Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-07-11
LincoIn's Message.

At the beginning of the present administration,
 the federal government was found suspended in SC ! veral States, except the postal iunctons-national
 property, except Forts Pick kens Taylor and Jeiier son; Sumter had been seized and put in an ofcn- ! sve position. Other forts had been built, armies organized and being organized, avowedly hostile. l The federal forts in these States were being be seiged or menaced. A disproportionate amount of arms and munitions, some how found way into rebelous States-accumulations Of national reve- nues within rebel borders had been seized--!ederal navy was seattered-federai army and navy officers had resigned-a great number of ordinances de- carng separation, had been passed in these States. These States under title of confederates were ap- plying to foreign powers for the recognition and | assistance and procuring arms The incoming ad mnstration believing that it was it's imperative | duty to prevent the threatened dsmembsrment, was left choice of means. 1ndispensabl policy | chosen was indicated in my inaugural, which was the exhaustion of all peaceful measures before re- sorting to coercion-government seeking only to hold public places, property yet unwrested from it, and collection of revenues, rel, ing on time, dis cussion and ballot box for rest, promising mean. time continuance of mails-every thing was for borne compatible withkeeping government on foot. l On March 4th, letter was received from Sumter Anderson stating that place could not be held after consultation, Scott coincded-force at dis possl of government not adequate to Sumter's re lief without immediate victualling-administra tons duty was reduced to safe withdrawal of gar rson. It was believed. however, that the aband- onmtnt of Sumter would be utterly runous-that the action would be misunderstood. discouraging friends of the Union and emboIdening ruinous enc mies-encouragng confederate recognition abroad, in fact, be national destructon--thls cause was unalowable Previous to Sumtef's starvation Pickens might be reinforced, indicating admins trations policy and preparing public mind for Sum- ters evacuation military necessity. Orders were immediately issued for Pick $ reinforcement --orders impossible of execution by land and were sent by sea-first return to order received a week before Sumter's fall
 The Brooklyn, under Buchanan quasi armistce refused to land troops to reinforce Pckens before the crisis be reached at Sum.er's evacuation. Be- fore Pickins reinforcement, the government plan ned expedition to victull Sumter to be used or not circumstances might require-contingencie re quired consummation of plan. Governor Pickens notified if victaaling unresisted, attempt will be made to throw in men, arms or ammunition without notice Ft Sumter was taken without waiting the victualiing expedition. Thus the at tack on Sumter was in no sense self-detenSe. As stilants knew that in no event could Sumter be mischlevOu5; they were notified that feeding hungry men the object, that the government only wished to maintain nominal possession of the fort; thus preserving the union from dissolution, trusting to time, discussion and the ballot box for linal adjustment. The fort was assiiled with the object to drive out visible federal authority-forcing an immediate dissolution. This the executive under stood, and having been inaugurated, said, "you have no conflict without being yourselves the ag gressors," (Liacoln took pains, kept this declarl ton good in the circum stances surrounding the Sumter affair.) Then the confederates begun the conflict. They have forced it upon the country for its destruction.
 The issue was immediate submission or blood embracing more than the fate of the union. It solves the question whether peoples government can maintain its integrity and it's territory against domestic foes-whether individuals too few to con trol the administration, by organized law, can break up the government-thus ending free govern ment on earth.
 It forces this question, " must government be too strong for peoples liberty, or too week to maintain it's own existence" No choice left but to call out the war power of the government to resist the force employed for its destruction. The response to the call surpassed the most san9uine expectation.
 Delaware alone, however, Of the slave states, re- spending. few slave state regiments have been raised by individual enterprise and accepted The border States were not uniform in action. The course taken by Virginia was the nest remarkable and important.
 A convention to consider this question was in session when Sumter fell, with large Union ma iorty, which went over and carried the state out of the Union. made extensive military preparations, seized federal property, received large bodies con federate troops, sent twenty Confederate repre- sentatiyes to Confederate councils, and permitted insurrectonary government to be transferred to Virginia capital. Government has no choice left but to invade Virginia, and does so with less regret from having been called to protect loyal citizens, whom it is bound to sustain. The other border states favor an armed neutrality, and they arming to prevent union and dsanion troops occu- pying their soil.
 This would be disunion ompete-6suratively it would be building impossible walls along the line of separation, yet under the guise of neutrai ty would tie the hands of the union states and feed notwithstanding all the trouble from seces- sion hands, except what arises from external block ade, and would give malcontents dsunion without struggle of their own. It recognizes no fidelity to the constitution, no obligation to maintain the Union, while many loyaists favor it, it's very nu- ries requiring early action. GorernUent first called seventy five thousand volunteers, then pro- claimed a blockade. The insurrectonists amour ced privateering-call then made for three years troops and large additions to army and navy These mea sures were both yentured under popu- lar demand and public necessity, trusting for Con gressional ratification. The Government soon ai- ter considered it duty to authorize the command ing general to suspend ''habeas corpus, where public safety required 1t. This was necessary to the execution of the laws-the continuance of this law made in such extreme tenderness of the citi- zens liberty, practically relieved more of the gull tv than of the innocent. To state the question more directly, are all the laws but one to be exc cuted and Government go to pieces if the est orc be violated But it was believed that tine suspen sion of habeas corpus was not unconstitutional for5earance had been extraordinary and long continued, induced foreign nations to shape their action on the suppostion of early dissolution. Administration concerned but is now happy to state, that the sovereignty of the Union every | where practically respected-sympathy with gov | ernment is manifested throughout the world. The secretaries will give detailed information of exc
 cutive departments, and are ready to supply omis | sions necessary to guide deliberations Lincoln | then recommended the adoption of measures to l make the contest short and decisive-that you | place at Goverament disposal, at least four hun | drel thousand men, and four hundred millions of | money-that number of men is about one tenth of the available men within the willing region--ihat sum twenty third of the wealth Of men who seem willing to devote whole six hundred millions, less debt, per head than the revolutionary propor.ion- surely the motive is now strong as tllen-a light result will be worth to the world ten times the men ten times the money. Legislative sanctsOn is only necessary-nateria for the work is abundant.
 Greatest government .erplexity is, the avoid ance of receiving men faster than it is prepared | people will save their government, if government do a part of it's duty. While there is perceptibly but little difference between secession and revolu- .
 tion, the prime movers knew they could never raise their treason to responsibility, by name implying violation of law--they could only advance indi- recty in teeth of noble sentiments of the people, they cannot nsidiously debauch public sentiment. | They invented an inglorious sophism, which, if considered logically, followed all incidents to the destruction of the Union. That sophism is the legal, peaceful withdrawal of state without the | Union's consent-thus sugar coating rebellion public mind has been drugged during thirty years, and good men in arms against the government. This sophism derives currency from the assumption | of some omnipotent supremacy pertaining to a state. States have neither nor less than re- served power-no one of them being state out ot | the Union. The original ones passed into the Union before casting of British colonial depen- | dence-new ones come in from their condition of dependence. Exen Texas. during her temporary Independence, was never designated q state. The word sovereign state, is not in the constitution. | nor. AS is believed, in any of the state consitu- tions. Here follows an elaborate argument against the right of secesson.l
 ad xvh ath tho np0Op of every