The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-09-26

:, Thus inzidious and fsa4eiu u.
It did be ofend against the letf and sxi 1
n of the United States consfils 50 L 3
i sworn to support"
Time at last sets all thinxS ezen.
" at has taken Mr. Davis n.ore sha
i twenty years to bring me 70 lAe bloeI
his effort Is Ss amusing a were a
antics and sayings Of Rip Van Winkl
to the plain country people anon
whom he axoke after his twcnty year
r slumber. He brings news d the AneI
: lean people in the charge nT4n which b
arrzigns ME. II, as he says. I violate
: my oath Of ofice because / denied ID
i, right of secession, urged the Prcsiden
J to protect government property in tn
South and punish all offenders agains
the laws of the land, am glad Of il
should do the same thing again.
/, called upon to act in q like emergency
! But what does Mr.. Davis say Of hi
acts? If they can now meet the approya
! of his conscience be must have an elastil
one. He was a Senator Of the Unite,
States while he was in the conspiracy Il
destroy the government. He was plead
ing for peace while he was plannins
war. 1t is too late now for him to ex
hibit his ingenious arguments in tn,
Senate for 4 peaceful solution of fhs
difficulties while he was plying the Pres
ident with pernicious advice and en-
desyoring to influence him Il disregard
bis constitutional oblixati0ns Z i ii1lsg,
llAest must iazse ezleisely let 60 its lssId
on his passions when he penned tia.
charge, or he may have been trying te
be funny. If it was violation of NV
oath, or even a straining of the proprie-
ties of my position, that / fought by
night and by day the scheme of the
Secessionists, Mr.. Davis has done me q
great service by proclaiming it. | wish
| could bring some charge against him,
touching his conduct in that crisis, that
would be as much to his credit. If his
conclusions in this, his last paper, were
as sound as his attack upon me is
vicious, | might say that he is a great
and good man. He has struck so Wild
ly, however, that
\ His passions and lis virtues lie confused
| And mix'd t gether in so wild tumuIt
/ That the hole mai is quite disfgured in
HIM"
JUDG2 BLACKS CONFESSION OF sERI-
Gus MISTAKE.
The Judge here changed the subject
and talked for few minutes upon per
sonal matters in nowise connected with
the subject he had been treating. He
then relapsed into Thoughtful mood
again, and for little time looked stead
lily away beyond the fertile fields that
front the home of his manhood, as if
trying to reach the far-off mountains
that rise about the home Of his child.
hood. At last he Strengthened himself
up and then settled himself back con-
tentedly into the great splint- bottom
chair in which he sat, and said:
surely ought to be satisfied. The
more this kettle is stirred the more
savory the smell to me. Every new
development of the inside history of
that time convinces me that was true
to myself and my country, and / can
truly say
Whatever record leaps to Light,
never will be shamed
| can. after all these years, look back
upon my conduct in that crisis and feel
that never swerved a hairs breadth
from my duty, as | discovered it at the
outset of those troubles. Mind, | do
not mean to say | made no mistakes. for
did. / was guilty of at least one seri-
Gus blunder. Yet | do not see how,
without more than human foresight, i
could have cleared that breaker This,
however, does not excuse the mistake
which made by giving too hasty an
opinion upon a most important sub
"What was itT'
1T was just after the election Of 1850
even before any Southern State had
taken decided step toward secession.
One of the Senators from South Caro-
lina left the Capitol IN huff, declaring
that the election of Mr.. Lincoln meant
civil war, and that he would no longer
serve In the Senate. This was the first
significant act pointing to secession, and
1t made an impression on Mr.. Buchanan's
mind. Very soon after it occurred he
took occasion to say to me:
Judge, have these people any right
to secedey Do you find any warrant in
the constitution for a States withdraw
ing from the Federal Uniong'
None on earth," l replied. "Tbis
fire and sword"
Ian glad that your opinion is in ex
act accord with mine upon that subject"
said ne. have been giving this mat
ter a great deal of thought, and now
that you agree with me am convinced
that my conclusions are sound. The
Union is indissoluble."
This Union," said | ''is perpetual.
VI course, it may be broken up bv reyo-
luton, but not by peaceful methods. If
there Is anything settled by argument it
Is that the compact between the States
Is IN no sense like busjaess mariner.
ship that may be dissolved by the action
OF either party, or by appeal to a Court
of Equity"
THE NATURE OF JUDGE BBAcK's MIS-
TAKE.
I'VE discussed the subject IN this vein
Tor few minutes, and Mr.. Buchanan ex-
pressed himself with great frankness, all
the time assuming that the peaceble
secession of State was not possible.
Finally he turned to me and said:
Ought not the executive to state his
conclusions upon this subject. 90 that
the people may know the exact attitude
of my administration
Most assuredly," / replied. "you
should do so clearly and forcibly. The
country should understand that Won oe.-
cupy no equivocal position, but are
severity opposed to secession"
How shall it be done-bv proclama-
ton or In the message to Congress % said
the President.
In the message" was nv response. /
spoke perhaps, without proper reflection;
but Congress was soon to convene and
the message was being prepared. A
great question was to be dealt with and
q grave crisis to be met Therefore. NV
hrst impression was that il would be
more dignifed to deal with itin the mes
sage, and so | answered. If had said
By proclamation, he would have un-
doubtedly have said, Write it , or, if he
had written il himself the result would
have been the same. A ringing docu-
ment from the first line 70 the LAST would
have been prepared, as was done in the
Utah case. 1t need not have been half
column such paper could and would
have stated conclusions 90 powerful q
to have STAYED the madness of secession
when in its infancy. do not saw that
1t would have altered the course of the
leaders, but It would have had a strikino
effect upon their constituency. The pers.
pie then would not have pushed nor
even followed them. l did not dis.
cover the breadth of my mistake until
1t was too late. When / said in The
message, | had not weighed the power
tul influence that was to surround M
buchanan for the balance of his tern,
do not mean to say that that inIiuenrr
vas strong enough to alter his views m.
on secession, or temper his fidelity To The
Union, Tor he was as honest a patroit a.
ever lived But the secessionssts we-s :,
ever able and alert. They lost No on
psrtunIty toply the President with th..sr
scdlaous arts, and when be came fo
write that feature Of the message vh;.L
dealt with the Southern question. thew
possessed him with. the idea tkaf Il
should argue questions that had been ST.
tied since the fouadation Of the rurern-
ment, instead ofstating eonclssions lhat
the humblest In1kht have reil1 and nn-
derstood. Senn though his gunents
were fhav rrnrS11fo Il FssEssl,r1afrr1s-