Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-02-01
SHALL WE HAVE rEA. . Or WAR.


seven states are HOW outof .hc Union. and will
DO represented hy their respective G..lcr,tcs
who meet on the i,ii inst. to iuim n pr,vi.i,,,..
ai government. Arkansas, the only r,m,;r;,o
Cotton state will he compelled on the ground
ot interest, II not from srilt of res;stencc to
""ite her destiny with the scccdc! States The
s'cessl"p II the Cotton states is now an sag
comI!i*h"d .laci,' in view Of which the rolicy of
The administration. and even of foreign govern.
''e"'s must ''e shaped These StatcscIothe the
"'rid, ard are too strong and powe; ful to be
c"erced INTO remaining II Il Union from which
they have so unanimously separated them
selves. In view Of the fact that a ucrsisteut
attempt to collect the revenue, or tho contin-
ued occupation Of the Forts in the seeded
States, must inevitably inaugurate war, We
th'nk 1T Will now occur t. Mr.. buchanan TINT
the best mode Of projecting the public prop
cr'yin their limits will lc 10 wlthGrn tn. E,.le
raj Forces, and that he will now conclu,,,. that
the collection of the revenue n.i II const cyt.,-
dihS from North Carolina to Mexico will he n, :
tended with greater difficulties than h.. au,ci-
Ia'ed at theti.ne he ANNOUNCED his policy in his
diplomatic message, having assumed, that The
secession movement would he confined to South
carolina alone We cannot believe that the
PRESIDENT will now attempt 10 collect the rev.
enue, or continue much longer to hold forcihIe
possession Of the fortiticatio'.s ercctc, for the
defence OF the Ststcs in which they are loca.
ted' under the rreext Of preserving u Union
which Is already dissolved, ard us plunge the
country into bloody civil war, Which after
raging for years, must leave the people North
and South mplacable and eternal enemies
We believe that n consciousness of the fact
''at an attempt at coercion even by b!ocnacling
our ports, would probably place ut our COM
mani the navics of France and Eu,,IorJ and
certainly bring ahont the secession of the bor-
uer States ana io,ce them into the Southern
Cohiehcracy. and thus change the issue to II
war OF determination between the slave States
and the free States, will compel the North to
acknowledge the independence Of even the
Cotton States. and lead to arnicable negotiations
for peaceful and permanent, separation.
LIE VIRGINIA C"NGEEssMEH.-The two Sena-
tors and eight members Of the House Of Re.
presentatlvcs i'll Congress have issued ali n,-
dress to their constituents in relation to the
utter horeie1s"ess cf any adjustment of the
political difficulties.
After reciling the various unsuccessful ef-
forts which haze beeu already made, they
say:
In this state of facts, our duty is to warn
you that it is vain to hope for any measures of
conc'liation or adjustment (from Conrress)
which you could accept. We are also satisfied
that the Republican party designs. by civil war
alone, to cperce the Southern States, under tie
prcteNt of enforcing the laws, unless it shall
become speedily apparent that the sacediug
States are SO numerous, determined and united
as 10 make such an attempt hopeless
We are confirmed in these conclusions by
our general intercourse here; by the speeches
OF the Republican lcadcrs, here and elsewhere
by the recent ref,lsuls of the Legislatures of
Vermont, Ohio and Pennsyiy ania to repeal
their obnoxious Personal Liberty Laws; bv
the action Of the Illinois Legislature OH resolu
tions approving tile Critlenden prnpositions
and by the adoption of resolutions in the New
ork and Massachusetts Legislatures (loubt-
less to be followed by ather%) Offering men md
money for the war Of coercion.
We have thus placed before you the facts and
conclusions which have bedhme manifest TO us
from this post Of observation where You lave
placed US. There is nothing to be hoped from,
Congress-the remedy is with you alone, when
you assemble in sovereign Convention.
We conclude. by expressing our solemn con-
yIction, that prompt and decided action, by
the people of Virginia Convention, will afford
The surcst means, under the Providence of
tiod, OF nverting an impending civil war, anil
the hope OF leconstructing Union
already dissolved.