, 1861-03-26
Ehe Overt Act.

rs they swept Zip the wiley Of the Mississippi,
were borne tie hoazse f1urmurines Of Secs
s1os. spreading Its pesdlentlal breath over The
free portionof our land W:
; SECESSION, eonceiFed in ipiquity- and nu1.
:tused=in corruption, has torn aaundef
hands which united Is people eand ruptur-:
ed the Constitution which for nearly century
has been the Egis of our protection. Secs.
SION, with It's rebe1lious principle, has cast m
1ndellib1e stain on the history Of our country,
has degraded Us % 9: nation, injured hrmoral=
force which our strength as a united people
gave lis, and will reduce us from first rate to-
q third rate power. In Its constitution are i'm
plnnted the eeeas Of anarchy; ni1I1le and ruin,
and It's orlgginators will be branded in history:
with brand more indellible thau that Of Cain.
Time works wonders. But. few months
since the radiant Davis and the immaculate
Benjanin*imp1ored the nation to let them de-:
part in peace. Like the robber, who, with pfs-
tol pointed at your head, allows you your life
on condition ola peaceable surrender Of your
money, 50 these national hlghwayman rob the
country of lbs fortresses, Of its cnstom houses,
of it's territory, and say let us go away peach
BY and ne Will do you no harm. But, presto,
change: The. success Of o wicked act gives
boldneas, and now these cousiderate thieves.
threaten us, not only with " "Southern steel
and Southern POWDER I: we enter Their do
ninion, but even go 50 farms to fozeshadow
descent upon. " Arlington. -
The careful navigator, when he perceiyes
the clouds in the horizon which denote the
approaching ftcrm, fnrls his sails and nees
other and necessary means to protect bis ship
=, &n~,, ; I'm ~
their own safety, are on healert to meet the
blast, and to ward of ifs: effects, deeming
their own existence in peril. .+t.---
las in individual cases, should 1t not be so in
national ouesf And yet, what have Cur voters,
what have the people OF the North and the
months? When the hurricane which is now
despoiling us first gave It's oIpinonB signs in
: the heavens, treason or imbecIlty neglected.
. the preeaution which might have avefted its:
effects; and even now, when in full blast, and
while we are feeling it's full force, there seems
Of the people Of the North. One by. one, the
stars have fallen from our has-onr country
dismemosJed, the remaining portion threaten
ed, and not movement made by the people Of
the remaining portion Of the country to or.
gau1ze an armed resistance. Not q FREQ State
has yet put its militia on var footing, not d
movement has been made to prevent Dr 1epel
my farther aggression Of the, seeding States,
or to meet any attack which may be1nade on
the Federal Capital In such q crisis, when no
.man knowesh what q day may bring forth, is it
not the part Of wisdom for the people of those
S.ates4who have got some Patriotism some
pride; Of country left to Immediately take
some measures which ehau insure eafety to at
1east'a portion, Of onr country, and that we
may not haze march stolen 1n,us BY our enc
mies, and ere we know it, find ourselves, for
time at least, almost at their mercy? :. -:
nc 17kH 1,rf
consideration Of self, preservation call for
prompt and united action on the part, of the
people Of the Northern States, and.of such of
the slave States as are yet attached to the
Union p. IN the flush of success, and in the
heatedpassion Of the:moment, we may at any
be not gone out of man, and there. Jet be any
spark ofSQatriotism left-any love Of country,
any disposition to have Governmeut-now is
the time and now ia the moment for the peo.-
pie to rise and protect themselves.
The OvERTAcT, which the, South so much
feared from President Lincoln, has now been
committed by themselves.
Not content to wait till my net might be
committed, they take time by the forelock,
and With the sword Of Daruoeles, cut off the
most valuable portion Of our Territory. In
no other country on the face Of the globe, >
would such an act as the secession Of the
Sonth have been tolerated for q month. Even
10 the half civilized, tmpotent nation Of the
East, w:r would have cnsued in half the time.
And yet on the American conttnent-with a
Government professedly one Of the strongest
on the'earth-is folerated open rebellion, The
seizure Of the Government property, and the
appropriation OF tlts revenues. The weakness
Of the Government Is apparent: While all the
Seeding States are on,a war footing, ready for
immediate action, those Of the remaining por-
ton are poWerless, and at Least three OF four
months would ba required to arm and equip
any respectable body Of men. In this emer-
genoy but two things are left to us :; either to
recognize promptly the new conlederaey, or to
false force large enough to crush the move
:ment. and gire, lesson-to the world, and
moralto ourselves, which time will not ohlit-
erate., But in any event, the edgenc1eB Of the
momeut reveal to us the necessity of strength
ening our navy aud our army, and 80 to con
solidate our Union Tint we shall hare Gov
ernmcut strong enough to be respected ut
home and abroad, and that 1t shall be bound
together with bands Of mutual accord, more
enduring than the iron bands, which now, IN
the forln Of our numerous railways, bind us
together, and instead Of States adlscordant,
disseyerant, (belligerent)," we shall continue
10 exist, and TO- increase till We become the
nostpowerfal people on the globe.