The Shreveport weekly news. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1861-1861, 1861-07-22

i fOt1luftI circumstances, tnat POM
was reached.
Then and thereby fire ASSISTANTS OF
the government began the conflict OF
-. arms, without n gun in sight or in cS-
tpectuncy to return their fire, save on
: ~ the few in the fort, cent 70 that
, harbor years before for their own pro-
lection, and still ready to yield that
protection in every thing that was
! lawful.
+ nthis act, discording all e!setrev
have forced upon the country the di-
rect issue-irnmediate dissolution o.,
blood. And this issue. embraces more
than the tate Of these United States,
1t presents to the whole family of
man the question whether constitu-
tional republic or democracy gov
eminent of the people by the same
pcuplc-can, or cannot maintain is
territorial sovereignty against its own
domestic foes. 1t presents the ques-
ton whether disconnected individu-
ais, too few in numbers to control ad
ADMINISTRATION, according to organic
law in any case. can always upon
the pretcnces made in this case, or in
any other pretenses. or arbitrarily
without any 1retence, break up their
government, and thus practically put
an end TO free government on earth.
1t forces us 70 ask, is there in all
Republics this inherent and fatal
weakness Must a Go@crn,nen. of
NECESSITY be too strong for the iihcr-
ties of it's own people, or too weak 10
maintain its own existence SO view
ing ti.c issur,no choicr; was left but to
call out the war power of the Govern
mont, and so 20 resist force employed
.or its destruction by force for preser-
vatIon-
This call was made. and the res
pouse of the country was most graft
tving, surprising in unanilnTtr and
spirit and the most sanguine c1pecta-
ton. Vet none OF the States commonly
called Slave-~iatcs. except Delewarc
gave regiment through regular
Stat. organisations SOM others al these
states by individual enterprise, and
received into The Government sorry ice.
OF cnursrtlic -srt.lrd States, so called.
and ~ which Texas had been Joined
about the time of III" Inauguration,
gave no troops to the cau-c Of III"
Union.
The Border States :" called, We're
not uniform il their action. some %.
of them being utmost tor til"
Mon. while in others. a Virginia,
North Cnroii,,a, Tennessee and Ark
ala-as, the Mon sentiment was ucgE!v
rrrrrsScd and ~i!cuccd,
The cnurS" taken hv Virginia wa-
the most remarkable, perhaps lie most
important, \ convention elected by
the people Of that state to consider
this very question OF disiuptin@ III.
/ Federal ninn was in session at
the Capita! OF Virginia when sum
ter fell.
70 this BODY the people had chosen
Il larg. majority Of protesscd 'n'on
men Almost Immediately after the
tall % Fort Sumter. many members 81
that majority went over to disunion
minority. and with them adopted an
ordinance for Withdrawing the state
from the Ilion.
Whether this change was wrought
by their great approval 81 the assault
on Fort Sumter. or their great resent
mcnt at the Government resistance
20 that assault, Is not definitely
known.
Although they submitted the ordi-
nance for ratification 70 n vote OF til.
people, TO be taken on a day then
somewhat more than n month distant,
the convention and the Legislature.
which was also in session at the same
time aud place, with leading MEN Of
State not members OF either, imIucdi-
atclv commenced acting AS ii the State
Were already ont OF the [ Mon.
They pushed military Preparations
, vigorously forward all over the State;
they seized the United State armory
NJ Harpcrs Ferry, and the Navy
Yard at Gosport, near Norfolk; they
received. perhaps invited into their
state lar@" bodies of troops, with
their warlikc appointments from the
so called seeded States. They for
Inalv entered into treaty of tempo
rarv alliance and cooperation with
the so called Confederate States, and
sent mcrrhcrs to their Congress ut
Montgomery; and finally, they per-
mi;ted the insurrcctionary Govern
ment to he transferred to their Cap
ital at Richmond.
The people Of Virginia have thus
allowed this great insurrection 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
loval citizens have, i'll due form.
claimed its protection. Those loyal
citizens this Government is borrd to
recognize and protect as being Nir-
ginians.
In the Border States, SO called-in