Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-01-09

regards the capacity in which they were to be received
they say they were prepared waive formal eonsidtra
tons aud were perfectly content with tie Willingness
the President expressed to submit 20 Congress whatever
propositions they might make They intimate chat the
President had perverted their language in making them
say that the prevention of civil impossible.
They said no such hing-but only that assurance"
to that cfee; impossible"
Assiu, protesting to quote our language you say -
Thus the authorities OF South Carolina, without waiting
OF asking for an explanation and ubtless believing
lou have express it. that the officer had acted not only
without but eg1LSt my orders" a.. We expressed no
such opinion in reference the belief OF the people Of
South Carolina. The language which you have quoted
was applied solely and entirely obtain
cd here, and based, you well know, upon your
ceeiarencE-a declaration which, at that time, it was
impossible Tor the authorities OF South Carolina TO have
known.
As to the pledge not to change the military status at
Charleston, AID the of the President generally
the Commissioners say;
You did rot reinforce the garrison in the harbor of
Charleston You removed distinguished and veteran
ohcer from the command Of Fort Moul;rie because lie
attempted to increase his supply OF ammunition. lou
refused to send additional troops to the same garrSOn
when applied for by the officer appointed to succeed him
You accepted the resignation of the Oldest and most
eminent member Of your Cabinet rather than allow the
garrison 10 BE- srengthened You compelled an officer
stationed at Fort Sumter, b return Immediately TO the
Arsenal forty muSkets which he had taken to arm his
men. You expressed not TO one, but to many, OF the
most distinguished of public characters whose testi
mOny will De placed upon the record whenever it is ne
ceSsary your anxiety for peaceful termination OF this
controversy and your willingness not not to disturb the
military status OF the forts II Commissioners should be
the Government, whose communications You pro
missed submit Congress. You received and acted
the from the hest official authorities OF South
Carolina, that attempt would be made to disturb your
possession o the forts and property oithe United States
II you would disturb their existing condition until
the Commissioners had been sent and the attempt TO
negotiate had failed. You took from the members OF
| the House Of Representatives written memorandum
that such attempt should be made provided that
rejniorcements shall be sent into those forts aud
their relative military status shall remain as at present
And although YOU attach force 10 the acceptance OF
such paper-tlbOugh you considered il as nothing
more in effect than the promise Of highly honorable
gentcmpn' as an obligation on one side without a
corresponding Obligation on the olher-it must be
remembered lif rightly iptosmed) that you were
pledged If yOu did send reiuiOrcements TO return
10 10 those from whom YOU hld received it, before You
executed your resolution You sent orders TO your Of
dcers commanding them strictly TO follow line Of con
duet in conformity with Sgch an understanding Be
sides al thi YOU bad received iurual and official notice
from the Governor of South tirclna that had been
appointed COwmi-sioutr-,lud were way to Wash
mcton. lOu knew the implied cOadton under
which We came Our arrival WAS notified to yOu aud
an hour appointed for an interview. We arrived
ia Washington Wednesday at three o'clock
and you sptC.pici Interview with Us at
Que thc next day. Elriv on that dIy THURSDAY the
news Nas ceivcj here Of the movement ol M.or An
ders5n. That news was communicated To YOU mmrj-
selv, aud postponed ne, ting until hif-uast .
O'Clock Friday, ia order that YOU might consult yoGr
Cabinet. On Friday YOU, ond W. called upon
You shea to redeem your pledge You could not den, il
Mith tEc E,.s have stated and in the face oC ths
erOWnug and conclusive fact that Your Sc retatv Of War
bad resigned li- seat in the Cabinet upon the publicly
avoWed ground tast DE action Of Major Anderson had vO
htrd The pledged faith Of the government and that uu
les Do, pledge Uas Instantly redeemed h. vas di.hol-
cred DENIAL Wa Impossible; yOu did LOt deny it. You
% not dcuy 30 usN hu you seek 10 escape from lis OBJ
cation the grounds, Gt-t that terminated "a me-
go,istcn hy demanding, as preliminary the withdrawal
thr United Stats troops from the harbo, Of Charlie
ton; and second that the authorities of South Carolu,
instead Of s~kns ,yPlisiun and givGg yon the oppor-
tgniiv yiuiictf1 Yourself took posse sion Of other
property OF the United States We Vii examine both
la tine ir1 place, deny positively that We have
e, in any wav, made any such demand Our letter is
n yuly p0>e--iOn IT. VIII slADl by this record. Ia
IL Ne informed you OF the objects Of our mission We sly
thar ~ would have been dUy 10 have assured y0u O
0ur readiness 20 commence ucgCttions with the most
earnest and anxious desire to settle All questions between
iuhi, Hud 20 Unr mutual advantage but that events
bal rendered tina assn auce impossible We stated the
events aud said chat until some satisfactory cxpiuA-
0U OF these events vas given us We could not proceed
and them having made this request for explanation
added aud il coming 70 this conclusion, would
urrr upOn Won the mme date withdrawal Of the troops
from tine bsrbor of Charleston Under tie present cir
cjussuce- they ase a standing mcLG,e which renders
negotiation impossible" a.. Under present circum.
stances" What circumstances Why clearly the oc-
cup,tiou of Fort Sumter aud the d.smantlng Of Fort
Noue hy Major Anderson, in thc face Of yoCr pledges
and without explanation or practical di>avowaL Aud
there nothing n the letter which Woull could have
prevented yOU irom declining 20 withdraw the troops,
and Offering the restoration Of the status to which YOU
a.. Ill a.. Il
hue been wiser aud better in Opaiou to have with
drawn the troops and this opinion urged upon you,
hut We daaai nothing but such an explanation of the
OF the last tventylour hours would restore
confidence in the spirit with which the negotiations
should be conducted In relation 70 this Withdrawal Ol
the troops from the harbor compelled however,
70 notice one passage Of your letter Referring to you
say: "This cannc do. This viii not do Such an
idea thought Of by me in any possible contu
gencv No ausian 10 it had been made in auy COM
munication between myself aud any human being"
Ia reply to this statement compelled to say
that your conversation with Us left upon minds the
distinct impression that you did seriously contemplate
the withdrawal Of the troops from Charleston harbOr.-
And in support OF this impression, would add that
We have the positive assurance of gentlemen Of the high
possible public reputation and most unSullsd int e
rty-mcu whose name and fame, secured by long ser
vice aud patriotic achievement place their testimony be-
yOnd caythat such suggestions had been made 10 and
urged upon you by them AID had formed the subject of
/
this knowledge that induced urge upon you poll
cv which had TO recommend it its wisdom and the
might of such authority. As to the second point that
the authorities of South Carolina instead Of asking
plantations aud giving you the opportunity to vndic te
Yourself took possession of other property OF the United
States we would observe lst. That r this So
r does not avail YOU for defence for the opportunity for
decision was afforded YOU before those facts occurred
We arrived in Washington Wedn esday the
news form Major Anderson reached here early On
Thursdtv and was Immediately communicated TO
YOU An that day men of the highest consideration
men who had st-ven successfully to lit you TO your
great oiee-who had been your tried and true friends
through the troubles Of YOUR Administration sought you
and enteaed YOU act-tO act az once. They told you
that every hour complicated your position. They only
asked yOu give the that the facts were so
that If the commander had acted with ut and against
your orders and in violation Of your pedges-thst you
would the status you had pledged your honor to
/ maintain. You refused 20 decide our Secretary al
War, your immediate aud proper adviser IN TINS whole
matter, waited anxOusly for your decision, nhu ne lett
that delay becoming dishOnOr. More than twelve
hours passed and Cabinet meetings had adjourned,
before you knew what the authorities OF South Carolina
had done aud your prompt decision at any moment oil
that time would have avoided the subsequent comphca
tons But L YOU had known the acts OF the anthoii'
ties OF South Carolina should that have prevented your
Keeping your faith; What was the condition oil thlnssf
For the last sixty days you have bad in Charleston har
Dor not force enough hold the forts against an equal
encmy Two Of them were empty; ono oil those
| two the most important in the harbOr. 1t could
have been taken at any time. You ought 10
1 - hat n