The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1861-03-26
The Proposed Evacuation OF Sumptcr.

We believe il to be the general opinion Of
citizens who are friends of the Government
no matter in what ction of the country they
reside, or what NAV be their political antece-
dents-that the insoencc of the revolution
lists has been sufficiently countenanced by the
authorities and that if Mr. Lincoln should
put his foot down firmly as he sugL csted in
speech III New Jersey he might have OCCASION
70 do, almost universal applause would follow.
Tho business OF making war on one side and
peace on the other certainly cannot 90 on.
The Charestonians have been permitted, un.
der the guns of Fort Sumpter, to erect bat
terics, avowedly to lombard it and cut off its
communications; and now it is understood
that The United States Government cannot
peaceably send provisions to its soldiers in
tie Fort. If this costs us the modification of
seeing Sumpter surrendered in the name &C
all that is honorable among men, let it be the
last instance that shall be recorded in the an
mails OF our Government, OF a policy SO fatally
pusillanimous.
II owing to the imbecity of the late Adj
mnlstratlon, and the failure of tho late
Congress to place tho means in the hands Of
Mr. Lincoln TO make his Administration eff
tective; and if the water on Charleston bar
is so shallow that our ships Of war canno.
pass and if the garrison at Fort Sumpier is
SO short Of prov lsions that there would not be
time, before they reached the starving point,
to make the requisite preparation, by sea or
land, to send supplies; and if the military au.
thorltles pronounce tho fort untcnable as
military position-it should, according to
tho rules OF warh e, lie surrendered; and
this side the conSumatiOu Of a peaceable sep.
araton Of the disailected from the altering
States, through the medium Of National
Convention, it should be surrendered on no
other consideration.
We do no. know thai sending provisions to
Fort Sumpter would, according to the pecul-
lar idoas prevalent and authoritivc in South
Carolina, be an act of war on the part of the
Government. The Caiolinians have, for some
time permitted the garrison of Sumptcr to re-
ceve a limited quantity Of fresh meat and
vegetables, from n contractor on Sullivan Is
land 10 turn, their SHIPS flying the tory
flag have been permitted to sail under the
United States gun, on all manner of crrands.
The mail has been sent regularly to the fort;
and South Carolina has had her mail regu al
Iy.
If the policy is TO ignore the RI lit and tho
fact Of secession, why not igno.o the presump-
ton of hostilitics on tho part Of tho Carolini-
ans, AMI slip provisions to Font Sump.er by
one of the regular steamers Of the New York
and Charleston line ? 1t would be easy to find
contractors who would undertake the Job, if
guaranteed against the loss of properly in tho
enterprise, aud it might be Interesting to SEQ
whether Mr.. Jefferson Davis would order his
batteries to open upon a provision ship; and
to see, if he did, which way the Southern
heart would be fired by such orders.
Difficulties, probably greater than those in
way of relieving Fort Sumpter, have been o.
yercr me by daring and adventurous mon;
and if competent military authority does not
pronounce all enterprises for its relief abso'
lutely impractcable, and the position, there
FORE in a military point ofview, uatcnablc, it
ar,,rrs to ,h"t thero will DO Co~ fuo
chances for immortality thrown away in a
meek evacuation Of the premises.