Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-07-13

: gulne expectation. Yet none of the states
commonly called slave states, except Dela.
ware, gave regiment through the regular
state organization. A few regiments have
been organized within some other of those
states oy individual enterprise, and receiv.
ed INTO the government service. OF course
the seeded states, so called, and to which
Texas has been joined about the time of
the inauguration, gave no troops to the
cause OF the Union. The Border States
so called, were not uniform n their action,
some of them being almost for the Union
while in others, as in Virginia, N. Carroll.
ma, Tennessee and Arkansas. the Union
sentiment was nearly repressed 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 dis
ruptng the Federal Union was in session
at the capital of Virginia when TT. Sum
ter fell To this body the people had cho
sen a large majority of professed Union
men. Almost Immediately after the fall oi
Sumter members of that majority went over
to the original minority, and with them
adopted an ordinance for Withdrawing the
state from this union. Whether this change
was wrought by their great approval Of
the assault on Sumter, or their great re-.
sentiment at the governments resistance to
tnls assault is not definitely known, altho'
they submitted the ordinance for rati6ca-
tion TO vote of the people, to be taken
on 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 members of either, Immediately com.
menced acting as if the state was already
out of the union. They pushed military
preparation vigorously forward all over the
state. They seized the T. States armory
at Harper's Ferry, and the Navy Yard at
Gosport, near Norfolk; they received, per-
hapS invited, into their state large bodies
of troops with their warke appointments
from the socalcd seeded states. They
formally entered into treaty of alliance
with the so.called Confederate States, and
sent members to their Congress in Mont
gomery, and, finally, they permitted the in.
snrrectionary government to be transferred
to their capitol at Richmond. The people
of Virginia have thus allowed the giant
insurrection to make its nest within her
borders, and this government has no choice
left but to deal with it where it finds it,
and it has the less to regret as the loyal
citizens have in due form claimed its pro.
lection. Those loyal citizens the govern
ment 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
called armed neutrality that is, an arming
of those states to prevent the union forces
passing one way or the disunion the other,
over their soil. This would be disunon
completed, fguratively speaking 1twould
be the building Of an impossible wall along
the line of separation, and yet not quite
impassabe, for under the guise of neu.
trality, it would tie the hands of the union
men, and freely pass supplies from among
them to the nsurrectionsts, which it could
net do as an open enemy. At stroke it
would take all the trouble off the hands of
secession, except only what proceeds from
the external blockade. 1t would do for the
disunionists that which of all thugs they
most desire-feed them we'll and give them
disunion without a struggle of their own.
1t recognizes no fidelity TO the constitution,
no obligation to maintain the union. While
very many who have favored it are doubt
less loyal citizens, it is nevertheless very in
furious in effect.
Recurring to the action of the Govern
ment, it may be stated that at first a call
was made for $4,000 military, and rapidly
following this proclamation was issued for
closing the ports Of the insurrectionary dis
tricts, by proceedings in them of block
aHa Go 60 oil hoI l..
ly legal. At this point the insurrectionsts
announced their purpose Of entering upon
the practice of privateeriug. Other calls
were made for volunteers to serve three
years, unless sooner discharged and also
large additions to the regular army and
navy. These measures whether strictly le-
gal or rot, were ventured upon what ap-
peared to be popular demand for a pub
lie necessity, trusting then as now, that
Congress would readily ratify them 1t is
believed that nothing has been done beyond
the constitutional competency of Congress.
Soon after the call for militia it was con-
sdered duty to authorize the Command
ingGeneral, in propar cases, according to
his discretion, to suspend the privilege of
the habeas corpus, or, in other words, to
hlICSI uuu uGJdlu WlGuOuG resort TO OfQl.
nary processes and forms of law, such in
divduals as he might deem dangerous to
the public safety. This authority has pur-
posely been exercised, but very sparingly I;
nevertheless the legality and propriety Of
what has been done under it are questions,
and the attention Of the country has been
called to the proposition that one who is
sworn to take care that the laws be faith
fully executed should not himself violate
them. OF course, some consideration was
given to the questions of the power and
propriety before this matter was acted up.
on. The whole Of the laws, which were
required to be faithfully executed, were be-
ing resisted, and failing of execution in
nearly one third of the states. Must they
be allowed to finally fail of execution
Even had it been perfectly clear that by
the use of the means necessary TO their
execution, some single law made in snch
extreme tenderness Of the citizens liberty,
that practically it trelieVes more of the gull
ty than the innocent, should to very limit
ed extent be violated. To state the ques.
ton more directly are all the laws but one
to 60 unexecuted, and the government it.
self to 90 to nieces leRt that ona he vinla.