The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-02-11
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's peeh oi!en declared, Is neither menacing moi
aehant, nor unfriendly. 1t is acting under order!
to stand strictly on the defensive and the Govern
neht ana people of South Carolina must well know
taC they can never receive aught but shelter from
its guns unless, in the absence of all provocaion
m mmey snouIu assault 1t, and seek its destruction
Inc latent with which this fortress is held bv the
President is truthfuy stated by Senator Davis and
others, In their letter to yourself of the 18th lam
ary, in which they say:-'It is not held with anv
hostile or unirIendiy purpose towards your State
but merely as property Of the United States which
serve" F'N
- IL tne announcement so repeatedly made of the
fresiaents pacific purposes in continuing the oc-
Iupation OF Fort Sumter until the question shall
nave Deen settled by competent authority has failed
to impress the government of South Carolino tbn
iorbearing conduct of his administration for the
last lew months should be received as conclusive
evluence OF his sincerity. And if this forbearance,
In view of the circumstances which have so en
verely tried it, be not accepted as a satisfactorv
pledge OF the peaceful policy of this administra-
tion towards South Carolina then it NAV he safely
aihrmed that neither language nor conduct can
possibly furnish one. IT. with all the mpltinlied
proofs which exist of the Presidents anxiety for
peace, and OF the earnestness with which he has
pursued it, the authorities of that State shall as
sa9lt Fort Sumter, and peril the lives of the hand
IUi ol brave and loyal men shut up within its walls
ana thus plunge our common country into the hor-
rors OF civil war, then upon them and those thew
represent must rest the responsibility.
Very respectfully your obedient servant.
j. Holt, Secretary of War.
Hon. [. w. Hayne,
Attorney General of the State of South Carolina.
Thefollowing reoinder to the above was received
by the President, after he had sent his message to
Congress. The letter was considered of sucb a
character as not to be entertained by the Govern.
ihe"'' ana was returned to Col. Hayne, by mail:
~ ~. WAsHlNGroN, Feb. I, 1861.
10 HIS Ercelency James Buchanan, President:
SIR-I our reply, through your Secretary of the
w w ar department, to my communication of January
81, covering the demand of the Governor of South
carolina for the delivery of Fort Sumter was re-
celVed yesterday. Although the very distinct and
emphatic refusal of that demand closes nv mission
leel constrained to correct some strange misap-
prehenslons into which your Secretary has fallen
There has been no modification of the demand an
Ihorized to be made, and no change whatever in
It's character, and of this you were distinctly in
iormeG IN my communication of January 81 You
nad the original demand, as delivered to me nv
Gov. Plckens on the 18th of January. and Won have
an extract from the further instructions recaived
5y me, expressly stating that he 1.-THE Goyernor1
was was confirmed IN the views he entertained on the
lZtn OF January by that very correspondence which
you assign as the cause of the alleged modification
ou assume that the character of the demand
has been modified, yet you have from me but one
communication, and that asserts the contrary and
you have nothing from the Governor but the very
demand ITSELF which you say has been modified
w nat purpose OF peace conciliatiOn your Secrp-
tary could have had in view in the introduction of
TINS point at all, it is difficult to perceive You
next attempt to ridicule the proposal presented as
simply an oiler on the part of South Carolina to
buy Fort Sumter and contents as property of the
United States, sustained by declaration in effect
that II she is not permitted to make the purchasr
she VIII seize the Fort by force of arms It's diff
cult to consider this as other than an intentional
misconstruction. You were told that South Caro-
lima, as separate independent sovereignty, wouId
not tolerate the occupation by foreign troops, of
mlhtary post within her limits; but that inasmucb
as you IN repeated messages and in vour corres
pondence, had laid much stress upon the cbaractar
OF your duties, arising from considering forts as
property, South Carolina, so far as this matter of
property suggested by yourself was concerned.
"ouid make compensation for all injury done the
property in the exercise of her sovereign right of
eminent domain, and this your Secretary calls
proposal to purchase.
The idea of purchase is entirely inconsistent
with the assertion OF paramount right in the nur-
chaser. had supposed that an interest in proper
ty, as such, could be other than purely proprie-
tary; and If confined myself to this narrow view
OF your relations to Fort Sumter. you at least
should not consider it the subject of criticism
@ ohti 10 your letter OF yesterday, you chose to
consider your relations in everything which vou
have written, or which has been written under
your direction 1t precisely because YOU had
yourself chosen to place your action on the ground
OF purely proprietary right that the proposal of
compensation was made, and you now admit that
IN this 1t Fort Sumter) would probably be sub
jected to the exercise of the right of eminent do
main. In your letter of yesterday, through your
secretary, you shit your position. You claim
that your government bears to Fort Sumter poIiti.
cal relations of a much higher and more im posing
character.
1t was no part Of my mission to discuss the poIit-
zeal relations OF the United States Government to
anything within the territorial limits of South Car
oina. South Carolina claims to have dissolved all
political connection with your government, and to
have destroyed all political relations of your gov
ernment with everything within her borders She
Is unquestionably at this moment de facfo separ-
ate and independent government, exercising COM
pete sovereignty every foot of her soil except
Fort Sumter. Now that the intention is avowed
to hold this place as military post, with a claim
OF exclusive jurisdiction on the part of a govern
ment foreign to South Carolina, it will be for the
authorities to determine what is the course proDer
to be pursued 1t is, then, to ignore the fact that
South Carolina is to yours foreign government.
And how, with this patent fact before YOU, YOU
can consider the continued occupation of the fort
IN her harbor pacific measure and parcel of a
peaceful policy, passes certainly my comprehension.
Ou say that the fort is garrison for our protec-
tion and Is held Tor the same purpose for which it
has been ever held since its construction.
Are you not aware that to hold in the territory
OF foreign Power fortress against her will.
avowedly for the purpose of protecting her citi,
zens, Is perhaps the highest insult which one gov-
ernment can offer to another? But Fort Sumter
was never garrisoned at all until South Carolina
had dissolved her connection with your govern
ment. This garrison entered in the night, with
every circumstance Of secresy, after spiking the
guns and burning the gun carriages and cutting
down the flagstaff of an adjacent fort which was
then abandoned. South Carolina has not taken
Fort Sumter into her own possession, only because
other misplaced confidence in government which
deceived her. fortress occupied under the cir.
cumstances above stated is considered, not only as
no cause of irritation, but you represent it as held
for our protection. Your Excellency's Secretary
has INDUCED in irony on a very grave subject As
to the responsibility for consequences if indeed it
does rest on us, can assure your Excellency we
are happily unconcious of the fact.
| return to Charleston tomorrow.
With considerations of high regard, am. yerv
respectfully, J. w. HAYNE, Special Envoy.