Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-08-08

he FrPs1dent IN tts cig. and then though
states had seeded and set government of their
voted down. postponed thrust aside some other way
disposed Of somtmes by large maorities in this House.
TIL at last Congress adjourned without any action ALL
Peace then deemed to be the policy of ali parties.
Thus sir the stood twelve O'Clock 4th March
last when from the Eastern pOrtco of this Capitol and in
the presence of twenty thousand of his counymen
enveoped in crowd of soldery which other American
President saw, Abraham Lincoln took the cath of
fee support the Constitution delivered his inaugural
message regret to not written in the direct and
srag language which becomes an American Pres
iden American statesman and which was expected
from the plain, blunt honest of the Northwest but
with orked tongue and crooked counsel of the New
1oik politician, leaving thirty million people in doubt
whether it meant peace But whatever may have
been the secret purposs and meaning of the inaugural
cay for six weeks the policy peace prevailed and they
were weeks OF happiness to the patriot and prosperity to
the country Business revived trade returned
nourlsbed Never there airer prospect before any
people Secession in the past angushed and sprtes
and harmless secession in the future arrested, and
perlshed By overwhelming jortes Virginia Kentucky
North Carolina Tennessee and Missouri all declared for the
old Union and every heart beat high with hope that in due
and by ultimate and adequate compromise every State
would be restored it.
Sir do not propose to inquire now whether the Pres
dent and his Cabinet and earnest
whether from the first they meant civil and only waited
to gain time till they fairly seated and had
seekers which DOWN at @ ike % sRe
upon them. But do know that the people believed
sincere and cordially justified and approved of the policy of
peace not they subsequently responded to the policy
war, in whrwnd of passion madness, b1 calmly and
sobery and the result of their deliberate and solemn
Judgment and believing that vii absolute and
eternal dsunon while secession but partial and tenn
porary they cordially endorsed also the proposed
ton OF Sumter and other forts public property within
the seeded STATES Nor, sir, will stop to explore
the several which either led change in the ap
parent policy or an early development of the original and
real purposes of the Administration. But there are two
which cannot pass by. And the first these was party
certain wicked reckless and unprncped conductors Of
partisan press The policy crushing the Re-
publican party Under that policy, sir melting away
elections Rhode
island and Connecticut, and municipal elections in New
York the Western States gave abundant evidence
that the people resolved upon The most ample and
stactoy constitutional to the South price
of restoration of the Union And then it was sir that the
long and 8gonZng howl Of defeated disappointed poll
ticans before the Administration The newspaper
press teemed with appeals and threats the President The
mails groaned under the weight of letters demanding
change of policy while concave of the Governors
of New York, oho other States
dent in the irrepressibe conflict which they invoked
And thus was sir that the necessities of party in the
pangs OF dissolution IN the hour and article of DEATH
demanding vigorous measures which could result in moth
ing but civil wed secession I'D absolute and
nal dsuniOn, preferred and arkened before
peace and harmony and prosperity of the whole country
But there another and yet stronger impeng cause
without which this horrid calamity of civil might have
been postponed and perhaps fnay averted One of the
last and worst Of Congress- which, in bitter
and nurured in convusion, literally did those things
which ought not to have done and left undone those
things which ought to have DONE passage of an
obscure iconsdered, digested, and unstatesmanlike
high protective tarln act, commonly known the Nor
rl tariff" just about the time, too the Confederate
Congress at Montgomery adopted old tariff of 1857
which had just rejected to make way for the Morrill,
act fixing their rate of duties ve fifteen twenty per
cent lower than The result inevitable as the
laws of trade inexorabe. Trade and commerce-and
especially the trade and of the West-began
look South Turned of their natural course
ago. by the canals and rail roads of and New
York, and diverted Eastward heavy loss the West
they threatened their lent and accustom
ed channes-the water courses-the Ohio a. the Misssn
pi. And political association and union, well known
must follow the direction of interest and trade
The city OF New ork, the great commercial emporium
Inf he he chi
Unon began to camor loudly a repeal of the per-
ncous and runous tariff Threatened thus with loss
both political power and wealth. the repeal of the tariff
and at last of b0th New Engand-and Pennsy Vana too
the land of Penn Graded coercion
either from destruction Aye sir, Pennsylvania the great
keystone of the arch of the Union willing to lay the
whole weight OF her iron that sacred arch and crush
beneath the load. The subjugation of the South aye
sir the subugaton of the South am talking to chill
dren fools for there not in this House fit
RepresenaiVe here VINO does not know that the South
cannot be forced to yield obedience laws au
thory until you have conquered and sntugated her. the
subugaon OF The South and the closing of her ports
first by force III and afterwards by tariff laws peace
deliberately resolved upon by the East And sir wher
once ths pocy was begun the Sell motives of waning
commerce and threatened loss of trade mpeed the
city of New York, and her merchants and her politicians
and her PRESS with here AID there honorable exception
to place herself in the very front rank among the worshp
pers of Mooch Much indeed of that outbuEs and upri
18th o. April WELL perhaps, the proclamation itself
called forth, not much by the fall of Fort Sumter
tan long ancpated) as by the notion that the in
surreciion might be crushed out in few weeks if not By
the display certainly at least by the presence Ct
These sir chief causes which, along with others
led change in the policy of the Administration and
instead Of peace forced headoGg into civil war; with
CONGRESS not assembled once as Congress should
have been and the great question of civil submitted
of the people we've not allowed the slightest in thi
the most momentous question any Govern
ment The entire responsibility of the whole work
boldly assumed by the Executive and all the powers
qured for the purposes in hand boldly usuped from
either the States or the people, from the legislative
partment while the voice OF the Judiciary that reug
and hope of Liberty was turned away from with contempt
Sir, the right of the bockade-and begin with it's
begerent right incident to- state of war; and it
be exercised until has been declared or recognized
otG Cal uecafe or recognise war. but Con
gress has not declared recognized On the
rary, it had but little while before expressly refused
declare it, or to the President with the power to max
it. And thus the President in declaring blockade of
tain ports in the States of the South and applying
the rules governing bockades between independent Pow
ers violated the Constitution.
But if, the other hand he meant to deal with hes
States still in the Union, aud subject Federal
ty, then he usurped power which belongs Congress
alonehe power abolish close up ports of entry
power, too, which Congress had also refused week
before to And yet without repeal or
ports of entry, any attempt by either Congress
President to blockade these ports, is violation of tn
spirit if not of the letter. of that clause of the Consttuo
which declares that preference shall be given by an
regulation OF or revenue to the ports of Stat
over those of another
Upon this point do not speak without the highest al
thory. In the very midst of the South Carolina nulfcs
ton controversy suggested that in the of
gress and without law to govern him. the President Al
drew Jackson meant to send down feet to Charleston
blockade the port But the bare suggestion called
the indignant protest of Daniel Webster himself the
enemy of nulifcaton whose brightest laures
in the three years conflict in the Senate Chamber with
abest champions. In address in October 1882 Wo
cester, Massachusetts,, before National Republican Coz
vention-t before the birth, christening least
Wing partythe great expounder of the Constitute
said:
s'We told, sir that the President will Immediate
employ the military force and once blockade Charleston
military remedy, remedy by direct beligerent oper
n has thus been suggested and nothing else has bee
suggested the intended of preserving the Unio
Sir there little to think that this suggestion
true We cannot be altogether unmindfu of the past
therefore cannot be altogether unapprehensve of Il
future For one sir, raise my voice beforehand again
the unauthorized employment Of military power and again
supersedng the authority of the laws by armed fore
pretence of putting down notification. The Pres
dent has no authority to blockade Charleston"