Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-07-11

case, and always upon the pretenses made IN
this case, on any other pretenses, or arbtlari-
ly without any pretcnse, break up their Govern
ment and thus practically put an end to Tree
government upon the earth. Ii forces us to ask
Is there in all Republics this inherent and fatal
weakness2 Must government OF necessity be
too strong for the liberties of its own people, or
too weak TO maintain its own existenccl
So viewing the issue, no choice was lett but
to call out the war power Of the Government
and 10 TO resist the force employed for lis de-
struction by force for its preservation. The call
was made. and the response OF the country was
most gratifying. surprising in unanimity and
spirit the most sanguine expectations. Yet none
Of the States commonly called the Slave States,
except Delaware, gave regiment through their
regular State organization. A few regiments
have been organized within some others of those
States, by individual enterprise, and received
into the Government service. Of course the
seeded States, so called, and to which Texas
had been Joined about the time of the naugura-
ton, gave no troops to the cause of the Union
The Border States, 50 called, were not uniform
IN their action; some of them being almost for
the Union while in others, rs in Virginia,
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas the
Union sentiment was nearly rcprrssed aud ST.
lenced. The course taken in Virginia was the
most remarkable. perhaps the most important.
conventions elected by the people of that
State to consider this very question of disrupt
ing he Federal Union was in session n, the
capital of Virginia when Fort Sumter fell. To
this body the people had chosen large majori-
" of prolessed Union men. Almost jmmodi-
ncy after the fall of Sumter, many members of
that majority went over TO the original diSunion
mino iy, and with them adopted an ordinance
for Withdrawing the State from the Union
Whether this change was wrought by their gem
cral approval Of the assault, upon Sumter, or
their great resentment Mt the Governments re-
sslance to that assault, is not definitely known.
Although they submitted the ordinance for the
ratification to n vote of the people TO be taken
on day then somewhat more than Il month
| distant, the Convention and the Legislature,
which was also in session at the same time and
place, with the leading men Of the State, not
| members of either. Immediately commenced
acting rs if the State were already out of the
| Union.
The people of Virginia have thus allowed this
great instruction to make its nest within her
borders and this Government hiss no choice left
but to deal with il where it finds it; and it has
the less regret, as The loyal citizens have in due
form claimed its protection. Those loyal citi-
zcns this Government is bound to recognize, to
protect.
They pushed military preparations vigor-
ousy forward all over the State; they seized
the u S. Armory at Harper's Ferry and the
Navy Yard at Gosport near Norfolk they re-
ccivcd, perhaps invited, into their State large
bodies Of troops, with their warllke appoint
men,s, from the so-callcd seeded States: they
formally entered into treaty of temporary al
| lance and confederation with the so-callcd
Confederate States. and sent members to their
Congress at Montgomery and finally. they per-
mtted the insurrectonary Government to be
transferred to their capital at Richmond.
In the Border States. so-called, in TACT the
Middle States, there are those who favor n pol
icy which they call armed neuiraity-that is
an arming OF those States TO prevent the Union
forces passing one way. or the Dlsnnlon forces
the other, over their soil This would be dis
union completed. Figurativcly speaking, il
would be the building of an impossible wall
along the line of separation, and yet not quite
an impossible one; for, under the guise o
neutrality, il would tie the hands of the Union
men, and freely pass supplies from among them
to the insuTcctionists, which could not do Il,
an open enemy.
Al n stroke it would take all the trouble of
n hands of the srcossonsss. except only what
proceeds from the external blockade. 1t would
do for the dsunionisis that which of all thing
they most d,sire-fred them we'll. and give
them disunion without a struggle Of their own
| 1t recognizes no fidelity TO the Constitution, no
obligation to maintain the Union, and while
| very many who have favored il are doubtless
loyal it is nevertheless very injurious in effect.
| Recurring to the action of the Government,
| il may be stated that first q call was made for
$4,000 militia; and rapidly following this, n
proclamation was issued for closing the ports of
| ihe insurrcciionary districts by proceedings in
| the nature of blockade. So far, all was be-
| lievcd TO he strictly legal.
AT this point the insurrectionist announced
their purpose enter upon the practice OF priyi-
icering.
Other calls were made for volunteers, TO
Il,
also for large additions to the regular arm and
navy. These measures. whether strictly legal
OF not, were yentured upon under what appear
ed 10 be popular demand and public neces-
sity; trusting then, as now, tha, Congress would
readily them. 1t is believed that nothing has
been done beyond the constitutional compe-
lencv of Congress.
Soon after the call for militia, it was con
sidered duty to authorize tho commadint
| General, in proper cases, according to his dis
crction, to suspend the privilege of the writ
of habeas Corpus, or, in other words to ares
and dctain without resort to the ordinary pro
cess and forms of law, such individuals as III
might deem dangerous Ia the public safety -
| This authority has purposely been exercised
but very sparingly. Nevertheless, the legal
ity and proprioty of what has been done unde
il are questioned, and the attention of tn,
country has been called to the proposition
that the one who is sworn to take care tina
| the laws bo faithfully executed shall not him
selfviolate them. Ofconrse, some considera-
ton was given to the questions of power ant
propriety before this matter was acted upon
The whole of the laws which were required tC
be faithfully executed now being resisted, an,
failing of execution IN nearly oue-thrd of til,
Sia'ei. Must they | 0 allowed to finally fail q
of execution, even had it been perfectly clea
| that by the nse of the means necessary tt