The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-04-04

hif' CurJlS ire OF James buCnaDan.
1t is pity, however, that the
plans of both Mr.. Curtis and Mr..
Blaines books preclnded the publica-
ton Of Judge Blacks Memorandum
for the President, touching the answer
to the South Carolina commission,
which shows the practical position of
Messrs. Black, Stanton and Holt, aud
leaves no reason for dispute concern
ing their views of the powers and du-
ties of the government at the time.
TUE PRIVATE sEoRErARY's STATEMENT.
Here Governor Blacks attention
was called to card signed, -. Bu-
chanan Henry" published in the
World of the 18th and containing the
following paragraph:
"The whole and sole formation of
this malevolent tissue of insinuations
is this : When the president pre-
pared his reply to the audacious de-
mand of the South Carolina commits
sioners he made use of some phraseol.
ogy which Judge Black, his legal ad-
wiser, thought might be subject to mis-
construction on the part of the Seces-
sionists, and he asked that it might be
modified as to those phrases so as to
clearly express what the president and
the cabinet intended, because there
was not the least disagreement between
them upon the great vital constitution
al questions involved The president
handed the draft to Judge Black to be
worded unmistakably. This is the
whole story, and Judge Black never
told the president that he would re-
sign or expressed any threat to him.
Judge Black was not man to threat
en-, or Mr.. Buchanan to be threatened,
whatever partisan enemies say of them.
Under crushing difficulties and embar-
easements, surrounded by treason and
thwarted by partisan malice in con-
gress, the president and his loyal cab
met were unitedly striving to save the
country from its deadly peril, and they
had no substantial differences between
them or any of the great questions of
the hour"
Governor Black said "Mr. Henry
was, | believe, the presidents first pri-
vate secretary. He was succeeded by
James Buchanan, jr., and he, by the
Hon. Adam j. Glossbrenner, who act
ed in that capacity during the time
covered by Mr.. Henry's communica.
ton. Mr.. Henry is, therefore, not
specially qualified by official knowledge
to discuss these matters. But it is sur.
prising that any one having any knowl-
edge at all of the subject should have got
so far astray as he is in this paragraph.
When he says there was not the least
disagreement between the president
and Judge Black, and Judge Black
never told the president that he would
resign, he calmly ignores facts perfect
ly well known and of which he can
hardly be supposed to be ignorant.
BUCHANANs BIoGRAPHER.
Mr.. George Ticknor Curtis was Sc
lected by the personal representatives
of Mr.. Buchanan, Mr.. Henry among
them, to write the life of the president
and the book was prepared and pub
lished under tleir sanction. Mr.. Cur
tis states in the preface that 'the whole
collection of his (Mr. Buchanan's) pri-
vate papers were placed in his hands
and if any were withheld he must have
been very unfairly dealt with, Now
chapter xviii of this book has among
other headings, The cabinet crisis OF
December 29th.' and in it the author
narrates circumstantially the disagree
menC be ,ween the president on the one
side, and Secretary Black, Secretary
Holt aud Attorney General Stanton on
the other including the announcement
to the president of Secretary Blacks
resolution to resign, ard the conces
sion which the president thereupor
made to prevent that step being taken.
This narrative extends from page $40
vol. ii, to page 391, when Mr.. Curtis
sums it up as follows /: ''In all that
"related to this cabinet crisis of De
"cember 29th | can see nothing but the
"prompt action of a wise statesman
"and a patriotic president in prevent
"ing disruption of his cabinet upon ;
''draft of a state paper in which ex
"pressions had been used that might
shave given rise to inferences whicl
''the president never Intended shoult
"be drawn. Among all Mr.. Buchan
Sans claims to stand in history as
"great man, be the criticisms made by
1.-The three members of his cabinet OF
"his proposed answer to the Soutl
"Carolina commissioners more or les
, important, there is no one act whicI
"better entities him to that rank tina
, 'the sacrifice which he made on thi
, occasion of all pride of opinion in re
, 'spect to the best mode of doing wha
, she and his advisers alike meant to d
sin order that the country might no
"at this critical juncture, be deprive
"of the services of men whose service
"were important to her, and in ordt
shat the government Of the Unio
"might not be placed in a false pos
a "tion."
r 81 leave Mr.. Henry to settle tn
n question of fact with Mr.. Curtis. A
4 between him and Mr., Blaine l ha,
u nothing 10 say except that | wish hi
n luck and a safe deliverance'