The national Republican., 1861-07-06

ants. They we'll knew that the garrison in the
fort could, by no possibility, commit aggression
upon them. They knew-they were expressly
not6ed-that the giving Of bread to the few
brave and hungry men Of the garrison was all
which would on that occasion be attempted,
unless themselves, by resisting 20 much, should
provoke more. They knew that this Govern.
ment desired TO keep the garrison in the fort,
not to assail them, but merely to maintain Wis.
ible possession, and thus to preserve the Union
from actual and immediate ssolution-trust.
ing, as hereinbefore stated to time, discussion,
and the ballotbox, for final adjustment and
they assailed and reduced the fort, for precisely
the reverse object-to drive ont the visible au.
thority Of the Federal Union, and thus force it
to immediate dissolution. That this was their
object, the Executive well understood and
having said to them, in the inaugural address,
You can have no conflict without being your.
selves the aggressors," he took pains, not only
to keep this declaration good, but also to keep
the case so free from the power of ingenious
sophistry, as that the world should not be able
to misunderstood it By the affair at Fort
Sumter, with its surrounding circumstances,
that point was reached. Then, and thereby,
the assailants Of the Government began the
conflict of arms, without gun in sight, or in
expectancy to return their fire, save only the
few in the fort, sent to that harbor, years be.
fore, for their own protection, and still ready to
give that protection in whatever was lawful. In
this act, discarding all else, they had forced
upon the country the distinct issue, Immedi.
ate dissolution or blood"
And this issue embraces more than the fate
of these United States. It presents to the
whole family of man the question, whether q
constitutional republic, or democracy-a gov
ernment Of tho people, by the same people
can, or cannot, maintain its territorial integ.
rity against its own domestic foes. II presents
the question, whether discontented individuals,
too few in numbers to control administration,
according 10 organic law, in any case, can al.
ways, upon the pretences made in this case, or
on any other pretences, or arbitrarily, without
any pretence, break up their Government, and
thus practically put an end to free government
upon the earth. It forces us to ask as there,
in all Republics, this inherent and fataa weak.
ness7" "Must Government, of necessity,
be too strong for the liberties Of its own peo.
pie, or too ,oeak to maintain its own exist
ence7"
So viewing the issue, no choice was left but
to call out the war power Of the Government; |;
and 80 to resist force, employed for its de-
struction, by force, for its preservation.
The call was made, and the response Of the
country was most gratifying, surprising in
anauimity and spirit the most sanguine expec-
tation. Yet, none of the States commonly
called slave States, except Delaware, gave a
regiment through regular State organization.
A few regiments have been organized within
some others Of those States by individual enter
prise, and received into the Government ser.
vice. Of course, the seeded States, so called,
land to which Texas had been Joined about the
time of the inauguration,) gave no troops to
the cause Of the Union. The border States, so
called, were not uniform in their action some
of them being almost for the Union, while in
others-as Virginia, North Carolina, Tennes.
see, and Arkansas-the Union sentiment was
nearly repressed, and silenced. The course
taken in Virginia was the most remarkable
perhaps the most important. A Convention,
elected by the people of that State to consider
this very question Of disrupting the Federal
Union, was in session at the capital of Virginia
when Fort Sumter fell. To this body the peo-
pie had chosen large majority of protessed
Union men. Almost Immediately after the fall
of Sumter, many members of that majority
went over to the original disunion minority,
and, with them, adopted an ordinance for with.
drawing the State from the Union. Whether
this change was wrought by their great appro.
val of the assault upon Sumter, or their great
TSSEutmtut ~ tuc uOfcTuutuIS EcnistduCc u
that assault, is not definitely known. Although
they submitted the ordinance, for ratification
to a vote of the people, 10 be taken on day
then somewhat more than month distant, the
convention, and the Legislature, (which was
also in session at the same time and place,
with leading men Of the State, not members oi
either, commenced acting as if the State were
already out of the Union, They pushed mill
tary preparations vigorously forward all over
the State They seized the United States
armory at Harper's Ferry, and the navy yard
at Gosport, near Norfolk. They received
perhaps invited-into their State large bodies
Of troops, with their warlike appointments, from
the so-called seeded States. They formally
entered into a treaty of temporary alliance ant
cooperation with the so.called "Confederate
States" and sent members to their Congress a
Montg gomery. And, finally, they permitted The
insurrectiopary Government to be transferred
to their capital at Richmond.
The people Of Virginia have thus allowed
this giant insurrection to make its nest within
her borders; and this Government has n,
choice left but to deal with it phere it finds it
And it has the less regret as the loyal citizen
have, in due form, claimed its protection
Those loyal citizens this Government is bound
to recognise and protect, as being Virginia.
IN tue ooruer otales, so-caueu-ln Iact, III
middle States-there are those who favor
policy which they call EARNED neutrality
that is, an arming of those States to preven
the Union forces passing one way, or the dis
union the other, over their soil. This woult
be disunion completed. Figuratively speak
ing, 1t would be the building of an impassab
wall along the line of separation-and yet, no
quite an impossible one; for, under the guis'
Of neutrality, it would tic the hands Of tn
Union men, and freely pass supplies from
among them to the insurrectionists, which
could not do as an open enemy. At a stroke
it would take all the trouble off the hands o
secession, except only what proceeds from th
external blockade. II would do for the dis