, 1861-04-12

Civil War 4-The Southern Forts
1 The Naval Movements, etc.:
+ ~ - :-- ~ !;
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tt1bune.I !.
WAsHSaToN, April Z, 1851. ::
i !; In these days Of political uncertainties ana
t false newspaper prophets, - correspondent
that undertakes to forsshadoW coming s7enta
In anything like positive, confident tone
runs the pre6ninent risk Of being snaered at
as self.opinioned pretender. Fence, pre-.
sumo, there were very many Of your readers
that received the predictions made In pre-.
ceding letters Of an impending change in the
attitude Of the Administration towards the
! Southern rebellion with many grains Of allow.
ance in the face Of apparent facts to the con.
trary. But the developments Of the last six
days have doubtless convinced them ere this
that Washington correspondent told the
truth for once-that, as asserted with 80 much
confidence, the Southern forts will be held,
strengthened and defended to the hst-the
| revenue laws executed-the revolutionary flag
chased from the sea, in ana, the supremacy
Of those Federal laws the violation Of which
affects the interests Of the people Of the Union
at lacge, maintained with all ths means at the
command Of the Government. -
Such is, indeed, the meaning Of the sudden
naval and army movements fnaugu1ated with
the beginning Of the week just closed Old
Abe is about demonstrating, in most signal
manner, that the donbts recently entertained
by many Of his supporters as to his hrmnees'
faithfulness and loyalty, were entirely un-
founded He will convince them, if need be
(! at the mouth of the cannon, that he means to
| fulfil the trust reposed in him, and redeem
!! the pledges held out in his Inaugural He
Will prove BY the events Of the past fortnight
that he intends to discharge his constitutional
take care Of themselves.
VIII there be civil war? No one that reads
| the signs Of the times can help the belief that
! this dire calamity is about being visited upon
this nation. But If the horrors Of fratric1dal
strife should really be inflicted upon this land,
this and future ages w.n know whom to hold
responsible for that dolefal contamination.
| The Republican Administration does not con-
template any aggressive demonstrations. It
| will not wage war Of subjugation. The gov
| ernment vessels are not put in fighting trim
| for the bombnrdment Of Southern cities, and
! troops not collected for the devastation Of re-
bellious States. Both the Executive and the
majority Of the members Of the Cabinet have
realized the fact, that the continuation Of the
present state Of affairs must necessarily result
in the utter bankruptcy and breaking up Of
the government and the complete demora1iza-
tion Of the nation; aud hence, they will See
that the duties are properly collected and the
Federa1 proDerty duly protected. If the reyo-
lutionarv pnwers Of the south shal1 resist the
former and attack the latter. aconHict will en-
sue. But it will then not be chargeable to the
account Of the Administration. The fatal sig
nal that will throw the gates of war open, will
not be given by the Federal authorities. The
frst h1ozv will have tn he stvnck and the first
sbot tn he fred bv the reyolutionists, The
QUESTION of war and neaca then hinges upon
tha nlana of The rn1ers of the cottnn heptar-
cbv that emho,dened bv nast i1npunity and
reckless of consequences 81 thew are. thew will
no+ sbrint, fnon, ;rauo,n rating the bloody
dram, ID nou m longer donhted by the best
informed m the subiect. The final struggle
tet,Feen freedon and slavery Is. indeed. close
at hand and the prayer Of the righteous now
ia that y nav he ehort and that # NAV resu]t
-, .,.oo,>,n. ~ ~ h-.o.,, ho,,da,+a fro,n
the land
Here as e}sewhere the anxieties Of the pub.
liz corceptrate nron,Eorts sumter and Pick
ens Mayer waz t1,ere e-re,ter desire for au-
thent,c Inflammation. and never wss there less
of If An imnenetrah1e mystery surrounds
+be ;n+a,+;o,a ~ +ha praa;4ent in reoard tn
the forner Thara are n ha enre many oth-
erw;ae we,1.inforned nartiea WIN nretend to
know whot thew ara hnt their assertions varv
so -,,ico,17 that ,;+t,a faith can ha n,aced in
anything +1,ev cav ~, +ha anhiect One thing
thew saw ia certa;D . the hel;ef in tte ,,robahi1-
itv If an attamnt Ia rainforca the nost in oues-
tim is stead;1v prow;ne Even nartiea who
bove beratofora a,wavs atrenuons1v ins;sted
that the aracnat;on had been defnite1v and
;rravoaab1v determined nnon arc waver;no IN
their v;ovs If +ba rns+tar at ;.sna From in.
formation T enccaedad IN drawing mt of two
government messengers, l1as 'as7ts slelseu us
hv T;entenan+ r,3ho+- Motor andarson,a last
-, -D,4N.-4 .--..---..t.-
envoy to the war Department-Quf1ng yeslef-
day within nv own hearing, I am led to infer
-, -. ...-.. s.-..,-t:... -.
aAo LIE oanu dfe 71o* 44se 50 sseoT ssd7e09to' ~
Is generally supposed. venture to say, indeed,
that whatever the ultimate disposition OF the
fort may be, it will leak ont in the end that
march WAR stn1an anmn time aimee Dnon 1hH