Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-07-12

god but also to keep the case so far from III
genious sophistry that the world should not
misunderstood it. By the affair at Fort
Sumter with its surrounding circumstances
this point was reached. Then, and thereby
the assailants of the Government began the
conflict of arms. without gun in sight or
IN eXpectance to return their fire, save only
the few in the fort sent to that harbor years
before Tor their own protection, and still
ready to give that protection and whatever
was lawful. In this act, discarding all else,
they have forced upon the country the dis
tinct iSsue-mmedate dissolution or blood,
and this issue embraces more than the fate
of these United States. 1t presents to the
whole family OF man, the question whether
Constitutional Republic or Democracy, a
Government of the People by the
same People, can or can not main
tain its territorial integrity against its
own domestic foes. 1t presents the question
whether diScontented individuals, too few IN
numbers to control the administration ac-
cording to the organic law in any case, can
always upon the pretences made in this case
or on any other pretense or arbitrarily without
any preterse, break up their government and
thus practically put an end to Free Govern.
ment on the earth, 1t forces us to ask
Is there in all republics this inherent and
fatal weakness Must the Government of
necessity be too strong for the liberties of Its
own people or too weak to maintain its own
existence So viewing the issue, no choice
was left but to call out the war power of the
Government, and 50 TO resist the force en-
ployed for its destruction, by force for Its
| preservation.
The call was made, and the response of the
country was most gratifying, surprising in
unanlmity and spirit the most sanguIne ex-
! psctatiOns, yet none of the States commonly
/ called Slave States, except Delaware, gave
regiment through the regular State or
! ganlzatlon. y few regiments have been or
| ganized within some other of those States,
| by individual enterprise, and received into
| the Government service. OF course the Sc
| cedcd States, 50 called, and to which Texas
had been Joined about the time Of the inaug-
! uratIOn. gave no troops to the cause of the
Union. The border States, 50 called, were not
uniform IN their action, some OF them being
almost wholly for the Union, while in others,
as in Virginia and North Carolina, aud Ten
ncssea and Arkansas, tho Union sentiment
was nearly reprcssed and silenced. The
course taken in Virginia was the most re-
markablc, perhaps the most important. y
convention elected by the people of that State
to consider this very question OF disrupting
the Federal Union was in session at the
capital OF Virginia when Fort Sumter fell.
To this body the people had chosen large
majority Of professed Union men. Almost
Immediately after the fall of Sumter, many
members of that majority went over to the /
original disunIOn minority, and with them
adopted an ordinance for withdrawing the |
State from the Union. Whether this change |
was wrought by their great approval of the |
assault on Sumter or their greIt resentment |
at the Government 5 resistance to that is not /
definitely known. Although they submitted |
the ordinance fer ratification 10 a vote of the |
people, to be taken on a day then somewhat |
more than month distant, the Convention |
and Legislature which was also in session at /
the same time and place, with leading men Of |
the State, not mem bers Of either immediats.
ly commenced acting as if the Stlte was al
ready out Of the Union. They pushed milit-
airy preparations vigorously forward all over
the STATE They seized the L S. Armorv at
Harper's Ferry, and Navy Yard at Gysport,
near Norfolk. They received, perhaps nvlt-
ed, large bodies Of troops with tn II warlikc
appointments from the so called seeded
States. They formally entered into a treaty
Of temporary alliance with the so called con-
Congress at Montgomery; and finally they
permitted the insurrectionary government TO
he transferred to their capital at Richmond
The people Of Virginia have thus allowed
this great insuIrection to make its nest with
in her borders and this Government has no
choice left but to deal with it where It finds it,
and it has the less 10 regret as the loyal cit
izens have in due form claimed its protection.
These loyal citizens it is bound to recognize
and protect as being in Virginia.
In the border States, so called, in fact the
middle States, there are those who favor
policy which they call armed neutrality.
That is an arming of these States to prevent
Union forces passing one way or disuniOn the
other over their soil. This would be disun
ion completed. Figuratively speaking, 1t
would be the building of an impossible wall
along the line Of separation, and yet not
quite an impossible one, for under the guise
of neutrality,it would be to tie the hands Of
theUnion men andlrcely pass supplies lromit
among them to the insurrectionsts, which
could not do as an open enemy. At a stroke
it would take all trouble off the hands of the
secessionists except only what proceeds from
the external blockade 1t would do for the dis
uniouists that which Of all things they most
desire feed them well give them dlsunion,
without a struggle of their own. IL recog-
nizes no fidelity to the Constitution, no obi
CATION to maintain the Union, and while very
many who have favored it, are doubtless
loyal citizens, it is, nevertheless, very injuri-
Gus in effect.
Recurring to the action of the Government,
it may be stated that at first, a call was
made Tor 70 coo militia, and rapidly follow
ing this, proclamation was issued for clos
ing the ports OF the insurrectlouary districts
by proceedings in the nature ola blOckade.S0
TAR all was believed to be strictly legal.
At this point the insurrectiOnists announ-
ced their purpose to enter on the practice of
privateering Other calls were made for
volunteers to serve for three years, unless
sooner discharged, and also large additions
to the regular army and navy. These meas
ures, whether strictly legal or not, were ven
tured upon, under what appeared to be a
popular demand and / public necessity,
trusting then, as now, that Congress would
readily ratify them. It is believed that
nothing has been done beyond the constitu
tional competency of Congress.
Soon after the first call for militia, it was
considered a duty to authorize the command
ing General in proper cases, according to his
discretion, to suspend the privilege of the
VIII VI NuJ5US vi pucy VI, III Oeutt "htuo, -
arrest and detain, without resort to
the ordinary processes and forms of
law, such individuals as he might
deem dangerous to the public safety.
This authority has purposely been exercised
but very sparingly, nevertheless the proprety
and lesality of what has been done under it
are questioned, and the attention of
the country has been called to the proposition
that one who has sworn to take care
that the laws be faithfully executed, should
not himself violate them. OF course, some
consideration was given to the questions of
power and propriety before this matter was
acted upon. The whole of the laws which
were required to be faithfully executed, were
being resisted, and falling of execution in
nearly one-thrd of the States. Must they be
allowed finally to fail of execution, even
had it been perfectly clear that by
the use Of the means necessary to their