The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1861-03-27

pie point Of holding or abandoning Fort
Pickens, for we assume that Fert Sumter
will be evacuated at an eIrly day, and Fort
Jefferson, at Tortugss, and Tsylor, at Key
.West, lying far out ct sea, aud being obvi- |
! ously Of national importance, are not inclu- |
ded in the number of the posts which the
State OF Florida il entitled TO clsim, on the
ground of any necessity for her local de-
fence. Forts Jefferson and Tsylor were
built with paramount reference to the com
merce Of the United States, and should re-
main in the hands Of the Government which |
built them In the iDteres Of its commerce.
The Key West naval coil depot and whsrf,
the Marine Hospital, the army barracks, the
Admiralty courts Siifwreciting organization,
and the series OF liehthoHses--Loggerhead,
Tortugus, Key West, Sand Key, SombrerO,
CsrysfOrt, Cape Florida, Jupiter and Cape
Canaverar--will not, We take II for granted,
DO abandoned TO the State which has least
interest 10 them and lsSst capacity to hold
aud maintain them. LIT Florida have Fort
Clinch to guard the approaches TO Fsrnan-
dina; let her have the Pensacola Navy.yard
and the triple forli6catiOns there; let her
have what concern only local interests; but
the commercial United States cannot be
Justly called 10 surrender to uDcommercisl
Florida what belongs to and concerns only
the commerce of the nation. q,
From Arst to last, as an intelligent writer
has already said in our columns, all the ap'
propriations made for the works at Key
West and Tortugas have been asked off,
cially, and by their advocates in Congress,
on the express ground Of their national i'm.
portance, and not at dl because Of any lacal
value. The Florida Senators and Repre-.
sentatives are forever stopped from claiming
them a LOCAL, by oft recorded assertions of
their nationality Ss the sole reason for ap-
} propriatiens in their behalf. Key West and
the whole line OF reefs and keys have only
commercial and naval significance. They
: are widely separate from the Florida main
land in geography, interests, and vocations.
They should be considered and occupied as
= national, not local.
D The question Of military posts in dispute
d between the Government of the United
y States and of the "Confederate States,'
y being thus narrowed down to the retention
g of Fort Pckens by the former, or its occu.
}. patton of the latter, it seems to US that the
Il matter in controversy is so small that either
e Government may waive its claim with entire
n propriety, and that in no event can 1t be
n made the occasion Of hostilities. While il
= might be entirely prudent for our Govern
l. ment 10 withdraw the garrison now holding
it, and while this is the step which, unde
e, all the circumstances, we would advise, ye
y we are free to say that should the Govern
ID ment of the Confederate States initiate hos
lille proceedings for the summary capture o
IS this sinale FedeE,r,,--,ast, it would indicate
n an alacrlty for war such as would do discre
;. dit TO its repute for humanity throughout tn
W civilized world. For what, at present, i
3 the admitted character of that Government
Ie The provisional creation of bedy Of men
y appointed by State Conventions who's
% members were elected without the least re
! ference to the formation Of any F1derativ
IS Government, whether Provisional or Pes-
J. m'nent, it has no sulfi ,iently ascert'ine
ot basis in the popular will to insure for 1t
, edicts on unqIestioniug and immediate as
n sent at the hands Of other Governments
;; whose popular legitimacy admits Of no qles
q, ton. i, then, while advising forbearanc
d On both sides, we would have the Fedora
Government take prominence in the wa
of cancellation, it is because by SO doing
can best defeat the ulterior purposes whicl
o might be subserved by different policy.
J. In view of the difficulties which surrouHt
e m adjustment of the questions raised by tn
n dismemberment of the Union, we have com
o to the conalusion that no authority less fina
/; md comprehensive than General Conven
e ton of the States still remaining loyal +
: their Federal allegiance, can be successful
J invoked in the premises. We take it 10
II granted that il the separation OF the secede
II States is to be permanent, the question
E now outstanding between them and th
n Federal Government are to be settled il
% some authoritative manner, and we know o
no way in which this can be done so appro
It priately aud effectively as by the arbitration
II of q National Conference. 1t would be tn
5. duty of euch Convention TO revise the Con
c stitution of the United States, and thi
,, might be done in such way as to brini
d about reconstruction of the Union; or,
v this sh JuId b. found mpraCticable, provis-
u ion might be made for contracting the limit
n nf the Uaion so as to comprise only thu
e States acceGing to the project of Consti-
r tuition submitted as the fruits OF Its labors
u In the propositions of the late P ace Con-
ference we have already the basis Of consti
tutional amendments, which, in substance
/. not in form might be taken as the genera
n Irallying cry oil conservative men in pro-
ceeding to the elec ion of delegates to suct
Convt nron from I'll the States. The worl
] of the Peace Conference, so far from fallin!
n to the ground, nigh, thus be made the mean
of assuring the.return of a majority of th
! delegates committed to it's general princi-
t pies, and thus the proceedings of the Ma.
tonal Convention would be restrainedwilhiI
) just limits, without diyerging into the con-
trarieties of opinion springing from tbt
prcdominance of sectional antagonisms owe
0 the spirit of concession and compromise.
As no one proposes the subjugalon of th
, seeded States, it follows that the adjust
msut of their relations TO the Federal Gov
ern nsnt can be arranged only by their vol
untary return TO the Union or by the defaite
s recognition OF their independence out Of il
AS soon as it shall be made apparent tina
the people OF the seeded States desire
t permanent separation from their forme
confederates, i, would seem to be the par
D of wisdom and sound policy for the people
9 of the United Sfdtss 10 acqaiesce in tina
e desire. Nothing can be gained 10 the inter
9 est Of peace or dignity, or good neighbor