Year: 1870

The Hon. Jere. Blacks Gard 10 tho


Public.


10 THE EDITOR or yus HERMD:-


Since tue death OF Mr.. Stanton some ncwgpsper
writers have revived the ecandai0us accounts which
began 70 be propagatcd, think, In 1902. concerning
mis- conduct whilc member OF Ar. Buchanan's
Cabinet It - assersed that he came into ,nat i'd
mnstraton with views entirely opposed to those OF
the President and tho mon who were 70 be mis- col
leagues. al Of wnom, except Messrs. Ao. and DIX.
were In favor Of the southern confcdsracy and
ready to sacrince the Union; thar supported BY these
two he buicd the rest sat he terrified the Pretent
BY threats OF resignation into which other
wise would not have been thought Of thai hc urged
immediate war upon tho seceding states to crush
out the rebellion; that though defeated In tns BY
the treason OF his associates ne carried with high
hand other points OF sound policy; that by these
hardy displays of h0sulity TO the administration
which trusted him he promoted the interests and
wonithe gratitude Of It's enemies.


This Is the substance expressed in my own plain
English Of many statements comlngfrom various
sources extensively circulated ana generally be-


eved that not soon contradced they are likely 10
De received as authentic history. They are not only
idAbeb Uub lucy luubt Dc IHJuflOuS w DtbHtoub
reputation; and they are grossly unjust 70 others,
dead as well as living


i am not the special defender OF Mr.. Stanton and
certainly would not sssaf him. Before he fell away
from the democratic faith our friendship Was inti-
mate and close. There was no separation AFTER
wards except the separation which ls inevitable be.
tween two persons who diner widely on publlo sub
Jects believed by both to be vitaliy important Our
corresDondence Of last summer and autumn began
by himself shows that was able TO forgive MIN my
particular share Of the injury he had done to the ber


ties Of the country and he had my sincere good wishes
for hls future health ana welfare. His political att
tude towards the Buchanan administration previous
to his appointment as Attorney General ls wholly mis-
understood or else wilfuily misrepresented. He
fully with us at every stage Of the Kansas question,
and no man felt more l0athing contempt tnan ne
dd for the knavey Of the abOinonists in refusing
vote upon the Lecompton constitution. when nothing
but vote needed to expel slavery from the new
State ana thus terminate the dispute by deciding 1t
In the way which they themselves pretended TO WISH
He wholly denied Mr.. Douglas' notions, ana blamed
him severely for the unreasonable and mischievous
scham which he had created In the party. The
Know nottingham OF Bell and Everett found no favor
In his eyes. h the canvass OF 1860 he regarded
the salvation Of the couatry as hanging upon
the fOrl0rn hope OF Brecklnrldge's election. We
knew the abotionists 70 be the avowed enemies OF
the constitution and the Union, and we thought tine
republicans would necessarily be corrupted by their
alliance with them. As we saw the march OF these
combined forces upon the capital We felt that the
constitutional liberties OF the country were In as
much peril as Rome was when the Gauls were pour
ing over the broken defences OF the city. Whether
we were right or wrong il not the question 1t
Is enough to say that Mr. Stanton shared these ap-
prehensOns fully. He more than shared them; to
some extent he inspired them, for he knew Mr..
LincOlR personally, aud the account ne gave Of him
was anything but favorable.


The 9th OF November came ana Mr.. Lincoln was
legally chosen President by the electoral machinery
OF the constitution, though the majority OF the popu
lar vote was against him by more than . million.
The question was now to be tested BY actual ex-
pertinent whether party which existed only IN one
section, and which was organized on the sole prin-
cple of hostilitt0 the rights Interests and feelings
Of the other, could or would administer the federal
government In q righteous spirit Of Justice, or
whether the predictions Of ell our great statesmen
Tor thirty years be verified that the abolition
sts when they got into power would disregard their
sworn duty to the constitution, break down the
judicial authorities and claim obedience to their
OWN mere viii as . "hlgner law" than the law OF
The land. The danger was greatly aggravated by
The criminal misconduct OF large bodies
In the South, and particularly in South
Carolina, where preparations were openly
made for resistance What was the fede-
raj Executive to do under these circumstances
Make war; he had neither authority nor means to
do that, and Ongress would not give him the one
or the other. Should he compromise the dispute9
he could Oner no terms ana make no pledges which
would not be repudlated by the administration.
Could he mediate between the partiesf Both would I
refuse his umprage, for both hostile to him
as they were to one another. Nevertheless he was
bound to do them the best service he could In spite
Of their teeth and that consisted in preserv
ing the peace OF the nation. 1t was his special and
lost imperative duty not to embrol the incoming
administration by a civil war which his successor
might be unwilling to approve or to prosecute 1t
was undoubtedly right to leave the President elect
and his advisers In Q situation where they could
lake their choice between compromising and hight.
ing. In fact, Mr.. Lincoln was Ia favor Of the former
II his inaugural be any sign OF his sentiments


The mind OF no man was more deeply imbued with
these opinions tnan Mr.. Stanton's. The idea never
entered his head-certainly never passed his lips
that the President ought to make war upon States
put the whole people out OF the protection Of the
avs and expose them all to indiscriminate slaugh-
Ter as public enemies because SOME individuals
among them had done or threatened to do what was
In consistent with their Obligations to the United
states He knew very well that no such thing was
either legally or physically possible General Scott
nad reported Officially that fve companies consti.
tuted the whole available forco which could be sent
TO the South for any purpose offensive or defensive.
IL It possible that Mr.. Stanton would have under.
taken TO conquer the South with half o regiments
He was thoroughly convinced that q war nt that
time OF that KIND and under those circumstances
would not only ..nre the southern heart" but give
to the secessOnists the sympathy OF all the world
and ultimately insure their success, while IL could
not help out cripple disgrace and ruin the cause OF
the Union. Nor did he feel pleasure IN the antlcl.
patton OF any civil war between the two sections OF
mis- country. From the standpoint which he then
occupied he said that war was disunon; 1t was
blood, connagraton, terror and tears public debt
best not In the union OF tue States but In the subu
CATION OF some to the despotic will OF the Othera.