Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-08-28

neither did he see fit to usurp them
Thus the whole matter remained in abey'
ance for the bitter feeling towards the
South so pe:sistently manifested 10y the
dominant party, in Congress and through
! the pulpit and press, discouraged the u
nion men of the South, while it encoura-
ged and exasperated the Secessionists --
When that session OF Congress opened
and for seventeen days afterwards, the u
Mon was unbroken, no State having yet
seeded When closed I'D of March
last seven large States had declared
themselves out Of the Union, viz South
Carolina, Georgia. Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sisslppi, louisiana, and Texas All this
was done while Congress was in session,
and while President Buchanan was await.
ing its action, whether for Cancellation or
coercion. In the meantime he more than
once, if we recollect right pressed the
subject upon their attention, but without
etlect.-certainly without any good effect.
With what justice, then, can he be held
responsible for the non.exercise of pow
ers which he did not possess, and which
Congress did not see fit to confer upon
him Much less is he responsible for
their naughty bearing toward the South,
and their determination apparently, to
have nothing etlectEal done, either by
way OF Cancellation or coercion, until the
President elect should come into power.
Thus the revolution was left to drift on
unobStructed for several months and not
only unobstructed, but aggravated by the
neglect Of Congress 10 do anything by
way Of removing or relieving the grievan-
ces complained of. The rest is too fresh
in the remembrance of our re tders to re-
quire repetition President Lincoln sues
ceeded to a legacy which he might well
have desired to shun, and for few weeks
pursued very nearly the same course
which had been marked out by his prede>
ccssor. But his party woald not stand it.
There came down from the North and
Northwest an avalanche Of public senti-
ment in favor of active measures for 'en-
forcing the laws, Ii. e. for making war
upon the South, } that he WAS at length
constrained toyicld. The first step, was,
20 send an expedition to Charleston har-
Dor, for the relief, and probably for the
reinforcement of Fort Sumter That was
the Inauguration Of a war policy on the
part Of the Government, and was so un-
derstood on all sides. Nobody imagined
that South Carolina, after what had occur
red, would allow Sumter to be reinforced,
or even provsioned, if she could prevent
it. When the Government sent that eXpe~
dition, they must have fully expected that
it would precipitate an attempt to cap
ture the Fort, on the part of South Car
olina. And they were not disappointed.
The attempt was made and succeeded. -
Fort Sumter was captured, to prevent its
being reinforced The American flag was
lowered, and the garrison surrendered as
prisoners ofwar. This WINS enough. The
flame OF patriotism, Mingled with some
other flames, was klndled throughout the
land. President Lincoln issued his pioc-
lamation calling for 5000 volunteers to
defend the capital, sc. This alarmed the
border States, and soon Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee aud Arkansas, decIa-
red themselves out Of the Union, and uni
ted Their fortunes with the Southern Cons
lederacy. Preparations for war we're
prosecuted with vigor on both sides; and
to day two great ,rmies confront each
other, with every prospect of a speedy and
terrible conflict, which, however it may
result, will be but the beginning of a
struggle of which no man can torsee the
end. -JoHrHai Of Commerce.