Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-01-15
Gle Ohio 6tatesnram
T Z n N 8
Second Letter Of the South Carolina Commits
sioners to the President. a
WAsHISoror, D. G., Jan. /, 1861.

WAsHIseToN, D. c., Jan. !, 1861.
StR:--We have the honor TO acknowledge the
receipt of fyour letter OF the 3Oth December, II
reply to note addressed by US to you, on the
26th of the came month, as Commissioners
from South Carolina. org ts,'
In reference to the declaration with which
your reply commences, that your "position as
President of the United States was already de-
fined In the Message to Congress Of the 81 in
slant" that you possess ''no power to change
the relations heretofore existing between South
Carolina and the United States," "much less Ia
acknowledge the independence Of that State,'
aad that consequently you could meet us only as
private gentleman OF the highest character,
with an entire Willingness to communicate to
Congress any proI O,ition We might have to
maks-we deem it only necessary to cay that
the State Of South Carolina, having, in the ex-
ercise of that great right OF self government
which underlies. oil our political organizations,
declared herself sovereign and Independent, we,
as her Representatives, feltno special solcitude
as to the character in which you might recog-
nize US. Satisfied that the State had simply
exercised her unaueetionable right, we were
prepared, In order to reach substantial good, to
waive the formal considerations which your con-
stitutional scruples might have prevented you
from extending. We came here therefore
expecting to be received as you did receive US,
and perfectly content with that entire willing.
ness, of which you assured Us, to submit any
proposition to Congress which we might have to
make upon the subject Of the independence Of
the State. The willingness was ample recog-
milton Of the condition of public affairs, which
rendered our presence necessary. In this posi-
tioD, however, il is our duty both to the State
which we represent and to ourselves, to correct
several important misconceptions of our letter,
into which you have fallen.
You say: at was my earnest desire that
such disposition might be made of the whole
subject by Congress, who alone possess the pow
er 10 prevent the Inauguration of a civil war be.
tween the parties in regard to the possession Of
the Federal forts in the harbor of Charleston;
and therefore deeply regret that In your opin-
ion the events Of the last twenty-four hours
render this impossible" We expressed no such
opinion and the language which you quote as
ours, is altered in its sense by the omission of
most important part of the sentence. What we
did say was, "But the events Of the last twenty
four hours render such an assurance impossi-
ble." Place that assurance" as contained In
our letter, In the sentence, and we are prepared
to repeat It,
Again, protesting to quote our language, you
say: "Thus the authorities of South Carolina,
without waiting or asking for any explanation,
and doubtless believing, as you have expressed
it, that the officer had acted not only without
but against my orders," &c. We expressed no
such opinion in reference to the belief of the
people Of South Carolina. The language which
you have quoted was applied solely and entire
ly to our assurances obtained here, and based
l. a1o
declaration which, at that time, it was impos
sible for the authorities of South Carolina tt
have known. But, without following this lat
ter into all its details, we propose only to NEE
the chief points of the argument.
Some weeks ago the State Of South Carolins
declared her intention, in the existing condition
of public affairs, to secede from the Uhitet
States. She called Convention of her peopl,
to put her declaration in force. The Conven
tion met and passed the Ordinance of Secession
All this you anticipated, and your course o.
action was thoroughly considered in your An
nual message. You declared you had no right
and would not attempt, to coerce q seeding
State, but that you were bound by your con-
stitutional oath, and would defend the proper
ty of the United States within the borders
Of South Carolina, If an attempt was made to
take it by force. Seeing very early that this
question Of property was q difficult and
delicate one, you manifested a desire to
settle It without collision. You did mol
reinforce the garrison in the harbor OF
Charleston. You removed q distinguished and
veteran officer from the command Of Fort Moul,
trie because he attempted to increase his supply
Of ammunition. You refused to send additional
troops to the same garrison when applied for by
the officer appointed to succeed him. You &C
cepted the resignation of the Oldest and most
eminent member OF your Cabinet, rather than
allow the garrison to be strengthened. You
compelled an officer stationed at Fort Sumter
to 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 our public characters,
whose testimony will be placed upon the record
whenever it is necessary, yonr anxiety for a
peaceful termination Of this controversy. and
your willingness not to disturb the military
status Of the forts, it Commissioners should be
sent to the Government, whose communications
you promised TO submit to Congress, You re-
ceived and acted on assurances from the highest
official authorities Of South Carolina, that no
attempt would be made to distnrb your possess
sion Of the forts and property Of the United
States if you would not disturb their,exsting con.
uttlODyuuLll bu6 uhu U6tu beubluuu
the attempt to negotiate had failed. You took
from the members Of the House of Representa-
tiyes written memorandum that no such at
tempt should be made, "provided that no rein
forcement should be sent into those forts, and
their relative military status shall remain as at
present." And although you attach no force to
the acceptance Of such o paper-athough you
'considered it as nothing more in effect than the
promise Of highly honorable gentlemen an
obligation on one side, without corresponding
obligation on the othar-it mustbe remembered
df we were rightly informed) that you were
pledged, If you ever did send reinforcements, To
return it 10 those from whom you had received It,
before you executed your resolution. You sent
orders to your officers commanding them strictly
to follow line of conduct in conformity with
such an understanding. Besides all this, you
had received formal and official notice from the
Governor of South Carolina that we had been
appointed Commissioners, and we're on our way
to Washington. You knew the implied condi-
ton under which we came; our arrival was mott
fed 10 YOU, and an hour appointed for an inter
view. We arrived In Washington on Wednes-
dsy, at 3 O'clock, and you appointed an inter-
view with US at ] the next day, I, EARLY on thai
day Thursday, the news VAS received here o.
the movement of Major Anderson That new
was communicated to you Immediately, and yor
postponed our meeting until 2I6 o'clock on FRI
day IN order that You might consult your Cabinet
On Friday we saw you, and we called upon yor
then oredeem your pledge. You could not de
ny It, With the facts We have stated, and II
the face of the crowning and conclusive fac
that your Secretary Of War had resigned hit
seat in the Cabinet, upon the publicly syowet
ground that the action Of Major Anderson hat
Violated the, pledged faith of the Government
and that unless the pledge was inatantly re-
deemed, he was dishonored; denial was impos.
sible; YOU did not deny 1t. You do not den,
Il now, but you seek to escape from Ito obliga
tion on the grounds, first that We terminated al