Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 2 (of 2)Curtis, George Ticknor
History
Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 2 (of 2)
Curtis, George Ticknor
Buchanan, James, 1791-1868
In Pennsylvania we have all been amused at the successive detachments
of those whom we call guerillas, which have visited Concord to assure
you that serious divisions exist among the Democracy of our State.
There never was anything more unfounded. The party is now more
thoroughly united than it has ever been at any period within my
recollection. Whilst the contest continued between General Cass and
myself, many honest Democrats, without a particle of personal or
political hostility to me, preferred him and espoused his cause simply
because he had been the defeated candidate. That feeling is at an end
with the cause which gave it birth, and these honest Democrats as
heartily despise the ——, the ——, the ——, the ——, the ——, the ——, etc.,
etc., as do my oldest and best friends. In truth the guerillas are now
chiefs without followers. They are at present attempting to galvanize
themselves at home through the expected influence of your
administration. Their tools, who will nearly all be applicants for
office, circulate the most favorable accounts from Concord. They were
scarcely heard of previous to the October election, which was the
battle of the 23d December; but if we are to believe them, they
achieved the victory of the 8th January. These are the men who
defeated Judge —— at the election in October, 1851, by exciting
Anti-Catholic prejudices against him, and who have always been
disorganizers whenever their personal interests came in conflict with
the success of the party. Thank Heaven, they are now altogether
powerless, and will so remain unless your administration should impart
to them renewed vigor. Their principal apprehension was that you might
offer me a seat in your cabinet, but for some time past they have
confidently boasted that their influence had already prevented this
dreaded consummation.
Their next assault will be upon my intimate friend, Judge ——, who
will, I have no doubt, be strongly presented to you for a cabinet
appointment. The Judge is able, honest and inflexibly firm, and did,
to say the very least, as much as any individual in the State to
secure our glorious triumph. I might speak in similar terms of ——. To
defeat such men, they will lay hold of ——, Mr. ——, or any other
individual less obnoxious to them, and make a merit of pressing him
for a cabinet appointment from Pennsylvania.
They calculate largely upon the influence of General Cass, who,
strangely enough, is devoted to them, although their advocacy rendered
it impossible that he should ever be nominated or elected by the vote
of the State.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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