Litchfield enquirer., 1861-07-11
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

HE FIX HESlDENl7o M MLSSAOE. FeUom-ciizens of tue Senate and House of Re
 personalities:
 Having been convened on an extraordinary session., as authorized by the Constitution your attention is not called to any ordinary subject of legislation. At the beginning of the present pre- sidenta term, four months ago, the functions of the federal government were found to be general ly suspended within the several states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis jana, and Florida, excepting only those of the Post-offcc Department Within these states all the forts, arsenals, dock yards, custom houses and the like, including the movable and station ary property in and about them, had been seized, and were held in open hostility to this govern ment, excepting only Forts Pickens, Taylor and Jefferson. on and near the Florida coast, and Fort Sumter Tn Charleston harbor South Caro- lima.
 The forts thus seized had been put in improved condition, new ones had been built, and armed forces had been organized, and were organizing, all avowedly with the same hostile purpose The forts remaining in the possession of the federal government in and near these states were either besieged or menaced by warike preparations, and especially Fort Sumter was nearly surround ed by well-proteeted hostile batteries, with guns equal in quality to the best of it's own, and out numbering the latter as perhaps ten to one disproportonate share of the federal musk cts and rifles had somehow found their way into these states and had been seized to be used against the government. Accommodations of the public re- venue lying within them, had been seized for the same object-the navy was scattered in distant seas, leaving but very small part of 1t within the immediate reach of the government. Officers of the federal army had resigned in great num- bers, and of those resigning large proportion had taken up arms against the government. Si- mutaneously and in connection with all this, the purpose to sever the federal Union was openly avowed. In accordance with this purpose an or- dinanee had been adopted in each of these states declaring the states respectively to be seperated from the national Union, formula institu- ting combined government of these states had been promulgated, and this illegal organization, in the character of the " Confederate States, was already invoking recognition, aid, and interven- tion from foreign powers. Finding this condition of things, and believing 1t to be an imperative duty upon the incoming executive to prevent, if possible, the consummation of such attempt to destroy the federal Union, choice of means to that end became indispensable. This choice was made, and was declared in the inaugural address. The policy chosen looked to the expansion of all peaceful measures before resort to any stronger ones. It sought only to hold the public places and property not already wrested from the gov ernment, and to collect the revenue, relying for the rest on time, discussion, and the ballot-box. It promised a continuance of the mails. at gov ernment expense, to the very people who were re- sisting the government, and it gave repeated pledges against any disturbances to any of the