The national Republican., 1861-01-31
Maryland,

Whatever may be said about the general
right of secession, there can be no question that
the selection of this city the national capital,
at the special instance of Maryland, places that
State under peculiar obligations. The irrev-
ocability, which attaches to the cession of this
District to the United States, applies to the
rights of access to it, without which it cannot
be enjoyed.
As it might possibly seem to be an ungra.
cious, as we believe it is an unnecessary men,
ace, for us to say what is true, that Maryland
cannot leave the Union without civil war TO
be commenced on the very next morning after
she secedes, and to be continued until she con.
quers the free States, Or until they conquer her,
we prefer to use for that purpose the language
of distinguished citizen of Baltimore, William
II: Collins addressed to his fellow citizens about
a month a ago.
He then said:
"Should you enter into a new Confederacy
of the South, the first thing you would have to
| do would be to drive the General Government
out Of Washington. l take it for granted that
the Government of the North would still claim
to be, and bear the title of the United States
of America acting under and governed by the
present Constitution. Think you that this pow
erful Government would slink away like q
whipped hound, at your bidding, and retire
from the prestige and advantages it would en-
Joy from exercising its functions at our present
Capitol? Never! If human nature can ever
be read in advance, repeat it, never!
"lfy you attempt to drive the President, elected
according to the forms of the Constitution, from
| h. =, hyt thatE Enp itut fov
the exercise of his high functions, think you
that the teeming millions of the North would
not rush to the rescue of the Government 2
The North may be slow to anger, but the gal
liant Southron may well look to his numbers, his
armor, and his strength, when he meets the
slower and cooler courage of the North, fairly
reused into action.
"People of Maryland, if you ever desert our
present Union, remember that the cession oi
the District Of Columbia to the General Gov
ernment has left you no retreat, except wha,
you can hew with your swords. Your secession
from the present Union is to close the gates o.
the Capitol and TO refuse to allow Congress OF
the President to enter. 1t would be to surround
the District of Columbia by a foreign State
To do this would be to leave those who woulc
still be in the estimation OF the world the Uni
ted States of America to abandon the Capitol
| anu niShNco VI tuC
and the noble buildings erected for its use, Oh
to fight to maintain them. Can you question
the choice? Can you doubt it? 1t is the same
blood that flows in the veins of the North as o
the South, and who ever knew AngoSaxor
blood that did not know how to look calmly a
the fash of the sword? II that blood has beer
partly crossed by the German, the Scotch, tht
Irish, and the French, do you not know tina
those races have been up with the foremost il
thousand battle fields? During our revolu
ton, it was son of New England who nobl
declared, when placed at the head of the South
ern army, I" | will reconquer South Carolina, o
perish in the attempt;" and he did it. Cour
age is quality that belongs to our country
to the North as well as the South, to the Eas
as well as the West"
EaS- The late reinforcements to the Fedora
! troops in this city comprise about three hundre
, men-three companies of artillery and one con
,, pany of infantry. In all, upwards of five hur
dred men.
,, BaS~ Lieutenant Saunders, of the Unite
States army, left the city yesterday with Cover
= ment dispatches for Florida.
3 DGS"The Alexandria Gazette says:
| "The course of South Carolina, in rejectin
, all overtures for peace and conciatiun, show
that disunion, per Sc is the object and inter