The Works of James Buchanan, Vol. 1 Comprising His Speeches, State Papers, and Private Correspondence, Collected and Edited (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Works of James Buchanan, Vol. 1: Comprising His Speeches, State Papers, and Private Correspondence, Collected and Edited
The publication of the works of James Buchanan, in the present comprehensive form, was assured by the action of the late Mrs. Henry E.Johnston, formerly Harriet Lane, who, toward the close of her interesting and well-spent life, determined to give this final proof of her devotion to her uncle's memory. To those who have read the excellent biography of Buchanan written by George Ticknor Curtis, and published by the Harpers in 1883, it is unnecessary to speak of the exceptional relation which subsisted between Buchanan and his niece, a relation characterized on the one side by perfect care and confidence, and on the other by a loyalty and veneration that never wavered.
It was the fate of James Buchanan, in his seventieth year, when, at the close of a long and wearing public career, he was about to lay down the burdens of office, to be confronted with a crisis which would have taxed the energy and decision of an Andrew Jackson at thirty-five, and concerning the wisest treatment of which even the philosophers of hindsight cannot agree. There has no doubt existed a general tendency, which was stimulated by the eventual triumph of the Union and the abolition of slavery, to censure him for not having assumed a peremptory and defiant attitude toward secession when it first became aggressively active. But, even if it be admitted that this more heroic course might have been justified by the event, it seems unreasonable and unjust to condemn a statesman of Buchanan's age, political antecedents, and strict constitutionalism for seeking to afford the largest possible opportunity for conciliatory and healing measures. Efforts were repeatedly made, apparently in a spirit of hopefulness, by his successor as President, to find a basis of compromise; and when the armed conflict began, the first actual shot was not fired by a soldier of the Union. Buchanan's course is explained and defended in his monograph entitled "Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion," which is reprinted in the last volume of the present publication.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.