The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-04-27
MESSAGE OF
GOVERNOR YATES.
Executive DEPARTMENT

the Legislature IN special session. Ger
tainly no occasion could have arisen more
extraordinary than the one which is now
presented to US. plan conceived and |
cherished by some able and misguided
statesman of the Southern States for many |
years past, founded upon an inadmissible
and destructive Interpretation of our ma
tional Constitution, considered until very |
recently as merely visionary, has been par |
TALLY carried into practical execution by
ambitious aud restless leaders, to the great
peril of our noble Union Of our Demo
cratic institutions and of our public and
private prosperity.
The popular discomfort, consequent in
evitably upon a warmly contested PresI-
Dental election, which heretofore has al
ways soon subs ;ded amongst people hav-
ing the profoundest respect for their self
imposed laws, and lowing respectfully
before the majesty of the popular will,
constitutionally expressed; this discomfort
was in this instance artfully seized upon,
and before there was time for tho angry
passions to subside one State after another
was precpitated out Of the Union by
machinery. wanting in most instances the
sanction of the people in the seeding
States.
No previous effort was made by the dis.
| loyal States to procure redress for supposed
grievances Impelled by bold aud saga
| cous leaders, disunionists at heart, they
spurned in advance all proffers OF compro-
| mise. The property Of the Union, its forts
| and arsenals, costing the people ef all the
States enormous sums OF money, were
| seized with a strong hand. Our noble fiag,
which had protected the now seeedn NJ
portions of the confederacy within its am
! PIE folds in their infancy, and which Is the
pride of every true and loyal American
| heart, and which had become respected
and revered through out the world as the
symbol of democracy and liberty, was III
suited and trampled in the dust
| All this time the Federal Government,
| intent upon peace, trusting that forbear
ance would restore friendly relations and
remove the alterations founded upon de-
! lusive apprehensions OF acgressions upon
! Southern rights, exhibited an indulgence
| aud liberation of wrong and insult from
/ our errinr brethren unparalleled In the
/ history OF nations. No lmpediment was
! thrown in the way of men who had open y
! disowned and reasonably deiied their gov
eminent. Their mail facilities and com
merce were not interrupted. The utmost
I liberty Of speech and the press was toler-
! ated, allowing them with impunitv to ex
! They had uninterrupted ingress and egress,
and were permitted to mingle with the
citizens of all the other States without
rnolrstatiun and TO disseminate their doc
! trine- everywhere The action OF the gov
eminent was confined to passive resist
7 ance and 10 tire holding, occupying and
possessing ,he property OF the United
States Invasion was not only not threat
sned, but distinctly dtsavowed, both by
the former and present administrations.
/ In the meantime strenuous efforts were
! made by Union men in the border States,
and in the. free States, to bring about a
! reconciliation Congress proposed 10y a
decided vote an amendment 10 the Con
stituticu, by which all apprehension OF an
interference with the domestic institutions
of any State, WAS 10 be quieted by giving
10 the universally prevailing sentiment OF
such nou-interference the highest consii-
,utional sanction. Territorial bills were
passed, which did not contain any asser-
ton on the part OF Congress of the right
to prohibit slavery in the Territories, so
that the perplezing territorial question, as
regards the institution of slavery, was yir-
tualy set at rest
conference of commissioners, at the
instance of the Commonwealth OF Nir-
ginia was held at the capital, attended by
nearly all tie border States and all the
free States with but one or two exception.
Propositions Of n highly comciliatoTy char
acter were adopted 10y majority OF the
free States represented IN said conference
but before Congress had even time TO con
slider them, they Were denounced by lead
ing men in the border States. and ty al
most every one of their members OF Con
cress as unsatisfactory and inadrnssible,
though tnev me; the approval of the best
patriots and of the mass OF the people in
the border States The seeded States
treated them with the utmost Contempt
That, under such circumstances and when
no practical object could be obtained, the
representatives OF the free States declined
to adop. them, is no matter of surprise
a proposition. first made %y the Lecis
latuge of Kentucky, for the call of Ma
tionai Constitutional Convention as pro
vded in the Constitution, for the redress
OF all grievances, undoubtedly the bcs,
and surest mode of settling all difficulties
was responded to by Illinois, and by many
other free States, and such q Convention
was drlinitely recommended by the present
administration on its advent to the gov
eminent. Enough had been done by The
border and free States, to satisfy every IA
tional mind that the South would have
nothing to fear from any measures to b'
passed by Congress, or even by any of thi
State Legislatures.
Public sentiment was everywhere, IN tn
free States, for peace and compromise. n
bit Iroof could be required, than tn
facts | have stated, that the conspirac
which has now assumed such FORMIDABLE
dimensions, AID which is threatening til
destruction OF the faire>t fabric of human
standing, a d wholly independent OF tn
r. election OF "a particular person to the pres
s. Dental office than the manner in whic
e the seeded States have acted toward thei
| loyal bl e hren of the South and Mort
n since they have entered upon their Grim
= nal enterprise We must do them, how
e ever, the justice to say. that all their pull
t lie documents. and all the speeches of the
n, controlling leaders, candidy admit that tn
e Presidential election has not boon tn
cause for their action, and that they wer
e. impelled by far different motives.
e So forbearing and pacific has been tn
ID policy of the Federal government-an:
d iously hoping for a return to reason in III
TT minds of our Southern brethren-tha
OF they were suffered to erect their batterit
e, in the jaws of our gun, at Sumter-finall
So losing to us that strong fortress by til
q, most unexampled forbearance and relu
~ lance to the shedding the blood of OF
countrymen. And simple attempt, o
n, the part of our constitutional government
s. to provision q starving garrison in one
v, our forts, of which the revolutionary a,
x thorities had received official notice fro.
the government, has been made the occ
sion for destructive bombardment of tn
fort. Overpowered by numbers, our ga
liant men had to lower our glorious fla
is and to surrender ON terms dictated b
=, rebels
= The spirit of a free and brave people