The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-07

| the Democratic party TO the PreS1denc y.
| With all this eXperiehceai 10 the different
walks of public, life. Mr.. Buchanan en-
tered the White House as President of
| the United States. His competitors were
| John G. Fremont, who received ia cleo
| toral votes, and Willard Fillmore, who
| received s, while Buchanan had 174.
| When Mr.. Buchanan was inaugurated
he must have had full knowledge of the
| fact that during his canvass for the
| Presidency bold and defiant threats were
| made in nearly all the slave States that
| if Fremont was elected the South would
| secede rnd go out of the Union. In
| making ~ his Cabinet it was expected
| that b. w aid give the South fair rep
resentatipt In view of the reasonable
designs Of southern leaders Mr.. Buchan-
an should have strengthened his admin
Gratis in his Cabinet men that would
have been loyal to him end the country
in case of attempted secession. Instead
of doing this he placed the Treasury i'll
the hands of Howell Cobb, of Georgia,
the War Department in the hands of
John B. FLOYD of Virginia; the interior
Department. was given to Jacob Thomp-
Department. placed in the hands of
Aaron V. Brown of Tennessee. Isaac
Toncy of Connecticut was put in the
Navy Department, and Jeremiah u.
Black of Pennsylvania was made Attor-
ney General. The two last named were
Northern men with Southern principles,
especially Toncy, who was the mere tool
OF the rebels and nothing more. Gen.
Lewis Cass was Secretary of State, and
the only real loyal man in the Cabinet.
When the crash came, who were Presi-
dent BuGhanan's confidential advisers to
aid him in saving his country? A large
majority OF them were as big nest OF
traitors as ever entered JEFF Davis's rebel
Confederacy.
Not only a majority of the Cabinet
were secessionists, but the President al
lowed them to control his action in the
interest of the rebels. South Carolina
passed the ordinance of secession Dec.
20. 1860. On the 14th of that month the
question of reinforcing the forts in
Charleston Harbor came up at a Cabinet
meeting, and it was decided by ma
joirty Of the Cabinet. concurred in by
President Buchanan, not to do it. On
account of this decision of the Presi-
dent, Gen. Cass Immediately resigned his
Office rs Secretary of State. On the Goth
of December Maj. Anderson transferred
his garrison from Fort Moultrie to Fort
declared the acton of Maj. Anderson
a violation of the pledges given by Presi-
dent Buchanan-that the military status
of the forts at Charleston should remain
unchanged, and demanded permission to
issue an order from the War Department
ordering Anderson back to Moultrie.
On the next day, Dec. 80, the Presi-
from Moultrie to Sumter Maj. Anderson
acted solely on his own responsibility.
and that his first impulse OH hearing of
it was to order him to return; but the
seizure of the arsenal at Charleston by
South Carolina had rendered it impossi-
BILE.
In addition to the claim of Floyd
the South Carolina delegation in
Congress bllshed card signed % BAL al
dent had agreed with them not to dis
turb the military status Of Charleston
harbor during his administration.
There is no evidence that Mr.. Buchanan
ever denied this allegation. This was
nothing less than an agreement of the
President to put it in the power of South
Carolina to steal and occupy all our de-
lenses in Charleston harbor without OPP
position, Immediately upon the going
out of his administration.
The retaining of these secessionists in
the Cabinet in December 1860 and into
January 1861 enabled them to communi-
cate to the seeding States every move
ment of our government in advance.
After the election of Mr.. Lincoln the
first of November of 1860 President Bu-
chanan knew that secession had been
determined upon by at least six or seven
States, and at the same time he knew
that majority of his Cabinet were in
all ways in their power giving laid and
comfort" to the rebels; and yet not
single disloyal member of his Cabinet
was ever removed by the President,
but all were permitted to remain plotting
treason and rebellion, until they volun-
tarily went out.
The President was presumed to know
that Floyd, his Secretary of War, was
sending our arms and military stores
South, SO that they could be easily stolen
by the rebels; and that his Secretary of
the Navy was ordering our naval forces
to Southern waters for the same treas
enable purpose-and there is no evidence
that he ever made any objection to the
proceedings. 1t is true that after some
of the secession members of his Cabinet
resigned at the very last end of his ad-
ministration he appointed two or three
Joseph Holt, Edwin M.Stanton and Hor-
alto King were each for short time
mem bers of his Cabinet, and all true pa
triots. But it was too late. The rebels
had already inaugurated a slave holding
Confederacy at Montgomery, Alabama,
composed of more than half dozen rebel
States. Secession was rampant through
out the entire South, and the old flag
ruthlessly torn down and trampled in
the dust.
James Buchanan as chief executive
officer of the government, had seen the
nation on the high road to destruction,
had seen an open armed rebellion at her
doors, without raising hand to save to
himself and his countrymen a country,
excusing himself under the unstates-
manslike plea that although secession.
was unconstitutional, it would be uncon
stitutional to put it down. In view of
these facts and many others of similar
character that might be urged, it is
hard to see the consistency Of the as
sumption that President Buchanan was
loyal to the government of which he was
the executive head That he deeply
sympathized with the South plainly APP
pears in all his official writings and mes
sages.
The great mistake of President Blu
chanan's life was in placing himself in
the hands of secessionists at the very
commencement of his administration, and
then allowing them to hold their grip
upon him until it's close. Mr.. Buchanan
was said to be too great coward to
glapple with secession. He saw the
storm coming; he saw treason stalking
with a Giant's tread over the land he
had sworn to protect; and instead Of