Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1861-01-16


ter they may come, By such means rs | mt
possess fur this purpose, do not pcrcci,
how such defence can be construed into
menace against the city of Charleston.
With great personal regard, Ircnain yours
very respectfully,
JAMES BUCHANAN.
10 Ho"orablc Robert w. Barnwe!l, James
II. Adams, James L. Orr.
WAslIISGToN, d. c., Jan. l, 1861.
Sr:-We have the hon n to Acknowledge
the receipt of your letter Of the 3Oth Dccem-
Der, in reply To noie atl lressel BY us 10 you
on the 2Sth Of the same moath, As Commis-
sioncrs from South Carolina.
In reference to the declaration with which
your reply commences, that your "postion
rs President Of the United States was clearly
defined in the Message to Congress on the
Sd instant;'' that you possess "no power to
change the relations heretofore existing" be-
tween Son;h Caro- ina and the States, "much
less to acknowledge tie independence Of that
State" and that consequently You Guild meet
Us only as private gentlemen Of the highest
cAT i ac;c. t :t al, al 2';:Ic ILL, >; c.,.
municatc TO Congress any proposition We
might have to make" we deem it only neces-
sarv to say that the State Of Smth Carolina
having, in the exercise of that great ris gut uf
self government whic!! ultlrries all our pot-
ica organizations, declared herself sovereign
and independent, we, as her representatives
felt no special sulicitule aS to the character
in which you might recognize us.
Satisfied that the State had simply exercised
her unqut stionable right, we were prepared.
in order to reach substantial good, to waive
!hc formal considerations which your cnnSti.
tutonal scrupes might have prevented you
trum extending. We came here, therefore,
expecting to be received as You did receive
us, and perfectly content with that entire viii
lingnesS of which YOU assured III, to submit
ANY proposition to Congress. which we might
have to make upon the subject of the indie
pendencc OF the State. That willingness WAS
ample recognition Of the Condition of public
alfai $ which rendrlc:l our presence necessary.
In this position. however, il is our dutv, both
to the State which we represent and 10 our.
s.lves, to correct several important miscon.
ccptiuns Of our letter, int which you have
fallen.
You say 1T was my carnes desire that
such disposition should he made Of the
whole subjcc. by Congress, who alone possess
the power, to prevent tie inauguration uf Il
civil war bctween The parties in regard to the
possession of the Federal itrls in the harbnr
of Charleston, and lhrr Gore, deeply regret
that, in your opinion, "thr events of the last
twenty.lour hours render this impossible We
expressed! no such opinn, aud the language
which you quote rs ours il ALTERED in its sense
by the omission "f most important part of
the sentence. What We did say was: "But
the events Of the last twrnty-tour hours rem
der such an assurance impossible" Place
that "aSsurance' as contained in our letter in
the >cntence, and we are prepared to re-
peat it.
Again, protesting to quote our langage,
YOU say: Thus. the authorities of South
Caroliua, without wairing or asking for any
explanation. and, doubtless believing, as you
have expressed it, that the officer had acted
no, only without, but against my orders," &c.
We expressed no such opinion in reference to
the belief Of the people Of South Carolina.
The language which you have quoted was
applied sulcly and entirely to on assurances,
Obtained here, and based, as you we! know,
upon Your own declaration, q declaration
which, ut that time it WAS impossible for the
authorities OF South Carolina TO have known.
But, without following this letter into all its
details, we propose only to meet the chief
points of OF TIE argument.
Some weeks ago. the State of South Caro-.
lima declared her intention, in the existing
condition Of public affairs, 10 secedc from the
United States. She called n Convention OF
her people to put her declaration in force.
The Convention met aud passed the Ordinance
of Secession. All this you anticipated, and
your course Of action was thoroughly consd.
cred. In your annual Message you declared
you had no right and would not attempt to
coerce seeding State, but that you were
bound by your constitutional oath, and would
defend the property of the United States
within the borders of South Carolina, II an
attempt was made to take it by force.
Seeing very early that this question Of p,o-
pcrty was difficult and delicate one, You
manifested desire to settle it without coils.
ion. You did not reinforce the garrison in
the harbor of Charleston. You removed
distinguished aud veteran officer from the
command of Fort Moultric because he at
tempted to increase his supply of ammunition.
You refused to send additional troops tc the
same garrison, when applied for by the officer
appointed to succeed him. You accepted the
resignation of the oldest and most eminent
member of your Cabinet, rather than allow
the garrison to be strengthened. You som-
PEELED an officer stationed at Fort Sumter to
return Immediately to the Arsenal fortymus.
kcts, which he had taken to arm hismen.
You expressed, not to one. but to many of
the most distinguished Of our public cfarac-
tcrs, whose testimony will he placed upon the
record, whenever it is necessary, Your ankle.
ty for Il peaceful termination of this co,tro-
yersy, aud your willingness not to disturb the