Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-09
A DEFENSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVE BUCHANAN.

A great deal has been said about
certain gentlemen "selling out" in
the recent Senatorial election at
We have no evidence
that any Democrat was ever corr
ruptly influenced to vote for any
Republican. The course of Hon.
W. J. Buchanan has been severely,
and We believe, unjustly criticised
by certain Democratic journals. We
do not believe he violated any trust
in voting for Mr.. Maynard or any
other Republican for any Office. He
acted from honest and conscientious
motives. He was not elected as
the nominee of any Democratic or
ganization. On the contrary, he
was elected in face of the most de.
cided, even malignant opposition
from the regular Democracy. He
owed his election to Republican
votes. This is well known fact
He has shown himself to be a bold
honorable gentleman. He is
young man Of decided ability ane
will nroye a valuable accession tt
the Republican party. The Leba
non Herald, an independent Demo
cratic paper, defends Mr.. Buchanan
and as q matter of justice to hin
we think the public should see it
It is as follows:
Many hard things have recent.
been said, in and out of the press
about W. J. Buchanan, representatlv
from Lawrence and Wayne, because
having been elected to the legislator
| as Democrat, he voted on one or tw
ballots for Hon. Horace Maynard TO
United States Senator.
| We presume tnat Mr.. Buchana
made up his mind to act as he di
after mature deiiberati0n, and that b
is satisfied with his course. He Gel
tainly has not asked US TO defend hin
and what We have TO say is diets tt
solely by cur desire to see justice done
and the natural TepugnaDce of an ir
dependent journal to have man pr
Iitically damned and socially ostrs
cized because he has done whst b
believed 10 be right, instead of whs
"the party" decreed to be proper.
We know Mr.. Buchanan well, an
Raaf kAATnp ,hhJbIW- f9GE uveesg7n 1sHM e b
utterly unworthy the credence of an
sane man, the suggestion that he WI
Influenced by any pecunisry or othe
material cOnsiderstiO in other word
that he was bought" to act with tt
Republicans. Without having heal
his reasons for his course, we think v
understand the springs which move
his action. Elected, in the first lilac
I in opposition to the regular Dem CORA
&c nominee, and bitterly and relen
lessly traduced by Democrats duIiu
, the canvass, the sentiment of psri
fealty hitch is so strong with most me
was naturally very materially veal
ened in his case, aud he came TO Mas
VILE feeling that be had been, by tt
action of "the PAL ty" ITSELF fretd frol
party ties and party obligations. Ia
mediateiy on his arrival, he fouu
himself, without cause the object
I suspicion. The organs " ere full of il
uendoes, and the hired correspondent
|, who were paid to believe thai Demo
racy was virtue and Republicans
vice, filled their seven-doiiars a~wet
= letters with insinuatiOns, more or le
broadly stated, that there was 'streasoI
in the Democratic camp. TO til
n succeeded an organized, sysema,
and persistent ATTEMPT to bulldo
e Buchanan into the patty ranks. I
n happened to be man who couldn't
bulldozed successfuily-and he We
t naturally kicked over the traces.
This is about all there is of it, in O
opinion. If the represeb tAtive fro
i | Lawrence and Wayne and his xii
shall be permanently outlawed fro
the Esmocratic camp, it will be d
O solely to the insane ard unrelenti1
prescription of Tennessee bourbonis,
r which, happily less potent than it on
+ was, is still extensively prominent