Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-04-17
Columbus Correspondence
g COLUMBUS, April 10; 1861.


COLUMBUS, April Is, 1851.
Dear Chronicle :-What can one speak
of to-day, but the fight at Sumter9 This
the news comes that after forty
eight hours resistance. the stars and stripes
are hauled down, and the white Gag of sur
render floats over the fort 1t is too late
now to dwell upon the treason and folly by
which reinforcements were kept away from
the place. when reinforcement waspOssible;
we have no time now for talking of what
might have been; we must face the grave
fact that war exists by the act of the in
surgent disunionists, that they have seized
upon the act of sending a ship with sup
plies to the little garrison that was starv-
ing within the walls Of Sumter, as a pre-
text for beginning the horrors of civil war.
and now unless the people of the North
ern States rise in their might to support
the federal government and crush out re-
belliou, we shall be forever disgraced in
the eyes of Christendom. and be held to
have proven ourselves unworthy of free
institutions because we dare not defend
them. @
The events of the past twenty-four hours
have brought the issue home to each Of us,
whether we will be slaves or pledge our
lives and fortunes to the support of Our
constitutional government. There is nc
other choice. The reduction of Sumter
will leave Davis and his troops at liberty
to carry out his plan of marching upon
Washington. armed as they are by the
plumber of our arsenals and supported by
the stcalings from our treasury and mint
The President has no resource left, but t
call upon the northern States for forces tC
defend the capital. Are we ready to re.
spond? In this war it will not do to rely
upon the scum of society to furnish the
mass of our battallions. Men of charac.
ter and reliability. who are the real bone
and muscle Of the country must rally to
its defence with the zeal and a~laerity which
marked the old CrOmwellian legions, or VIZ
shall be destined to more shameful disas-
tiers than the surrender of Sumter.
The forbcaring. peaee-lOving disposition
of the northern people. has led the slave
masters to believe that we are towards
whom they may rule with the sword, wher
they are beaten at the ballot-box. and il
is now manifest that we cannot live al
poaee with them on this continent, either
in the same government or in separate ma.
lions. until we have shown that We are a:
superior in arms as sc are in arts. IL
falter or to finch now, would be to pub
lish to the world that we hold our libertie:
by the grace of our enemies, and not BY
our ~owncourage or manhood, and we Should
invite insult and aggression from every pet
ty power. On the other hand, we have
only to put forth such an effort as a nation
of twenty millions of free zen can easily
make, to crush opposition as efectually anC
as finally as one would crush an egg-shell
The bills for the enrolment of the mill
tia, and the more perfect organization o
the military system of the State, which
passed the Senate early in the session
passed the House yesterday, and are nov
laws. L am sorry to say that notwithstan
ding the present state of affairs, a few Re
publicans were found to vote against them
The ordinary legislation is making Pro
gress toward completion, although the ap
~portiOument bill, and the bill to locate tn
new penitentiary, threaten to occupy con
siderable time yet. unless the crisis in IA
tional affairs shall hasten the decision o
them. c.