Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1861-07-11


Iben and thereby the assaiants of the Gov
tgnment began The conflict of arms, without
a gun in sight or in expectancy to return their
fire, save only the few in the Fort, sent to that
harbor years before for their own protection,
and still ready to give that protection in
whatever was lawful
In this act, dscarding all else, they have
forced upon the country the distinct issue :
immediate dissolution OF blood And this
issue embraces more than the fate of these
United States. 1t presents to the whole FAM
lily Of man the question whether Constitu-
tional Republic or Democracy, q government
of the people by the same people, can or can-
not maintain its territorial integrity against
its own domestic foes. 1t presents the ques-
ton whether discontented individuals, two
few in numbers to control administration, ac-
cording to organic law, in any case. can always.
upon the pretences made in this case, or on
any other pretences, or arbitrarily, without
any prctence, break up their Government,
and thus practically put an end to free gov
eminent upon the earth.
1t forces us to ask is there in all Republics
this inherent and fatal weakness 2 Must a
government of necessity be too strong for the
liberties of its own people, or too weak t"
maintain its owl existence? So viewing the
issue, no choice was left but to call out the
war power of the Government, and so to re-
sist force employed for its destruction by force
for its preservation. The call was made and
the response of the country was most graft
flying, surprising in unanimty and spirit the
most sansuine expectations. Yet none of the
States commonly called Slave States, except
Delaware, gave a regiment through regular
State organization. A few regiments have
been organized within some others of those
States by individual enterprise, and received
into the Government service. Of cours" the
Seeded States, So called, and to which Texas
had been joined about the time of the inaugu-
ration, gave no troops to the cause of the
Union.
The Border States, so called were not uni
form in their action. Some Of them being
almost for the Union while in others, as
Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Ar
kansas, the Union sentiment was nearly re-
pressed and silenced. The course taken in
Virginia was the most remarkable, perhaps
the most important, A convention elected
by the people of that State to consider this
very question of dsruptng the Federal Union
was in session at the Capital of Virginia whom
Fort Sumter Tell.
TO this body the people had chosen large
majority of professed Urinn men. Almost
Immediately after the fall Of Fort 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 TINS changc was wrought 10y their
| great approval 81 the assault upon Fort Sum-
ter, or their great resentment at the Gov
crnments resistance to that assault Is not
definitely known.
| Although they submitted tho ordinance
for ratification to vote "l the people, to b"
taken on day then somewhat more than Il
month distant, the Convention and the Log
islature, which was also in session at the
same time and place, with leading men OF the
State not mem bers Of either, immediately
commenced acting as 1t the State were GIrea-
dy out OF the Union.
| They pushed military preparations vigor-
"nSIy forward all over the State; they seized
the United States Armory at Harper Fer
ny and the Navy Yard at Gosport, near Nor
folk; they received, perhaps invited into their
State large bodies of troops with their war
like appointments, from the So.caled Sece-
ded States; they formally entered into trea-
ty of temporary alliance and co-op-ration
with the so-called Confederate States. and
sent mem hers to their Congress at Montgom-
cry; and finally they permitted the insurrec-
tl"nary Government t. he transferred to
their capital at klchmnnd.
The people OF Virginia have thus allowed
tins gait instruction to make It's ucst with
in her borders, and this Government has no
choice lett but to dwell with it where it finds
it.
And it has :he less regret, as the loyal cit
izcns have, III due form, claimed its protect
ion. Those loyal citizens this Government
is bound to recognize and protect as being
Virginia.
ln the Border States, SO called-in fact
the Middle StateS-t'.ere are those who la
vor policy which they call armed neu,rali-
ty-tliat is, an armlhg oil those States to pre-
vent the uuon forces passing oEe way. or
the Dlsnnlon the other, over their soil This
would be disunion completed. Figuratively
speaking, 1t would be the building of All
impossible wall along the line OF separation
and yet not quite an impossible one, for .un-
der the suse of neutrality. it would Tie the
hands of the Union men and freely pass sup
plies from among them to the insurrecti'nis,s,
which it could not do as an open enemy
AT stroke 1t would take all the tronnlc
off the hands of Secession, except only what
! proceeds from the external blockade. It
would do for the Disunionists that which of
all things they most desire-feed them well
aud give them Dsunon without a struggle
| of their own. Ii recognizes no fidelity Ia