The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1861-07-12

ed there would be no attempt 20 throw ia
men, arms or ammunitons without fur
thcr notice. or in case OF an attack upon
the fort. This notice was accordingly
given; whcrcupon the fort was attacked
and bombarded to its fall even, awaiting
the arrival Of the provisioning cNpcdi-
ton. II Is thus seen that the assault up /
ON aud reduction Of Fort Sumter was In I
no sense a matter OF selG-dcfenco on the
part Of the Ossaiants. They well knew
that the garrison In that fort could, by no
possibility, commit aggression upon them /
They knew they were expressly notified
that the giving Of bread 10 the few brave
and hungry men ofthc garrison was all
that would, on that occasion, be attempt /
cd, unless themselves, by resisting so
much, should provoke more. They knew
that this Government desired 10 keep the
garrison In the fort--not to OssOil them,
but merely TO maintain visible posses
sion end thus to preserve the Union from
actual and immediate dissolution. Trust
ing, as heretofore stated, TO time, Discus
sion end the ballot box for final adjust
ment, and they assailed and reduced the
fort for precisely the reverse object, to-
drive out tho visible authority Of tho Fed
eral Union and thus force It to immediate
dissolution.
That this was their object, the Exocu-
tive we'll understood, and having said TO
them in the Inaugural Address, you can
| have no conflict without being ngyourselves
the uggress,rs, he took pains not only
TO keep this declaration good, but also to
keep the casl so far from ingenious soph-
istry that the world should not misundcr-
stand il. by the affair az Fort Sumter,
with It's surrounding circumstances, that
point was reached. Then and there as
! Isailants Of the Government, began the
conflict without gun in sight or expect.
ing to return their firing, save only the
I few in the Fort, sent 10 that harbor years
before for their own protection Tn 4 still
ready 20 give that ia whatever was loyal.
In this act, discarding all else, they have
forced upon the country tho distinct issue
Of immediate dissolution or blood, and
this issue embraces more than the fate
Of these United States. Il presents 10
the whole family of man the question
whether constitutional republic or De.
lmocracy-a government Of the people
/ by the same people-can or cannot main
tain it's territorial integrity against its
own domestic foes. IL presents the uues.
ton whether discontod persons, TO, fcw in
number to counteract the administ' 'ntion
according to the organic law in any case
can always upon the prctcnses made in
this case or any other pretenscs, or ar
bit-arily without any pretense, break up
their government and thus practically
put an end to free government upon the
earth 1t forces us to ask is there in all
republics this Inherent and fatal weak.
ness Must government of necessity
be too strong for the liberties of the poo
pie are too wetk to maintain It's own ex-
istence.
SO viewing the issue, no choice was
left but to call out the war power of tho
B.. Government and so TO resist the force
employed for its destruction by force for
| its preservation. The callwas made and
the response Of the country was most
gratifying, surprising in unanimity and
spirit the most sanguino cxpectations.-
Yet none of the States commonly call
cd Slave States, except Delaware, gave
a regiment through the regular State or
ganiz .tioH. A few regiments have been
organized within some other of those
States by an individual enterprise and
received into the Government service
or course the seeded States, so called,
aud to which Texas has been Joined
about the time Of the Inauguration, gave
no troops 10 the cause of the Union
Tho Border States, so called, were not
uniform in thor action. Some of thcm
being almost for the Union, " MI, in 9th.
ers, as in Virginia, North Carolina, Tn
nessee, and Arkansas. the Uni,n sonti-
ment was nearly repressed and silenced,
The course taken in Virginia was the
most remarkable-perhaps the most i'm
portant a Convention elecie by the
people Of that State to consider this very
question of disrupt.ng the federal Union
was in session at the Capital of Virgin
ia when Fort Sumter fell. To this body
the people had chosen large majority
Of protested Union men. Almost imms.
diNtely after the fall OF Sumter, members
of that majority went over to the orioi.
} nal minority, and with them adopted an
ordinance for Withdrawing the State from
} this Union.
u Whether this charge was wrougbt bv
their great approval of the assault on
I Sumter, or their great resentment az the
Governments Resistance 10 that assault.
is not definitely known. Although they
submitted the ordinance for ratification
to vote of the people, to be taken ON a
day then somewhat more than a month
distant, the convention and legislature.
which was also In session at the same
time and place, with leading men of the
State, not members Of either. immedi.
Htely commenced ncting az If the State
was already out Of the Union. They
/ pushed military preparations vigorously
forward over the State they seized
TIE United States Armory al Harper's
Ferry and the Navy Yard at Gosport.
near Norfo ki they received, perhap, In.
yi:ed, into theif State large bodies Of
troops with their warlike appointments
from the so-called seeded State -
They formally entered into a treaty Of al-
lance with the so-called Confederate
States and sent members 10 their Con.
I gress at Montgomery, and finally thev
permitted the insurrectionary government I
10 be transferred TO their Capitol at Rich
mon1.
The people Of Virginia have thus al
lowed this giant insurrection 10 make its
nest within her borders and this Govern
Ihcnt has no choice LEFT but 10 deal with
it where il fnds il, and it has the less to
regret as the loyal citizens have in due
form claimed its protection. Those 10y
al citizens the Government IL bound TO
rCc)gnize ard protect as being in Virgin
ia, In the Border States so-called, in
fact the mi die States, there are those
who favor policy which they call armed
neutrality, that IL, an srming Of those
Slatea to prevent the Union forces pass
ing one way or the disunion the other,