The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1861-07-18

pains not only to keep this dcclaratlo
good, but also to keep the case so f:
from ingenious sophistry, that the worl
should not misunderstood it.
Dy the affair at Fort Sumter with il
surrounding circumstances, that poir
was reached then and thereby. TIL
assailants ofthe government began th
conflict withouta gun in sight or expec,
ancv to return their firing, save onl
| the few in the fort sent to that harbo
wears before tor'hcir own protec'n. an,
still ready to give the protection III what
ever was loyal.
In this act, discarding all else, the,
have forced upon the country the dis
tinct issue Of immediate dissolution q
blood, and this embraces more than I'll,
fate Of those, as it presents to the wholt
family Of men the question whether j,
constitutional republic or democracy
4 government Of the people, the same
people can or cannot mairtai,1' its terri
torial integrity against its own domestic
foes.
IT presents the question whether dis
affected persons. too few in numbers tc
control the Administration, according
to the organic law in any case. can al
WAYS, upon the prctences or arbitrarily
without any prctenccs. break up their
government, and thus practically put an
end to the frecst government upon the
earth.
It forces us to ask: Is there in all re-
pnblics, this inherent and fatal weakness
that they must. OF necessity, be too
strong for the liberties Of the people, or
too weak to maintain their own oxis-
tence. SO viewing the Issue. no choice
was left but to call ont the war power
Of the governments, and so to resist the
force employed for its destruction, by
force for its preservation.
The call was made, and the response
Of the country was most gratifying, sur
passing in unanimity and spirit. the
most sanguinc expectations. Yet none
Of the States commonly called Slave
States, except Delaware, gave a regi-
ment through the regular State organi
zation. Within some others Of those
States regiments were raised by indi-
vidual enterprise and received into the
government service.
The seeded States. so called. anl to
Which Texas had beer Joined about
The time Of the Inauguration. gave no
troons to the caaso Of tho Union The
Border States, 50 called. were not uni
form in their action-some Of them be
ing almost for the Union, while in 9TH
crs, as in South Carolina, Tennessee
and Arkansas, the Union sentiment was
nearly rcpressed and silcnced. The
course taken in Virginia was the most
perhaps the most impor-
tant.
A convention elected by the people
Of that State to consider this very ques-
ton 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 body Of
professcd Union men. Almost imme-
diately after the fall Of Sumter, mem
bers Of that majority went over to the
original minority, and with them adopt
ed an ordinance for withdrawing the
State from the Union.
Whether this change was brought by
their great approval Of the assault or
Sumpter, or their great resentment te
the government resistance to the as
sault, is not definitely known, although
they submitted an ordinance for ratifi
cation to vote to be taken moro thar
4 month distant.
The Convention and Legislature, which
was also in session at the same time ana
place with leading men Of the State,no
either Immediately, commenced acting
as if the State was already out OF tn
Union. They pushed military rrepara
tons vigorously forward all over tn
State. They seized the z. $. armor..
at Earper'S Ferry, and the navy yar'
at Gosport, near Norfolk. They re
ceived, perhaps invited, into their Stat
large bodies Of troops with their war
like appointments, from the so-calle'
seeded States. They formally enter
ed into treaty Of alliance with the SC
called Confederate States, and sen
members to their Congress at Mont
gomcry and finally they permitted tn
insurrectionary government to be tran.