The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-13
From The Boston Coarier, april Ill
SCATHING REVIEW OF MR.. LINCOLN'S



In an article addressed to ''The People of Amer
lea" on the present condition of our national affairs
the Boston Courier after abiding to the iminence
of the crisis, thus refers to the mingled folly and
recklessness which has characterize ed the policy of
the Lincoln administration. Referring first to the
inaugural, it says:
How easy to have proclaimed to the South that
be would not make war upon their forts, nor upon
their towns; how easy to have repudiated the
empty, irritating boast of his party, that he would
execute the laws by force-that he would cole ct
the revenue by force; how easy above all, to have
said. that because the great Southern portion of
the Union had come to feel and beliere at least
that they were wronged, that injustice was intend
ed towards them, because they were in the mi
nority; how easy to have said, that this should
be his all-suflicient motive to see to it that they
should be protected-that they should at all hazards
have their full and equal rights in all Territories
OF the Union, as well in person and property in
honor But of all this not one word.
| From November until March, Mr. Lincoln per-
| sisted in his long unbroken silence. From all
parts of the Union letters were written begging
him to forget any question of form or etiquette,
| and to give some iutimation of his future policy
| for the sake of the country. But he was silent
until 1t was too late-and when he spoke at last,
| his inaugural (Which we had waited and longed
for so anxiously), so far from being calculated to
restore peace and confidence, seemed more like
| some set theme, carefully compiled so as to make
|
| construe as he will.
What hope can there be in President Lincoln ?
| His own party covertly deride him. His own party
| press already begin to hold up bis vacillation to
public vlew His Cabinet is VIGOROUSLY divided
| and quarrelling among themselves. His party
have found out already his doubling policy his ia
tai want of decision, which is only more apparent
from his atfectation of great decision of character
and they laugh at the manifest weakness with
! which be has ''put his foot down" Napoleon and
jackson ne7er talked about putting their feet down
as President Lincoln does; they did il occasionally
but never bodsted about it.
What will history say of the man, who from No
vember until March, has watched the dismember-
ment of an empire; has seen State after State SEN
arating itself from the Union, taking possession
OF arsenals and forts, and asserting and perform
ing every right and every function of government;
and who, IN the face of all this, after four long
months of calm deliberations announces his aston.
ishing discovery, that this is only an "artifcal
crisis ?"
His remedy is equally childish and vain; it con-
slsts, as well as discover, after much win
moving of the chat of many meaningless sentences
in the advice to these seven determined States to
keep cool, and they will think better of their evil
ways"
This is the only balm of peace, the only panacea
Whlch the PRESIDENT inaugural pretended to hold
forth; and it is as puere his next step will be
What that next step is to be- we do not know; but
we hazard nothing in the prophecy, that if it is an
attempt to reinforce any fort or collect the reve
nues Wy iorce, IL VIII De a stupendous blunder.-
Having tried ipacton for q month iuexcusably
wasting time in distributing petty offices, to worth
less Office seekers, our President is now about to
put his foot down, are told, and is to provision
Fort Sumter, at all hazards. We regard this as
the hrst fatal blow in the coming civil war: and
whether weak or strong, whether success or a
failure, it will be the most stupendous folly which
was ever committed by any man, in whose hands
chance had placed the destinies of an empire.
Shall we be compelled to believe there is no COM
mon sense even, if not craftsmanship in Presiden,
Lncoln's Cabinet? Are their eyes so blinded, that
they cannot see what every tyro in political affairs
cannot fail to see: that the great border State;
are bound to the Union only as if by single hair
and that the first blow in civil war sewers that
slight bond? Is there no end of the Republican
blunders?