abraham lincoln and the union-第12节

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nt　is　to　do　nothing；　to　make　an　end　of　political　evasion　and　to　come　out　frankly　in　approval　of　the　Southern　position；　or　to　break　with　his　own　record；　to　emerge　from　his　evasions　on　the　opposite　side；　and　to　confess　himself　first　and　before　all　a　supporter　of　the　Union。　　One　or　another　of　these　three　courses；　sooner　or　later；　every　man　of　the　President's　following　chose。　　We　shall　see　presently　the　relative　strength　of　the　three　groups　into　which　that　following　broke　and　what　strange　courses　sometimes　tragic；　sometimes　comictwo　of　the　three　pursued。　　For　the　moment　our　concern　is　how　the　division　manifested　itself　among　the　heads　of　the　party　at　Washington。

The　President　took　the　first　of　the　three　courses。　　He　held　it　with　the　nervous　clutch　of　a　weak　nature　until　overmastered　by　two　grim　men　who　gradually　hypnotized　his　will。　　The　turning…point　for　Buchanan；　and　the　last　poor　crisis　in　his　inglorious　career；　came　on　Sunday；　December　30th。　　Before　that　day　arrived；　his　vacillation　had　moved　his　friends　to　pity　and　his　enemies　to　scorn。　One　of　his　best　friends　wrote　privately；　〃The　President　is　pale　with　fear〃；　and　the　hostile　point　of　view　found　expression　in　such　comments　as　this；　〃Buchanan；　it　is　said；　divides　his　time　between　praying　and　crying。　　Such　a　perfect　imbecile　never　held　office　before。〃

With　the　question　what　to　do　about　the　forts　hanging　over　his　bewildered　soul；　Buchanan　sent　a　message　to　Congress　on　December　4；　1860；　in　which　he　sought　to　defend　the　traditional　evasive　policy　of　his　party。　　He　denied　the　constitutional　right　of　secession；　but　he　was　also　denied　his　own　right　to　oppose　such　a　course。　　Seward　was　not　unfair　to　the　mental　caliber　of　the　message　when　he　wrote　to　his　wife　that　Buchanan　showed　〃conclusively　that　it　is　the　duty　of　the　President　to　execute　the　lawsunless　somebody　opposes　him；　and　that　no　State　has　a　right　to　go　out　of　the　Union　unless　it　wants　to。〃

This　message　of　Buchanan's　hastened　the　inevitable　separation　of　the　Democratic　party　into　its　elements。　　The　ablest　Southern　member　of　the　Cabinet；　Cobb；　resigned。　　He　was　too　strong　an　intellect　to　continue　the　policy　of　〃nothing　doing〃　now　that　the　crisis　had　come。　　He　was　too　devoted　a　Southerner　to　come　out　of　political　evasion　except　on　one　side。　　On　the　day　Cobb　resigned　the　South　Carolina　Representatives　called　on　Buchanan　and　asked　him　not　to　make　any　change　in　the　disposition　of　troops　at　Charleston；　and　particularly　not　to　strengthen　Sumter；　a　fortress　on　an　island　in　the　midst　of　the　harbor；　without　at　least　giving　notice　to　the　state　authorities。　　What　was　said　in　this　interview　was　not　put　in　writing　but　was　remembered　afterward　in　different　ways　with　unfortunate　consequences。

Every　action　of　Buchanan　in　this　fateful　month　continued　the　disintegration　of　his　following。　　Just　as　Cobb　had　to　choose　between　his　reasonings　as　a　Democratic　party　man　and　his　feelings　as　a　Southerner；　so　the　aged　Cass；　his　Secretary　of　State；　and　an　old　personal　friend；　now　felt　constrained　to　choose　between　his　Democratic　reasoning　and　his　Northern　sympathies；　and　resigned　from　the　Cabinet　on　the　11th　of　December。　　Buchanan　then　turned　instinctively　to　the　strongest　natures　that　remained　among　his　close　associates。　　It　is　a　compliment　to　the　innate　force　of　Jeremiah　S。　Black；　the　Attorney…General；　that　Buchanan　advanced　him　to　the　post　of　Secretary　of　State　and　allowed　him　to　name　as　his　successor　in　the　Attorney…Generalship　Edwin　M。　Stanton。　　Both　were　tried　Democrats　of　the　old　style；　〃let…'em…alone〃　sort；　and　both　had　supported　the　President　in　his　Kansas　policy。　　But　each；　like　every　other　member　of　his　party；　was　being　forced　by　circumstances　to　make　his　choice　among　the　three　inevitable　courses；　and　each　chose　the　Northern　side。　　At　once　the　question　of　the　moment　was　whether　the　new　Secretary　of　State　and　his　powerful　henchmen　would　hypnotize　the　President。

For　a　couple　of　weeks　the　issue　hung　in　the　balance。　　Then　there　appeared　at　Washington　commissioners　from　South　Carolina　〃empowered　to　treat。。。for　the　delivery　of　forts。。。and　other　real　estate〃　held　by　the　Federal　Government　within　their　State。　　On　the　day　following　their　arrival；　Buchanan　was　informed　by　telegraph　that　Anderson　had　dismantled　Fort　Moultrie　on　the　north　side　of　the　harbor；　had　spiked　its　guns；　and　had　removed　its　garrison　to　the　island　fortress；　Sumter；　which　was　supposed　to　be　far　more　defensible。　　At　Charleston　his　action　was　interpreted　as　preparation　for　war；　and　all　South　Carolinians　saw　in　it　a　violation　of　a　pledge　which　they　believed　the　President　had　given　their　congressmen；　three　weeks　previous；　in　that　talk　which　had　not　been　written　down。　Greatly　excited　and　fearful　of　designs　against　them；　the　South　Carolina　commissioners　held　two　conferences　with　the　President　on　the　27th　and　28th　of　December。　　They　believed　that　he　had　broken　his　word；　and　they　told　him　so。　　Deeply　agitated　and　refusing　to　admit　that　he　had　committed　himself　at　the　earlier　conference；　he　said　that　Anderson　had　acted　on　his　own　responsibility；　but　he　refused　to　order　him　back　to　the　now　ruined　Fort　Moultrie。　　One　remark　which　he　let　fall　has　been　remembered　as　evidence　of　his　querulous　state　of　mind：　〃You　are　pressing　me　too　importunately〃　exclaimed　the　unhappy　President；　〃you　don't　give　me　time　to　consider；　you　don't　give　me　time　to　say　my　prayers；　I　always　say　my　prayers　when　required　to　act　upon　any　great　state　affair。〃　　One　remembers　Hampden　〃seeking　the　Lord〃　about　ship　money；　and　one　realizes　that　the　same　act　may　have　a　vastly　different　significance　in　different　temperaments。

Buchanan；　however；　was　virtually　ready　to　give　way　to　the　demand　of　the　commissioners。　　He　drew　up　a　paper　to　that　effect　and　showed　it　to　the　Cabinet。　　Then　the　turning…point　came。　　In　a　painful　interview；　Black；　long　one　of　his　most　trusted　friends；　told　him　of　his　intention　to　resign；　and　that　Stanton　would　go　with　him　and　probably　also　the　Postmaster…General；　Holt。　　The　idea　of　losing　the　support　of　these　strong　personalities　terrified　Buchanan；　who　immediately　fell　into　a　panic。　　Handing　Black　the　paper　he　had　drawn　up；　Buchanan　begged　him　to　retain　office　and　to　alter　the　paper　as　he　saw　fit。　　To　this　Black　agreed。　　The　demand　for　the　surrender　of　the　forts　was　refused；　Anderson　was　not　ordered　back　to　Moultrie；　and　for　the　brief　remainder　of　Buchanan's　administration　Black　acted　as　prime　minister。

A　very　powerful　section　of　the　Northern　democracy；　well　typified　by　their　leaders　at　Washington；　had　thus　emerged　from　political　evasion　on　the　Northern　side。　　These　men；　known　afterwards　as　War　Democrats；　combined　with　the　Republicans　to　form　the　composite　Union　party　which　supported　Lincoln。　　It　is　significant　that　Stanton　eventually　reappeared　in　the　Cabinet　as　Lincoln's　Secretary　of　War；　and　that　along　with　him　appeared　another　War　Democrat；　Gideon　Welles；　Lincoln's　Secretary　of　the　Navy。　　With　them；　at　last；　Douglas；　the　greatest　of　all　the　old　Democrats　of　the　North；　took　his　position。　　What　became　of　the　other　factions　of　the　old　Democratic　party　remains　to　be　told。

While　Buchanan；　early　in　the　month；　was　weeping　over　the　pitilessness　of　fate；　more　practical　Northerners　were　grappling　with　the　question　of　what　was　to　be　done　about　the　situation。　　In　their　thoughts　they　anticipated　a　later　statesman　and　realized　that　they　were　confronted　by　a　condition　and　not　by　a　theory。　Secession　was　at　last　a　reality。　　Which　course　should　they　take？

What　strikes　us　most　forcibly；　as　we　look　back　upon　that　day；　is　the　widespread　desire　for　peace。　　The　abolitionists　form　a　conspicuous　example。　　Their　watchword　was　〃Let　the　erring　sisters　go　in　peace。〃　　Wendell　Phillips；　their　most　gifted　orator；　a　master　of　spoken　style　at　once　simple　and　melodious；　declaimed　splendidly　against　war。　　Garrison；　in　〃The　Liberator〃；　followed　his　example。　　Whittier　put　the　same　feeling　into　his　verse：

They　break　the　links　of　Union；　shall　we　light　The　flames　of　hell　to　weld　anew　the　chain　On　that　red　anvil　where　each　blow　is　pain？

Horace　Greeley　said　in　an　editorial　in　the　〃New　York　Tribune〃：　〃If　the　cotton　states　shall　decide　that　they　can　do　better　out　of　the　Union　than　in　it；　we　shall　insist　on　letting　them　go　in　peace。　Whenever　a　considerable　section　of　our　Union　shall　deliberately　resolve　to　go　out；　we　shall　resist　all　coercive　measures　designed　to　keep　them　in。　　We　hope　never　to　live　in　a　republic　where　one　section　is　pinned　to　the　residue　by　bayonets。〃

The　Democrats　naturally　clung　to　their　traditions；　and；　even　when　they　went　over；　as　Black　and　Stanton　did；　to　the　Anti…Southern　group；　they　still　hoped　that　war　would　not　be　the　result。　　Equally　earnest　against　war　were　most　of　the　Republicans；　though　a　few；　to　be　sure；　were　ready　to　swing　the　〃Northern　hammer。〃　　Summer　prophesied　that　slavery　would　〃go　down　in　blood。〃　　But　the　bulk　of　the　Republicans　were　for　a　sectional　compromise；　and　among　them　there　was　general　approbation　of　a　scheme　which　contemplated　reviving　the　line　of　the　Missouri　Compromise；　and　thus　frankly　admitting　the　existence　of　two　distinct　sections；　and　guaranteeing　to　each　the　security　of　its　own　institutions。　　The　greatest　Republican　boss　of　that　day；　Thurlow　Weed；　came　out　in　defense　of　thi