The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-07-08

be no effort to throw in men, arms, or ammu-
milton without further notice, or in case of
an attack upon the Fort This notice was
accordingly given, whereupon the Fort was
attacked aud bombarded to its fall, without
even awaiting the arrival of the provision
ing expedition 1t is thus seen that the as
sault upon and the reduction of Fort Sum
ter was in no sense matter of self-detence
on the part of the assailants. They well
knew that the garrison in this fort could by
no possible means commit aggression on
or upon them. They knew they were ex-
pressly notified that the giving of bread to
the few brave and hungry men of the garri-
son was all which would on that occasion
be attempted, unless they themselves by re-
sistine so much should provoke more. They
knew that the Government desired to keep
the garrison in the fort, not to assail them
but to merely raaintain visible possession,
and thus to preserve the Union from actual
and immediate dissolution, trusting, as
hereinbefore stated, to time, discussion, and
the ballot box, for final adjustment and
they assailed and reduced the fort for pre-
cisely the reverse obleet-to drive out the
visible authority Of the Federal Union, and
thus force it to Immediate dissolution. That
this was their object, the Executive well IN
derstood, and having said to them in the in
augural address, you can have no conflict
without being yourselves the aggressors, he
took pains not only to keep this declara-
ton good, but also to keep the issue so free
from the power of ingenious sophistry as
that the world should not be able to misun-
derstand it by. the affair at Fort Sumter
with its surrounding circumstances.
That point was reached Then and there
by the assailaats of the Government began
the conflict of arms, without anything in
right or expectancy to return their fire, save
only the few in the fort sent to that harbor
years before for their own protection, and
still ready to give that protection in what
ever was lawful. In this act discarding all
else, they have forced upon the country the
destructive issue, immediate dissolution or
blood and this issue embraces more than
the fate of these United States. 1t presents
to the whole family of man the question,
whether Constitutional Republic or De-
mocracy-a Government of the people by
the same people-can or cannot maintain
its territorial integrity against its own do
nestle foes. 1t presents the question,
whether discontinued individuals, too few in
number to control administration according
to organic law, in any case, and always up
on the preteuSes made in this case or on
any other pretenses, arbitrarily, without
any pretenSe, break up their government,
and thus practically put All end to free gov
ernmeut-upon the earth. 1t forces us to
ask, is there in all republics this inherent
and fatal weakness Must government
of necessity be too strong for the liberties
of our people, or too weak to maintain its
own existence. So viewing the issue, no
chance was left but to call out the war pow
er of the Government and so resist force
employed for its destruction, by force for its
preservation. The call was made, and the
response of the country was most gratifying
surprising in unanimity and spirit the
most sanguine expectations; yet none of
the States commonly called Slave States,
except Delaware, gave regiment through
regular State organization. A few regi-
ments have been organized within some
other of those States by individual enter
prise, and received into the Government
service OF course the seeded States, so
called, and 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, Tennessee, and Arkansas,
the Union sentiment was nearly repreSsed
and silenced.
The course taken in Virginia was the
most remarkable, perhaps the most impor-
tant A convention elected by the State to
consider this very question of diEupting
the Federal Z nion, was in session at the
Capital of Virginia when Fort Sumter fell.
To this body the people had chosen large
majority of protested 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 Withdrawing the
State from the Union. Whether this
/ change was wrought by their approval of the
assault, upon Sumter, or the great resent
ment at the Governments resistance to that
/ ASSAULT not definitely known. Although
/ they submitted the ordinance for the ratif-
| cation to a vote of the people, to be taken
/ on day then someWh more than a 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 of either body, COM
menced acting as if the State were even al
ready out of the Union. They pushed mill
itary 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,
i large hordeS of armed troops, with their
appointments, from the so-called sece-
ded States; and they formally entered into d
treaty of temporary alliance and co-opera-
ton with tie so-called Confederate States,
and sent members to their Congress at
Montgomery aud finally they permitted
the insurrectionary government to be trans
ferred to their capital at Richmond.
The people of Virginia have thus allowed
this giant instruction to make its nest
within her borders, and this Government
has no choice left but to deal with it where
it finds it and it has the less regret as the
loyal citizens have in due form claimed its
protection. Those loyal citizens this Gov.
eminent is bound to recognize and protect,
as being in Virginia. In the border States
SO called, but in fact the Middle States, there
are those who favor policy which they
call armed neutrality, that is, an arming Of
those States to prevent the Union forces
passing one way, or the Disunion the Other
over their soil. This would be disunion com
pleted fguratively speaking it would b,
the building of an impossible wall along
the line of separation, and yet not quite al
. imDaSSahle one for under the ouiSe of neu