Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. II.djvu/296

 238 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS was made by the secessionists their ground of attack. It was the great misfortune of Mr. Bu chanan s position that he had to appeal to a con gress in which there were two sectional parties breathing mutual defiance; in which broad and patriotic statesmanship was confined to a small body of men, who could not win over to their views a sufficient number from either of the parties to make up a majority upon any proposition whatever. In the hope of preventing the secession of South Caro lina, the president sent Caleb Gushing to Charles ton, with a letter to Gov. Pickens, urging the peo ple of the state to await the action of congress. After the actual secession of South Carolina, Mr. Buchanan s two great objects were: 1. To confine the area of secession, so that if there was to be a southern confederacy it might comprehend only the cotton states, which were most likely to act to gether. 2. To induce congress to prepare for a civil war in case one should be precipitated. While he made it apparent to congress that at that time he was without the necessary executive powers to enforce the collection of the revenue in South Caro lina, he did not fail to call for the appropriate powers and means. But at no time during that ses sion did a single republican senator (and the re publicans had a majority in the senate), in any form whatever, give his vote or his influence for any measure that would strengthen the hands of