Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-01-19
very respectfully, JAMES BUcHANAN
TO Honorable ROBERT w. BARNwELL,
JAMES III. ADAMS, JAMES l.. ORR.
WASHINGTON, d. O.. January /. 1851

the receipt of your letter of the 30th Decem-
Der, in reply to a note addressed by us to you
on the 2Sth of the same month, as Commis-
sioncrs from South Carolina.
In reference to the declaration with which
your reply commences. that your "position
as President of the United States was clearly
defined in the Message to Congress on the
3d instant; > that you possess ." no power to
change the relations heretofore existing" be-
tween South Carolina and the States, 4" much
less to acknowledge the independence of
that State and that consequently you could
meet lis only as private gentlemen Of the
highest character, with an entire Willingness
to communicate to Congress any proposition
we might have to make" we deem it only
necessary to say that the State of South Car.
liDa having, in the exercise of that great
right of sclf-govcrnmcnt which undcrlics
all our political organizations, declared her
self sovereign and independent, we, as her
representatives, felt no special solctude as
to the charactcrin in which you might recognize
us.
Satisfied that the State had simply cxer-
ciscd her unqucstionable right, we were pre-
pared IN order to reach substantial good, to
waive the formal considerations which your
constitutional scruplcs might have prevented
you from extending. We came here, there
f>rc, expecting to be received as YOU did re-
ceivc us and perfectly content with that en-
tire willingness, Of which you assured us, to
submit any proposition to Congress, which
we might have to make upon the subject of
the Independence of the State. That will
ingness was ample recognition of the condi-
ton of public affairs which then rendered
our presence necessary. In this position,
however, it is our duty, both to the State
which we represent and to ourselves, to cor
rect several important misconceptions of our
letter, into which you have fallen
You say "it was my earnest desire that
such disposition should be made of the
whole subject by Congress, who alone pos.
sess the power, to prevent the Inauguration
of civil war between the parties in regard
to the possession of the Federal forts in the
harbor of Charleston, and | therefore, deeply
regret that, in your opinion, the events of
tue last twcnty-four hours render this ilnpossi
bic" We expressed no such opinion, and
the language which you quote as ours is alter
ed in its sense by the omission of a most mpor-
tant part of the sentence. What we did say
was : But the events of the last twenty four
hours render such an assurance impossible"
Place that assurance" as contained in our
letter In the sentence, and we are prepared to
repeat it.
Again, protesting to quote our language,
you say
THUS, the authorities of South Carolina
without waiting or asking for any explanation,
and, doubtless believing, as you have express
ed it, that the officer had acted not only with
out, but against my ORDERS" &C. We ex-
pressed no such opinion in reference to the be-
lief of the people of South Carolina.
The 1nnuuoOe ubinh ro,, b,vo ,,,otoJ ,roc
applied solely and entirely to our assurances,
obtained here, and based as you well know,
upon your own declaration, a declaration
which at that time, it was impossible for the
authorities of South Carolina to have known
But, without following this letter into all its
details, we propose only to meet the chief
points of the argument.
Some weeks ago, the State of South Carroll
ma declared her intention, in the existing con-
dition of public affairs, to secede from the
United States She called a Convention of
her people to put her declaration in forcc.-
The Convention met and passed the Ordinance
OF Secession. All this you anticipated, and
your course of action was thoroughly consider
ed. In your annual Message You declared
you had no right, and would not attempt to
cocrcc seeding State, but that you were
bound by your constitutional oath, and would
defend the property of the United States with
in the borders of South Carolina if an attempt
was made to take it by force.
Seeing very early that this question of prop
erty was difficult and delicate one, you man
ifosted desire to settle it without collision.
You did not reinforce the garrison in the har-
Dor of Charleston
You removed distinguished and veteran
oiiicer from the command of Fort Moultric
because he attempted to increase his supply of
ammunition. You refused to send additional
troops to the same garrison, when applied for
by the officer appointed TO succeed him You
accepted tho resignation of the oldest and
most eminent member of your Cabinet, rather
than allow the garrison to be strengthened. =
You compelled an officer stationed at Fort
Sumter to return Immediately to the Arsenal
forty muskets, which he had taken to arm his
men. You expressed, not to one, but to many
of the most distinguished of our public char.
acters, whose testimony will be placed upon
the record, whcneverit is necessary, your anx.
iety for peaceful termination of this contro-
versy, and your unwllingness to disturb the
military status of the forts, if Commissioners
should be sent to the Government, whose com
municntions you promised to submit to Con-
gress. You received and acted on assurances
from the highest official authorities of South
Carolina that no attempt would be made to
disturb your possession of the forts and prop
erty of the United States if you would not
disturb their existing condition until the
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