The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-19

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the Federal Constitution always rejected by Il
statesmen of the South, and adhered to by tho
OF the administration school, until they have pr
duced their natural and often predicted result
the destruction of the Union, under which v
h., might have continued to live happily and glorOu
~ together, had the spirit of the ancestry WI
framed the common Constitution animated tt
hearts of all their sons, you now, with persistent
untaught and uncured oy the ruin which has bee
wrought, refuse to recognize the great fact pr
sented to you of completed and success full revol,
ton; you close your eyes to the existence of til
government founded upon it, and ignore the hig
l duties of moderation and humanity, which attac
to you in dealing with this great fact Had yo
met these issues with the frankness and manlines
with which the undersigned instructed t
present them to yen and treat them, the under
signed had not now the melancholy duty to return
home and tell their government and their country
men that their earnest and ceaseess efforts in be
halt OF peace had been futile, and that the govern
ment of the United States meant to subugate then
by force of arms.
Whatever may be the result, impartial histor,
will record the innocence of the government of th
Confederate States and place the responsibility o
the blood and mourning that may ensue upon thos
who have denied the great fundamental doctrin
OF American liberty, that governments deriy
their just powers from the consent of the govern
ed, and who have set naval md land armament
in motion to subject the people Of one portion o
this land to the will of another portion That tha
can never be done while freeman survives in tht
Confederate States to WELD a weapon, the under
signed appeal to past history to prove. These mil
ltary demonstrations against the people of the Sc
ceded States are certoinly far from being in keep
ing and consistency with the theory of the Secreta
ry of State, maintained in his memorandum, that
these States are still component parts of the late
American Uni0n the undersigned are not are
OF any constitutional power in the President of the
United States to levy war; without the consent oil
Congress, upon foreign people. much less upon
any portion of the people of the United States.
The undersigned, like the Secretary of State,
have no purpose to 'invite engage in discus
sion" of the subject which their two govern
mens are irreconcilably at variance. 1t is this
| variance that has broken up the old Union, the
dislntegration of which has only begun. 1t is
proper, however, to advise you that it well
to dismiss the hopes you to entertain that bv
any of the modes indicated, the people of the Con
federate States will ever be brought to submit to
the authority of the government of the United
States. You are dealing with delusions, too, w hen
you seek to separate people from our govern
ment and to characterize the deliberate sovereign
act of that people "perverson of temporary
| and partisan excitement" If you cherish these
dreams you will be awakened from them and find
them unreal and unsubstantial others in which
you have recently indulged The undersigned
would omit the performance of an obvious duty
were they to fail to make known to the government
| OF the United States that the people of the Con-
federate States have declai ed their independence
with full knowledge of all the responsibilities of
that act, and with firm determination to main
tain it by all the means with which nature has en-
dowed them as that which sustained their fathers
when they threw off the authority of the British
crown.
The undersigned clearly understand that YOU
have declined to appoint day enable them to
lay the objects of the mission with which they are
charged before the President of the United States
because so to do would be to recognize the ndepen-
dence and separate nationality of the Confederate
States. This is the vein of thought that pervades
the memorandum before The truth of history
requires that 1t should distinctly appear upon the
f1,ttl tl,,,, =: I
ernmert of the United States to recognize the in
dependence of the Confederate States. They only
asked audience to adjust, in a spirit of amity and
peace, the new relations springing from manifest
and accomplished revolution in the government of
the late federal Union.
Your refusal to entertain these overtures for a
peaceful solution, the active naval and military
preparation of this government, and formal notice
to the commanding general Of the Confederate
forces in the harbor of Charleston that the PreSi-
dent intends to provision Fort Sumter by forcbe
means, if necessary, viewed by the uCdersign-
&c, and can only be received by the world, a dec
aration of war against the Confederate States for
the President of the United States knows that Fort
Sumter cannot be provisioned without the effusion
of blood. The undersigned, in behalf of their Gov
ernment and people, accept the gage fbattle thus
thrown down to them; and, appealing to God and
the Judgment Of mankind for the Righteousness of
their cause, the people Of the Confederate States
will defend their liberties to the last against this
hagrant and open attempt at their subjug alton to
sectional power.
The communication cannot be properly closed
without adverting to the date of your memoran-
dunn. The official note of the undersigned, of the
18th March, was delivered to the Assistant Secre-
tary of State the 18th of that month, the
gentleman who delivered it informing him that the
Secretary of this Commission would call at twelve
O'Clock, noon, on the next dav, for answer. At
the appointed hour Mr. Pickett did call, and was
informed by the Assistant Secretary of State that
the engagements of the Secretary of State had pre-
kaA h r,,r,r lig
The Assistant Secretary of State then asked for the
address of Messrs. Crawford and Forsyth, the
members of the Commission then present in this
city, took note of the address on card, and
gagged to send whatever reply might be made to
their lodgings. Why this was not done it is proper
should be here explained.
The memorandum is dated March Is, and was
not delivered until April s. WHY was it withheld
during the intervening twenty-three days? In
the postscript to your memorandum you say it
"was delayed, understood, with their
(Messrs. Forsyth and CrawfOrd's) consent" This
is true; but it is also true that the 18th of
March Messrs. Forsyth and Crawford were assured
by person occupying a high official position in
the government, and who, as they believed, were
speaking by authority, that Fort Sumter would be
evacuated within very few days, and that no
measure changing the existing status prejudicially
to the Confederate States, as respects Fort Pick
ems was then contemplated, and these assurances
were subsequently repeated, with the addition that
any contemplated change respects Pickens
Z
were again informed that there might be an at
tempt to supply Fort Sumter with provisions, but
that Governor Pickens should have previous no.
tice of this attempt. There was no suggestion Of
any reinforcement.
The undersigned did not hesitate to believe that
these assurances expressed the intentions of the
administration at the time, at all events of pro-
minent members Of that administration. This de-
lay was assented to for the express purpose of at
tanning the great end of the mission of the under
- pf pSist inn
complications. The inference deducible from the
date of your memorandum, that the undersigned
had, of their own vtliton and without cause, con-
sented to this long hiatus in the grave duties with
which they charged is therefore not consist
ent with just exposition of the facts of the case.
The intervening twenty-three days were employed
in active unofficial efforts, the object of which as
to smooth the path to a pacific solution, the dis
tinguished parsonage alluded to cooperating with
the undersigned, and every step of that effort is
recorded in writing and now in possession of the
undersigned and of their government 1t was on
lY when all these anxious efforts for peace had
been exhausted, and it became clear that Mr.. Lin
coin had determined to appeal to the sword to re-
duce the people of the Confederate States to the
will of the section or party whose President he is,
that the undersigned resumed the official negotia-
tion temporarily suspended, and sent their Secre-
tary for a reply to their official note of March r.
1t is proper to add that during these twenty
three days, two gentlemen of official distinction
high that of the parsonage hitherto alluded to,
unofficial negotiations for peace.
The undersigned Commissioners of the Confed-
crate States OF America, having thus made an
swer to all they deem material in the memorandum
filed in the Department the 18th of March last
have the honor to be,
JOHN FoRSYTH,
MARTIN j. CRAWFORD,
A. B. ROMAN.
A true copy of the original by delivered to
Mr.. F. w. Seward, Assistant Secretary of State of
the United States, at o'clock in the evening Of
April O. 1861.
Attest, J. I. PICKETT, Secretary, &c.
MR.. SEWARD, II REPLY To THE COMMISSIONERS, AC-
KNowLEDGES TIE RECEIPT OF THEIR LETTER, BUT
DECLINES TO ANSWER
DEPARTMENT OF SrATE,0
WASHINGTON, April 10, 1861.
| Messrs. Forsyth, Crawford and Roman, having
been apprised by memorandum which has been
delivered them that the Secretary of State not
at liberty to hold official intercourse with them,
will, it is presumed, expect notice from him of
the new communication which they have addressed
to him under date of the 9th inst, beyond the SIM
pie acknowledgment of the receipt thereof, which
| he hereby very cheerfuly gives
| true copy of the original received by the Com
mssioners of the Confederate States this 10Th day
of April, 1861. Attest,
]. T. PICKETT Secretary, &c, &c.
THE PRESIDENTS PROCLAMATION IN KENTUCKY
The Louisville Journal, which has hitherto been
a staunch Union paper, thus speaks of the Pres
dents proclamation:
awe are struck with mingled amazement and
Indignation. The policy announced in the procla
nation deserves the unqualified condemnation O
every American citizen. 1t is unworthy not mere
ly statesman, but of man. 1t is policy utterly
hair-brained and ruinOus. If Mr.. Lincoln contem
plated this policy in the inaugural address, he is
guilty dissembler; if he has conceived it under thu
excitement raised by the seizure of Fort Sumter
he is guilty hotspur. In either case, he is mser
ably unit for the exalted position in which th