The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-11
Blaine's Injustice to Buch anan.

The attempt OF Mr.. BLAINE In the published
chapter Of his book to revive the old charges
against President BUCHANAN has naturally
provoked the censure Of those who think the
lapse OF . quarter Of century should have
extinguished prejudice, and should permit
. the exercise Of sober and impartial judgment.
Among these who have been moved to cor
rect Mr.. BLAINE's mistaken view Of Mr. b.
s CHANAN's conduct in the crisis of 1861, Mr..
CHRISTOPHER g. PATTERSON of Philadelphia
merits particular attention by the clear, tenn
perate, and conclusive survey OF the facts In
his recently published pamphlet.
Ostensibly Mr.. BLAINE rejects as unbound.
Cd the virulent accusation that President
!. BUCHANAN sympathised with the aims Of the
6ecessionists and betrayed his Official trust.
4 He h too adroit to place himself avowedly
on extreme ground, but the pretended mod
GRAFTON and discrimination Of bis structures
really leave the object OF attack exposed to
the very imputations which are pro-
fessedly disclaimed. For Mr.. BLAINE
admits the purity but insists upon the
. weakness Of Mr.. BucHANAN's character; con-
codes the integrity but rebukes tho infirmity
Of his purpose; praises, In short, his good
/. Intentions at the expense OF his courage and
his intellect. Now, such q combination OF
: insight and irresolution, OF saQacity and
impotence, IL inconoeivable on the part of q
I man who had, under the severest tests, and
10 the lerce light Of publicity, commanded
7 the respect Of his fellow citizens for half
( . century, and who had been nom-
mated for the Presidency because his
party knew him to be one Of its strongest
men. 1t is impossible for any reader to ap-
prove Mr.. BLAINEs indictment OF the course
actually pursued by Mr.. BUCHANAN In the
: last four months OF bis administration, and
not discard with impstionoe the charitable
4 gloss which tho assembling author
has astutely put upon It. Either
JAMES BUCHANAN did his duty In
ian or he ives . scoundrel. There IL no
. room for any middle view, for any compro-
missing judgment. No man secs this more
plainly than Mr.. BLAINE and when he A.
nrms that there was fragrant miscarriage
pt duty, he Ia well aware that, despite his own
smooth exhibition Of charity and pity, the
reader will draw but one conclusion.
They who believe with Mr.. PATTERSON
:, that the truth OF history IL Of more moment
than the transient interests Of party, and
that the fair fame OF a statesman is the pre-
clous inheritance OF all his countrymen, do
not ask for mercy aud iorbearance for JAMES
. BUCHANAN. They ask justice. They main
tain that under the terrific strain Of the
crisis OF 1861 his intellect and his energy
were ss Enthusiastically demonstrated as his
. integrity; that from the outbreak Of seces-
sion to the expiration Of his term he did
everything to sustain the Union and to
avert war which 1t would have been
Ia RNr L. III Ia.
10 perform. They show that Mr.. BLAINR's
! assumption that Mr.. BUCHANAN, by any &C.
ton upon his part, could have suppressed
the rebellion involves gross misapprehon-
zion Of the relative powers Of the legislative
/. and executive departments Of our Govern
. mont . strange misunderstanding Of tho
actual condition Of public affairs at the given
) luncture, and Q Interpretation or misrep-
resentation OF what Mr.. BUCHANAN actually
did or tried to do.
II, as Mr.. BLAINE processes to think, 1t
was only through mental feebleness and In
trinity OF character that President b.
cHANAN failed to crush rebellion In the germ,
b surely who has mover been taxed with
such weaknesses should have been able to
name the measures which would have proved
> s6sctual. But, as Mr.. PATTERSON points out,
his criticism 10 purely dogmatic and agrees
sive. He neither does nor can suggest any
course Of action which would have averted
war. That, up to the date whom Sum-
ter was fred upon, and all the
questions In dispute were referred ire
vocably to tho assize OF battle, the policy fol-
lowed by Mr.. BUCHANAN was the sole practi-
cable policy ID conclusively attested by the
faCt that It Wa adopted and continued by the
Republican President and his Secretary Of
6tats upon their entrances into ofilce. Which