Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-24
EVENING SESSION.
Message of Jeff. Davis To the Souther
Congress.


Message of Jeff. Davis to the Southern
Congress.
NEW ORLEANS July 20-Jef Davis's inaugu-
raj calls attention to the causes which formed the
Contederacy, and says it is now only necessary to
call attention TO such facts as have occurred dur
inc the recess, and to matters ia connection with
the public defense. He congr,tulates Congress
on the accession to the Confederacy of the free
and equal sovereign States, mentioning several
States, and says it deemed advisable to re-
move the several departments and archives to
Richmond, to which place Congress has already
been removed rs the seat of government After
the adjournment of Congress, the aggressive
movements of the enemy required prompt and
energetic action. The accumulation of threaten
| ing forces the Potomac, sufficiently demon
strated that his efforts are directed against Viz
ginia, and from no point could measures for her
defense and protection be effectively directed
rs from her own Capital The rapid progress OF
the Tart few months has stripped the veil off be
hind which the true policy and purposes of the
Lincoln government, previously concealed. and
which are now fully recorded in the message of
] their President. The action of their Congress ut
the present session confesSes the intention OF sub
jugating the seeding States by war, the folly OF
which is equaled only by its wickedness; war by |
which it is impossible to attain the proposed re-
suit while its dire calsmites, which can not be |
avoided bv u.s. will fall doubly severely on them
selves. Commencing in March last with an af
fectation oil ignorance of the secession of the
States which organized the Confederate govern
ment; persisting in April in tine absurd assumption
of the existence of a riot, which WAS to be dis
persed by posse conlitatus; continuing in the sue
ceedng months in false representations that these
States intended an offensive war i'm spite of con
elusive evidence to the contrary. well by the
official action of the President of the U. States,
that he and his advisers have succeeded in driving
tl,a ,la he al al f,r
the truth of history, LncOln's message infinitely
details the attempt to reinforce Fort Pickens in
violation OF the armistice, OF which he coniesses
that he had been informed only by rumors too
vague and uncertain to create attention. The hos
tile expedition dispatched to supply Fort Sumpter
is admitted to have been undertaken with the
knowledge that its success was impossible. The
sending OF a notice to the governor of South Car
olina of the intention to use force to accomplish
the object and quoting from the inaugural that
there will be no conflict unless these States were
the agpressors, he proceeds TO declare that his
conduct in the past well for the future, was
in performance of this promise, which could not
be misunderstood
He charges these States with being the assa
ants of the Union, and states that the world
not misunderstood this unfounded pretence. Lin
coin proposes to make the make the contest short
and decisive and confesses that even an increas-
J ell force is required These enormous prepare
al
is engaged in a conflict with great and powerful
nation and they compelled to abandon the
pretence of dispensing rioters and suppressing
Instruction and driven to the acknowledgment
that the Union is dissolved. They recognize the
/, separate existence of the Confederate States by
the Introduction of an embargo and blockade by
which all commerce between the two is cut off
: He repudiatss the foolish idea that the nhabit
ants of the Confederate States are still citizens
of the United States for they are now waging an
e indiscriminate upon them with savage fe-
rocity unknown to modern civilization. He com
pareS the present invasion to that of Great Bri
: tain in 1881 which was conducted in more civ
ized manner, making them shudder at the out
a RACES committed on delenceless females by those
pretending to be fellow citizens who depict their
t horror ut the deliberate malignity which under
the pretext of suppressing insurrectiOn, they
d make special war on sick women and children by
carefully devised measures to prevent their OBJ
It tanning medicines necessary for their care. The
sacred claims of humanity respected by men
o of all nations Men in the fury of battle by a
careful deviation of attack on hospitals which
n are now outraged by government which pre-
tends the desire to continue iraterna connections.
: Such Outrages admit of retaliation unless the
the actual perpetrators are capturned.
Taylor's mission to Washington was to propose
/ an exchange of prisoners taken on the privateer
Savannah and to inform Lincoln of the deter,
mined purpose to check all barbarities on prison
ners of war by such retaliation and eifectually put
an end to such practices. Lincoln has promised
= to reply but none has vet been received. 81
20 In reference TO the Pc lliar relations which ex-
list between this Government and the States usu-
Of ally termed Border Slave States which cannot
properly be withheld from notice The hearts of
, our people animated by the sentiments to-
"a wards the inhabitants of these States which found
utterance in Your enactment in refusing to con
- slider them enemies or authorize hostties against
= them.-A large portion OF the people of those
: States regard Us rs brethren and it unreStained
by the actual presence of large armies and the
subyersion of civil authority by the declaration
IF OF martial law, some of them would at least joy-
n fully unite with u.s. and that they are almost with
h entire unanimity opposed to the prosecution OF
Or the war waged against us the daily recurring
events fully warrant the assertion.
= The President of the United States refuses &c
recognize in these. late sister States, the rgh
~ of refraining from attack us, and justi6e:
- his refusal by the assertion that the States hav,
=, other power than that reserved to them in tn,
70 Union by the constitution, none of them hayin.
= been State out of the Union. This new consti
tional relation between the States and Genera
Government is fitting refutation to another as
.. sertion of the message that the Executive pos
r. sesses the power of susDending the writ of habea
- corpus, delegatng that power to military com
manders at discretion; and both these proposition
" claim a respect equal to that which is felt for tn
additional statement In the same paper, that IL
proper in order to execute the laws. We ma
cd well rejoice that have forever severed our
M nection with government that has trampled Of
b all principles of constitutional liberty, and with
people in whose presence such avowals could b
"A made.
i'll The operations in the field will be greatly eI
tended by reason of the policy which heretofor
was secretly entertained, but now avOwed and act
n. ee upon by the United States. The forces hitl
erto raised have proved ample for the defense
om the seven States which originally organized Oh
Confederate States. With the exception of III
his fortified islands, whose defense is efficiently ale
IN cd by preponderating naval force, the eneu
Nv has been driven completely out of these State
Now, at the end OF five months from the form
cry ton OF the government not single hostile fo
presses their soil The force, however, must h.
it'll cessary prove inadequate to repe the invasion
900 men, now proposed to be raised by Of
enemy.