Show iJ Jm North South Fought Hard Over President Buchanan By BAUKHAGE Newt News Analyst an and Commentator W WASHINGTON Democratic Demo Democratic harmony so far as the Dixie- Dixie erat crat revolt is concerned remains an uncertain quantity Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- basically are still Democrats but there will always be certain certain tam tain fundamental differences between North and South which existed even before slavery and secession became issues Beyond that however recent clashes with the are largely only a levelling off oft process and probably nothing a sensible compromise cannot cure People outside of ot Washington are often orten surprised that differences I w 5 still arise between y f j North and South Southover Southover t- t f over ancient mattens matters mat mat- r VO tens w which hi h most t f r of the country has hast t. t Jt 0 ft The t for forgotten got ten country has also alsot i t J forgotten th that at i it t tj J was here that the earliest outbreaks j t i of sectional feeling feel feel- f took As g ing lag place mi ear early I y as ns 1848 t 1 there was a. a riot I following an underground underground underground un slave- slave uE running incident in which 76 household servants were spirited off to freedom The Abolitionist Abolitionist Abo Abo- Weekly was stormed and the capital suffered the biggest attack attack attack at at- tack of f jitters it had had since the British burned the White House 34 years before Nine years later a band of armed ruffians from Baltimore entered the city bent on helping helpIng help help- Ing the Know Nothing candidates candidates candidates candi candi- dates in the local election We had bad local elections then The marines had to be called out six Ix men were killed and twice as many wounded The tide continued to rise and no President from Tyler to Buchanan could or would do anything about it It was an open secret that Buchanan's Buchanan's Buchanan's Bu Bu- Bu- Bu chanan's sympathies were largely south of ot the Mason-Dixon Mason line Historians agree that he learned in hi advance the decision in the famous Dred Scott slavery case which was one of ot the last of ot the explosions which started the Civil War Today Today Today To To- day supreme court secrets are kept secret But Buchanan knew the court had rul ruled d that Dred Scott was not a n citizen under the meaning of the and could not be made a citizen further that the affirmed a property right in slaves slave's and such slave property property property prop prop- erty was protected by the due process of ot law clause Buchanan realized what the effect of this decision would be but in his inauguration speech piously advised the country to accept the verdict no matter what It was Later when southern sentiment grew In ill the capital Buchanan did try to organize a militia but congress congress con con- gress would have none of it The regular army troops In the city were known to be of doubtful loyalty The militia much larger on paper could muster only men Meanwhile the southern group the Militant Jackson Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic association was drilling men Finally the militia managed to get geta a n thousand men under arms But feeling ran high and on Washington's Washington's Washington's Washing Washing- tons ton's birthday following the election of Abraham Lincoln by the electoral electoral elec elec- toral college but before his inauguration inauguration inauguration the militia paraded Ex- Ex President Tyler a Virginian went to Buchanan and protested the fact that they had been allowed to display display display dis dis- dis- dis play the Stars and Stripes and Buchanan Buchanan Bu Eu- chanan is said to have apologized Most people have forgotten the northern animosity toward Buchanan Buchan Buchan- an but it was to crop up again In my time when it was the subject of one of those debates for which Sen Cabot Lodge was notorious Many Presidents are memorialized in ha stone in Washington Washing Washing- ton but not all and In Lodges Lodge's time Buchanan was one who was not Buchanan had been a bachelor and had taken his niece with him to the White House as hostess to assist as as- in the brilliant entertainments for tor which he was noted She later became Mrs Harriett Lane Johnston Johnston Johnston Johns Johns- ton lived to an affluent old age and when she died left the sum of which bought a lot more marble and bronze then than it would now for the erection of ot a statue of her uncle The donation of a site required the approval of congress This donation was cheap considerIng considering consider consider- ing lag that unlike similar tributes to the nations nation's hero all expenses expenses expenses ex ex- ex- ex were provided Congress was willing enough but not that stalwart yankee Lodge who lived perhaps nearer to the age of Buchanan to his bis own genera genera- tion He chose to dig up all the unsavory unsavory unsavory un un- un- un savory memories his scholarly brain could muster to block the donation donation donation do do- nation of ot the site Naturally hot southern blood grew hotter and what some of ot Mr Lodges Lodge's opponents lacked in data they more than made up in oratory The motion was passed but not until tempers had been thoroughly ruffled The site chosen for tor the statue was not conspicuous In fact I had bad never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen it until it was brought to my attention by a gentleman fully conversant conversant conversant con con- versant with the details of the dispute dispute dispute dis dis- dis- dis and likewise familiar with every nook and cranny of ot the capital capital capital capi capi- tal city I asked him to show me the thesta sta statue tue He said he knew where It was In Meridian Park But just before we arrived at the scene he paused and said It ought to be here It developed that he had never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen it either cither It was there there there-in in an inconspicuous spot a huge bronze statue of ot good workmanship backed by a wide which is defined as a seat with a high back but back but this would seat several squads of infantry It is a huge piece of stonework flanked by two symbolic figures in classic style one representing diplomacy diplomacy diplomacy dip dip- in which Buchanan was skilled he had served well as minister minister minister min min- ister to Great Britain and one representing the law in which if ii we may judge by his breach of ethics in hi connection with the supreme supreme supreme su su- su- su preme court decision he was not of I equal stature Perhaps his niece I I was sensitive on this point for she specified the inscription the inscription the only words on the statue beside the dates of his term and the single word Buchanan It It reads reads reads- The incomparable statesman whose walk valk was upon the mountain mountain moun moun- tam tain ranges of the law Although Although Although Al Al- though it isn't indicated it was Buchanan's own gen attorney eral cral who said that There is a certain ironic touch Inthe in inthe inthe the fact that Buchanan's memory had to be perpetuated in stone by family subsidy for from 1820 to 1830 he was one of the few members of congress who pursued the futile attempt to get congress to approve a suitable memorial In the capitol to George Washington Efforts in this direction either were circumvented or ignored until 1831 the centenary of Washington's birth At that time the public was wasso wasso wasso so aroused over the indifference of ol congress that George Watterson then librarian of congress formed an association which raised the money for the Washington monument monument monument ment which was eventually completed completed com corn on the spot originally chosen for a statue of Washington by Major LEnfant L'Enfant who drew the plans for the I city S S I The President said recently he be didn't depend on opinion polls under under un un- der any circumstances Well If 11 anybody has a reason for that atI attitude attitude at at- I it certainly would be Harry l Truman ruman I r 4 5 r V 44 y 1 t t tI I r S. S r rt t r L BUCHANAN'S ONLY MEMORIAL l |