Nebraska advertiser., 1861-07-11
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Eyotc- ctisens y se seaots
and L0use Of RVvesesigfirss

your attention = not called 70 Any oriiuar
subject II legislation az the begiumrg Oft ID
resent Presidential term.
-Four months age, the functions ~ the Fec
eral Government gcTe found % be general.
suspended within tbe several States of SOniI
CasoHna. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Lou
iSana and Florida. excepting OILY those 81 Oh
Pas'o6ice Department within these States
The fors. %arsenais. docks harbofs. cns'om
Houses. and the ikr. iEcluding the movable
end Stationary property IN AID about them, ha,
teen seized, aud were Eeid, IN open hoallAtl
20 the Government excepting OILY Fort
Pickens. TaylOr aud Jefferson, OF and nea.
90 Che Florida coast. and Fort Sumter, IN Charles.
ton barbor. sc. The forts thus seized bad
hcen puf in q depraved condition, new one
q had been built. and armed forces had been
ORGANIZED and were Organizing, all ~ayowedly
with some hostile purpCse: The forts remaining
In the POSSESSION Of the Federal Government
IN and near these States were either besiegcd
o. meDaesd Nv warlike preparations, and es-
peciailv Fort Sumter was Desdy surrounded
by wei protected hostile batteries, with guns
e1ual 10 quality 70 the best Of its OWL, and
Communicating the latter as perhaps ten 70 one
disrropouioDate share Of the Fed, raj mus
kets and rifles had somehow found their way
into these States, and had been seized 20 be
used against the Government; accumulation
Of the public revenue lying within them bad
Ieen. seized for the same object; the navy was
scattered in distant seas, leaving but a very
small part within the immediate use Of the
Government; tie officers o. The Federal army
and navy had resigned in great numbers, aud
of those resigning a large proportion had taken
ND arms against the Government simultane-
o1sly, and in connection with al these the
purpose 10 sever the Federal Union was openly
ayowed. In accordance with this purpose an
ordinance had been adopted in each OF these
States, declaring the States respectively to be
separated from The National Union. and FORM
ulae for combining and instituting a combined
Government Of these States had been promul-
gated, and this Illegal organization in the char
ncter Of Confederate States was already invok-
ing recognition and Intervention from foreign
powers. Finding this condition of things, and
believing il to be the imperative duty upon the
incoming Executive to prevent if possible, the
consumation Of such attempt to destroy the
Federal Union, a choice Of means to that end
became indispensable. This choice was made
and declared in the inaugural address. The
policy chosen looked 10 the exhaustion Of all
peaceful measures before a resort to any stron-
ger ones; it sought only to hold the public
places and property not already wIested from
the Government, and TO collect the revenue,
relying for the rest on time, discussion and the
ballot-box. 1t promised a continuance Of the
mails at Government expense to the very peo-
pie who were resisting the Government, and
il gave repeated pledges against any distur-
bance to any Of the people or any IF their
rights Of all that which a President might
constitutiUnally and justiiably do in such a
case. Everything was forborne without which
it was believed possible TO keep the Govern
ment on foot. On the 9Th OF March, the
present ihcumbenrs first full day in Office, a
letter Of Major Anderson, commanding at Fort
Sumter, written on the 28th of February, and
received at the War Department on the 4th Of
March, was by that Department placed in my
hands. This letter expressed the professional
opinion Of the writer, that reinforcements
could Lot be thrown into that fort within the
time for his relief rendered necessary by the
limited supply Of provisions and with a view
or holding possession Of the same, with a force
Of less than 10000 good and we'll disciplined
men. This opinion was concurred in bv all
the officers Of his command and their memoir
anda on the subject were made inclosures of
Mai. Anderson's letter. The whole was i'm
mediately laid before Lieut.. General Scott,
who at once conourred with Maj Anderson in
opinion. On reflection, however, he took full
time and consultation wish other officers, both
in the army and navy, and at the end Of four
days came reluctantly but decidedly to .he
same conclusion as before. He also stated at
the same time, that such sufficient force was
not at the control of che Government, or could
he raised and brought to the ground within the
time, when The provisions of the fort would be
exhausted. In purely military point Of view,
this reduced the duty Of the Administration
in the case to the mere matter Of taking the
garrison safely out of the fort. 1t was be-
heved, however, 60 abandon that position
under the circumstances would be utterly ru-
nous; that the necessity lnder which it was
to be done would not be fully understood;
that by this means it would be construed as a
part Of a voluntary policy; that at home 1t
would discourage the friends Of the Union,
cmbolden its adversaries, and 60 FAR to insure
to.the latter q recognition abroad; that in fact
Il would be our national destruction consum-
mated. This could not be allowed. Starva-
ton was not yet upon the garrison, and ere it
would be reached Fort Pickens might be re-
iniorced. This last would be a clear indica-
ton of policy, and would better enable the
ANAMAlT " MNNNNk SAC NNMNA4AlNu v. ~ 0ANA-
ter as a military necessity. An order was at
once directed to be sent Tor the landing Of the
troops from the. steamship Brooklyn into Fort
Pickens This order could not 90 by land,
but must take the longer and slower route by
sea. The FIRST return news from the order was
resd but one week before the fall Of Fort
Sumter. The news itself was that the officer
commanding the Sabine, TO which vessel the
troops bad been transferred from the Brook
lyn, acting upon some quasi armistice Of the
" late Administration, and Of the existence Of the
late Administration up to the time the order
was dispatched had only too vague and un.
certain rumoH 70 FIX attention, had refused to
land the troops to reinforce Fort pickens he.
fore a crisis would be reached at Fort Sumter
was impoSsibie-rendered so by the near ex-
hauston Of provisions in the latter named fort.
in preoaution against such a conjunction, the
Government had a few days before commenced
preparing an expedition as well adapted as
might be, 10 relieve Fort Sumter, which expe-
dition was Intended to be ultimately used or
not according 10 the circumstances. The
strongest anticipated case for using il was
how presented, and i was resolved 10 send il
forward as had been intended. In this con-
tiugency it WAS also resolved to notify the
Governor Of South Carolina that he might
? expect an attempt would be made to provis-
bon the Fort aud that if the attempt should
not be resisted there would be no effort 20
throw In men, arms or amuaition without
49,