The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1904-11-05

what has 'happened as the h result ri or
President Cleveland discovery of the
slight resemble nce'' e between the candi-
dates in 1856 and 1904.
\ \ The comparison Of Roosevelt with FIRE.
mont beeause OF their fancied resem-
sblance as appealing to romantic senti-,
iment and pop lar love for the spectacu-
lar, scarcely produced a ripple on the
surface Of political thought. But the
ike nfng of Judge Parker to James Buch-
anan as the model Of what a mature,
sundramatic and experienced" candidate
for the Presidency should be, has pro-
voked scornful laughter clear across the
continent. =. y ~ rs-,s E.
II ex-President Cleveland had searched
the roll Of prominent Americans for a
name less likely to arouse popular en-,
thusiasm than that of James Buchanan
he would have had to look among those
whose records were positively odious to
find it. There was nothing actively vici-.
Gus or, what Mr.. Cleveland would call,
'perniciously active about President
Buchanan. He was not what, accord
ing to the sage Of Buzzard's Bay, would
be called an Offensive partisan"
IS But in the vital emergency that low
cred above the Republic during. his ad-
ministration be was tried in the balance
and found wanting. Where a man:
worthy to be President would have
grasped the nettle Of secession with the
firm hand of American patriotism and
crushed it in its incipiency, Mr.. Buch-
anan dallied with the question: He held
that Congress was not competent to deal
with the anti-slavery agitation, that it
was question for the individual States,
and that it was better for all parties,
including the slaves themselves, that it
should remain so.
-, AS rres1uenu ne ueIerred to pro-s1av-
cry leaders and >Quailed before their
threats of secession. While he temper
lied the seceders perfected their plans.
Instead of meeting their threats with
the words and measures of an Andrew
Jackson he took the illogical and impo-
tent position that, while the States had
right to secede the nation, with a
little n, had no power to prevent them
doing So. '-.. -... &c.,.
r=7e nlu1 OF Nurture, un-
dramatic experience" who, in Mr.. Cleve-
lands Judgment, is the prototype of
Judge Parker. Irresolute and ineffective
as Mr.. buchanan was, we are not so sure
hut injustice is done him in comparing
him with Judge Parker. He was certain
ly man of greater maturity than the
man from Esopus, not only in: years but
in experience with affairs and in knowl-
edge of men. Everything that expert
ence could teach Of politics and state
craft Buchanan knew-only the intrinsic
capacity to master them was. lacking.
Judge Parker has had absolutely none
Of the experience and training that SEEM
ed to fit Mr.. Buchanan for the, Presi-
dency. In 1877, at the age of twenty
five, he was elected surrogate of Ulster
County, New York, and under the shell
tering wing Of David B. Hill he has
vegetated in some judicial position ever
since. That. there is certain parallels
ism between his weak, undramatic and
vacillating utterances and those of MIR.
Buchanan cannot be denied. Their views
upon the unconstitutionality of the pow
er of self perpetuation in the Union and
of the folly of an army and navy COM
mensurate to the dignity and necessities
of a great nation. are strikingly similar
and equally false barren and reaction
ary.
Buchanan lived to repent the tundra
matte" moderation that warmed seces-
sion into life. He supported Lincoln's
administration and lent all his influence
to the prosecution of the war. But it
does not appear that either Judge Parker
or Henry Gassaway Davis. who also