The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1861-07-13


that if the attempt should not be resisted,
there would be no effort to throw in men,
arms or ammunition, without further notice,
or in case of an attack upon the Fort. This
notice was accordingly given, whereupon
the Fort was attacked and bombarded to its
fall, without even awaiting the arrival oil
the provisioning expedition. IL is thus
seen that the assault upon and the reduc-
ton of Fort Sumter was in no sense mat
ter of self-defence on the part of the assaii-
ants. They we'll knew that the garrison in
the fort could by no possibility commit ag-
erosion upon them. They knew they
were expressly notified that the giving Of
bread to the few brave and hungry men of
the garrison was all which would, on that
occasion, be attempted. unless themselves
| by resisting so much, should provoke more.
They knew that the Government desired TO
keep the garrison In the fort, not to assait
them, but TO merely maintain visible pos
session, and thus TO preserve the Union
| from actual and immediate dissolution,
trusting, as hereiGbeiore stated, to time,
| discussion, and the ballot box, for final ad-
| lustment, and they assailed and reduced
the tort for precisely the reverse object-to
drive cut the visible authority Of the Fede
raj Union, and thus force it to immediate
| dissolution. That this was their object, the
Executive well understood, and having said
10 them in the Inaugural address, you car
have no conflict without being yourselves
| the aggressors, he took pains not only to
keep this declaration good, but also kept The
! issue so free from the power of ingenious
sophistry as that the world should not be
able to misunderstood it by the rffair at Fort
Sumter, with its surrounding circumstances.
| That point was reached. Then and there,
| by the assallants of the Government, began
| the confict of arms. without anything in.
right or. expectancy TO return their fire,
| save only the few in fort sent TO that har-
Dor years before for their own protection,
and still ready TO give that protection in
whatever was lawful. In this act, discSrd-
ing all else, they have forced upon the coun-
try the destructive issue-immediale disco
| luton or blood and this issue embraces
more than the fate of these United States.
1t presents to the whole family of man the
question whether a Constitutional Republic
or Democracy government of the peo-
pie by the same people, can or cannot main
tain its territorial integrity against its own
domestic foes. 1t presents the question
whether discontinued individuals, too few
in number to control administration ac-
cording TO organic law. in any case-and
always upon The pretenses made in this case,
or any other pretenses-a arbitrarily, without
any pretense, can break up the Govern
ment, and thus practically put an end to
free government upon the earth. 1t 70 rces
! us TO ask, Is there in all Republics this
Inherent and fatal weakness? Must a gov
ernment of necessity be too strong for the
liberties of our people, or too weak to main
tain its own existence?
So viewing the issue. no chance was left
but to call out the war power OF the Gov
eminent, and SO to resist force employed for
its destruction, by force for its preserva-
ton. The call was made, and the response
of the country was most gratifying-suT
passing in unanimity and spirit the most
Sanguine expectations. Yet none of the
States commonly called Slave States, except
Delaware, gave regiment through regular
State organization. A few regiments have
been organized within some other of those
States by individual enterprise, and received
| into the Govern ment service. Ofcourse the
seeded States, so called, and to VI hich Texas
had been joined about the time of the inau-
ouration, gave no troops to the cause of the
Union. The Border States so called, were
not uniform in their action, some of thu N
being almost for the Union, while j.. others,
as Virginia. North Carolina., Tennessee and
Arkansas, the UnioE sentiment was almost
repressed and :,nenced The course taken
10 Virginia was the most remarkable. per
| haps the most important. A convention
elected by the State to consider this very
question of disrupting the Federal Union,
was in session at the capital of Virginia
when Fort Sumter fell. To this body the
people had chosen large majority of pro-
fessed Union men.
Almost Immediately after the fall of Sum
ter, many members of that majority went
over to the original disunion majority, and
with them adopted an ordinance for with
drawing the State from the Uuion. Whether
this change was wrought by their approval
of the assault upon Sumter, or their great
resentment TO the Governments resistance
to that assault, is not definitely known.
Although they submitted the ordinance for
ratification to vote of the people, to be
taken Oh day then somewhat more than a
month distant, the Convention, and the
Lagislaure-which was also in session at
the same time and place with leading
men of the State not members of either
boIy, commenced acting as if the State
were already out of the Union. They pushed
over the State they seized the q. S. ar
! 2,ery at Harper's Ferry, and the Navy Yard
at Gosport, near Norfolk they received.
perhaps invited into their State, large h"rdes
of armed troops. with their warlike APP
pointments. from the SO called seeded
States they formally entered into a treaty
of temporary alliance with the SO called
Confederate. States, and sent members to
their Congress at Montgomery; and finally,
they permitted the insurrectionary govern
ment to be transferred to their capital at
Richmond. The people of Virginia have
thus allowed this giant Instruction to make
its nest within her borders. and this Gov
eminent has no choice LETT but to deal with
it where il finds it; and it has The less re-
greet, as the loyal citzens have in due form
claimed its protection. Those loyal citizens
this Government is bound to recognize and
protect, as being Virginians.
In the Border States, SO called, but in fact
the Middle States, there are those who favor
policy which they call armed neutrality
that Is. an arming of those States to prevent
the Union forces passing one way. or the
| Disunion the other, over their soil. This
would be disunion completed; figuratively
speaking, it would be the building of an i'm