The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-03-19
Jake Thompson.
His Statement of His influence with James
Buchanan.
[NIemphls Corr. Philadelphia Press !

touched upon two periods in his public ca
reer that were especially important. The first
relates to his service in Mr.. Buehanans
cabinet during the three months preceding
the war. The second to his opera
tions in Canada while representing the con-
federate government there.
While a member of Mr.. Buchanans cab
met MIR. Thompson occupied peculiar re-
lations toward both the northern and south
ern leaders. He seems to have, in quiet
way, welded a great influence over Mr..
Buchanan. The draft of Mr.. Buchanan
last message to Congress was up for consid-
Grafton in the cabinet. The spirit with
which it should deal with the southern ques-
ton was an all important one to the public
division in the cabinet upon it. The mem
bers from the south were anxious to get all
the concessions possible and especially de-
Sired the message to deny the right of the
general government TO use force against u
state.
''We had an earnest discussion upon that
phrase of the message" said Mr.. Thompson.
'sand the President seemed exceedingly anx-
ious to get all the light he could as to his
powers under the constitution. Judge Black
was advising him that he had a right to use
the whole military force of the government.
to protect the public property and enforce
the laws in any state in the Union, and that
state has no right under any circumstances
to dissolve its relations with the federal gov
eminent. To this doctrine the southern
members strongly objected Some of them
expressed their opinions upon the subject
under discussion quite freely. went to
the President quietly and asked him if he
would go with me over the constitution and
the debates in the constitution that framed
it. said to him that there was certainly
no expressed power in the instrument itself
that gave him the right to use force against
a state, and l thought / could convince
him from the debates that it was the studied
intention of the convention that framed the
fundamental law of the land to deny either
to the President or Congress any such pow
er. He asked me to bring the authorities.
I went to my department, got the report,
and marked the pages where this question
was under discussion, and then went to him
with them. We looked over the subjec
carefully together, aud then | left him.
When called again for a cabinet meeting
he said: Thompson, you are right on one
important point; it is clear to my mind that
there is no reserved or expressed power
granted by the constitution to use force
against state for any purpose. 1t is also
apparent that the trainers of the instrument
intended to deny both to the President and
to Congress any such power. / am also con
WINGED that a state has no right to secede
from the Union / was, of course, pleased
that the President had reached the conclu-
sion I had urged upon him.
When the cabinet met saw he had the
constitution and the report of the conven-
ton before him on the table. The subject
was soon under discussion, and Judge Black
most earnestly urged his views upon the
President. Much of the final discussion
was provoked by this phrase in the message:
'Coercing a state by force of arms to remain
in the confederacy, power which do not
believe the constitution has conferred on
Congress-
This was the phrase Judge Black espec-
tally objected to- Gen. Cass thought it
could do no harm, and the rest of us were in
favor of it, When it was decided that it
should remain the President said to Judge
Black: / cannot agree with you that the
constitution gives the general government
the right to use force against a state, and
think, if you will read these authorities, YOU
will change your mind referring to the de-
bates l had given him, Judge Black did not
accept his defeat in very good grace, and
said to me that he did not see how he could
submit to snch a conclusion. l said to him
that he, of all men, should stand by the adj
ministration. He and the President had
long been friends, and were from the same
state. He and | were very intimate, and
talked great deal about the situation,
and he was often restless over the Presi-
q mot
ters.''
what was the Presidents action in re-
lation to South Carolina when it seceded?''
81 claim that Mr.. Buchanan planted him
self fairly upon the constitution in his treat
meDt of the whole southern question. He
held that state had no right to secede, and
that the government had no right to use
force against tia sort of astrjde the fence
that would bring the dissatisfied states into
that sort of relation with the general gov
eminent that an adjustment of the differ
ences between the two must of necessity be
peacefully made. This was his idea | be-
lieVe, in the arrangement with South Caro-
lima. She was not to commit any hostile
acts, and he was not to menace its people by
reinforcing the southern forts. In other
words they both agreed that everything
should stand in statu quo so long as his
presidential! term continued"
How did you stand with the rest of the
cabinetin relation to giving up the forts?"
II was opposed to surrendering them. [
was for keeping everything as nearly as pos
sible as it was, in the hope that there might
be some peaceable adjustment of the diff
culties. never took any part in the confer
ences of the Southern members, and never
permitted them to make me the vehicle of
communicating their desires and opinions to
the President. From the start saw that if
T;cc o. 6 Al
be obliged to 60 with her, but hoped to the
last that war might be prevented. told
Mr.. Buchanan that would stay with him
until some hostile act on one side or the 9TH
er made it apparent that war was inevitable.
After the Star of the West sailed re-
sgned.'
81 see that Judge Holt charges that you
revealed the secrets of the Cabinet, in rela-
ton to sending the Star of the West to rein
force Sumter, to the secessionists of South
Carolina
'"There is not a word of truth in it. The
fact is that during my last few months in
Mr.. Buchanan's Cabinet l never permitted
myself to take any part whatever in politics
outside of my duties as Cabinet Minister.
The truth about the Star of the West is:
Judge Longstreet, a citizen of my home in
Mississippi, a private gentleman, telegraphed
to me to know if the government had sent
reinfOrcementS TO Sumter. sat down at my
desk in the department and wrote an answer
which, as nearly as can recollect, read:
FThe newspapers of this morning state that
the Star of the West sailed Just as 1 had
finished writing it Judge Black came in, and
l showed him the kilograms. He read them
and then in friendly way asked me not to
send my reply. l argued with him that
Judge Longstreet was personal friend, a
private citizen from my native town, and /
felt compelled to make some response. l
could not say did not know, when it was
in the public prints. He still said he hoped
| would not send it, but could see no OBJ
jections, therefore called a messenger, and
sent my reply to the telegraph office.
From the moment that sectional divisions
began that finally led to war | determined
to do no act that could ever be construed as
disloyal to the President or to the govern
ment while remained with it. / was much