would take that for
true if he would put his assertion of
that fact in writing To go upon record.
He refused to do so. | then told the
President that il was unfair for him
To he acting under oral advice from
the Secretary of the Navy and the
General of the Army, for which they
are unwilling to make themselves re-
sponsible, but / thought ! could get
the General on the paper, though l
had failed with Tcucey, and for that
purpose addressed him the letter
which you published, but that was IA
waterhaul. My construction of Gen.
SCOTS conduct at this period was not
nearly severe as that of others. Mr..
Stanton further said that no man on
this continent was as chargeable for
the war as Gen. Scott"
"What of Mr.. Buchanan
81 am not engaged now in defend
ing his character. That task has been
assigned to his biographer, who has
all the materials necessary to COM
plete vindication. Mr.. George Tick
nor Curtis is now engaged upon the
work. / have seen some Of the chap
tiers, and / do not doubt that he will
make an eminent success. To charge
him with unfaithfulness to the Union
is the fOulest Islander that was ever
uttered. To say that he was infiu-
enced by any feeling akin to personal
fear, or that he ever acted or forebOre
to act without sanction of his con-
science is an outrage upon the truth
too gross to be endured. He had faults,
but what faults may not he forgiven to
a man who had great ability and pure
integrity, who spent the best years of
his life i'm the public service. He was
as honest patriot rs ever lived, and
no man ever sat i'm the Presidential
chair who knew better than he did
how to enforce the respect due to him
and his office. Perhaps no calumny
that was ever uttered against him hnrt
his feelings or injured his character
more than that by which he was rep
resented rs being bullied and dra-
goOned by Stanton and others. STAN
ton never but once ventured beyond
the line of mere Obsequiousness, and
then he was driven back to his place
covering under the lash of the Presi- |
dents reprimand."
Buchanan did not reinforce the |
forts i'm Charleston harbOr. Was that |
an error"
Yes, certainly. / have q right to |
because said il was wrong |
at the time, and acted accordingly all |
through; but il does not lie In the |
mouth of his political enemies to find /
fault with him for that, or any other |
n,pi ssiav, In nlaca tho S.ouuf rv in n hot.