Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-04-23

paper to the President. who cons;des rara-s sTIs
in the views it expresses. and sanctions fha Sec.
retaryss decision declining official ;ntsre,,.s ;s
Messrs. Forsyth and Crawford - -
APRn. 8, 1S6l.-The foregoing memorandnrn 10.
fled in this department On the 18th March Iast a
delivery of the same however, to Messrs. ForsvtI,
and Crawford was delsyea. as was understOod with
their consent They have now, through their acc. |
retary, communicated their desire for dcfinisiye
disposition of the subject. The Secretary Of State
therefore directs that duly verified copy Of the
paper be now delivered. ~.
A true copy of the original, delivered to me by
Mr.. F. W Seward Assistant Secretary Of State Of
the United States on April g. 1861, at 2-l5 ?. NJ in
''lua Attest. st's''ps 1T. PICKETT.
Seen etsry to the Commissioners.
TIE COMMISSIONERS N REPLY TO Mr. SEWARD, ACcus-
NG THE GOVERNMENT OF DECEPTION, AND ACCEPTING
A SOLUTION BIZ THE SWORD.
WAsHNGroS, April Q, 1861.
Hon. VIM. II. Seward Secretary of State, of the
United States, Washington:-The memorandum
dated Department of State, Washington, March 10.
1861, with postscript under date Of 9Th instant has
been received through the hands Of Mr.. j. 7. Pick
ett, secretary to this commission who, by the in
structons of the undersigned called for it on yes
terday at the department.
In that memorandum you correctly state the
purport Of the official note addressed to you by the
undersigned on the 18th ult. Without repeating
the contents Of that in full il is enough to say
here that its object invite the government Of
the United States to friendly consideration of the
relations between the United States and the seven
States lately Of the Federal Union, but now sepa-
rated from it by the sovereign will of their people,
growing out of the pergnant and undeniabe fact
that those people have rejected the authority of the
United States and established government of their
own. Those relations had to be friendly hostile.
The people OF the old an new governments, occu-
pying contiguous territories had to stand to each
other in the relation of good neghbors each seek
ing their happiness and pursuing their national des
TIMES in their way without inference with tie
other they had to be rival and hostile nations The
government of the Confederate States had no hesi-
tation electing its choice in this alternative.
Frankly and unreservedly seeking the good Of the
people who had entrusted them with power, in the
spirit Of humanity, of the Christian civilization of
the age and of that Americansm which regards the
true welfare and happiness of tho people, the gov
ernment of the Confederate States among its first
acts commissioned the undersigned TO approach the
government of the United States the olive branch
of peace and to offer TO adjust the great questions
pending between them in the only way to be justi-
fed by the consciences and common sense of good
men who had nothing but the welfare of the peo-
pie Of the two confederacies at heart.
Your Government has not chosen to meet the I'M
dersigned IN the concatory and peaceful spirit in
which they are commissioned. Persistently wedd-
ed to those fatal theories Of construction OF the
Federal Constitution always rejected by the states
men of the South, and adhered to by those OF the
Administration school,, until they have produced
struetion of the Union, under which we might have
continued to veshappiy andgloriously together had
the spirit Of the ancestry who framed the common
Constitution animated the hearts of all their sons
you, now, with persistence untaught and uncured
by the ruin which has been wrought. refuse to
cognize the great fact presented to you OF com-
pleted and successful revolution; you close your
eyes TO the existence of the Government founded
upon il, and ignore the high duties of moderation
and humanity which attach to you In dealing with
this great fact. Had you met these issues with the
frankness and manness with which the undersign>
ed instructed to present them to you and treat
them, the undersigned had not now the melancholy
duty TO return home and tell their Government and
their countrymen that their earnest and eeaseess
efforts in behalf of peace had been futile, and that
the Government of the United States meant to sub
jugste them by force of arms.
Whatever may be the result. impartial history
will record the innocence of the government Of the
Confederate States. and place the responsibility of
the blood and mourning that may ensue upon those
who have denied the great fundamental doctrine of
American liberty, that governments derive their
Just powers from the consent of the governed"
and who have set naval and land ornaments IN mo-
ton to subject the people of portion of this
land TO the will of another portion. That can never
be done while freeman survives in the Confeder-
ate States TO WELD a weapon, the undersigned ap-
peal to past history to prove. These military de-
monstratons against the people of the seeded
States certainly far from beng in keeping and
| consistency with the theory of the Secretary Of
1 SLate, maintained IN MS IudE Iuese
States still component parts of the late Ameri
can Union, the undersigned are not aware of any
constitutional power in the President of the United
States to levy war without the consent of Congress-
upon foreign people. much less upon any portion
of the people OF the United States.
The undersigned, like the Secretary of State.
have no purpose to Invite engage in discussion"
of the subject which their two governments are
so irreconciably at variance. 1t is this variance
that has broken up the old Union the dsintegraton
Of which haSo onlv II ia or however n
advise you that it well to dismiss the hopes
you seem toeRtertaIn that by any of the modes in
dicated, the people of the Confederate States will
ever be brought to submit to the authority Of the
Government of the United States. You are dealing
with delusions. too when you seek to separate our
people from our government and to characterize
the deliberate, sovereign act of the people per
version of temporary and partisan excitement
If you cherish these dreams you Will be awakened
from them and find them as unreal .and unsubstan
tal as others in which you have recently induged
The undersigned would omit the performance OF an
obvious duty were they to fail to make known %
the Government of the United States that the pee-
pie of the Confederate States have declared their
| independence with full knowledge of all the re-
| sponsties of that act, and with firm determi-
nation to maintain it by all the means with which
nature has endowed them as that which sustained
their fathers when they threw of the authority OF
| the British crown.
The undersigned clearly understand that you have
declined to appoint day TO enable them to lay the
objects of the mission with which they are ehary
ed before the President of the United States, be-
cause so TO do would be to recognize the Indepen-
4 deuce and separate nationality of the Confederate
States This is the vein of thought that Iervades
| the memorandum before The truth of history
requires that it should distinctly appear upon the
record that the undersigned did not ask the govern
ent of the United States to recognize the indePen-
| dence of the Confederate States They only asked
audience to adjust in a srirt of amity and peace,
the new relations sprngiDy from manifest ana ac
compshed revolution in the government OF tne la'e
federal Union. Your refusal TO entertain tnese over
lures for peaceful solution, the active naval and
military preparations of this governments and Tor
| NAL notice to the commanding general OF tne Ooh-
federate forces the harbor OF ChariestOn 4hL Ihe
President intends provision Fort sumter oy forcl
/ BILE means if necessary are viewed by the under
signed and can only be received oy tne world as a
declaration of against the confederate Slatesi
for the President of the United States knows that
Fort Sumter cannot be provisioned without the ef-
fuson of blood The undersigned, in behalf of their
government and people, accept the gage OF battle thus
| thrown down to them; and, appealing to God and
| the Judgment of mankind for the righteousness of
their cause the people CT the Confederate States
will defend their liberties to the last against this ma
grant and open attempt ct their sublugation TO Sec
| tional power.
The communication cannot be properly closed
without adyerting to the date OF your memorandum.
| The official note of the undersigned, of the 18th
March was delivered TO the Assistant Secretary of
State on the 18th OF that month, the gentleman who
delivered it informing him that the Secretary Of the
Commssion would call at twelve o'clock, noon, on
the next day, for an answer. Atthe appointed hour
| Mr. Pickett did call, and was informed by the As
sstant Secretary Of State that the engagements Of
the Secretary of State had prevented him from Civ
ing the note his attention The Assistant Secretary
of State then asked for the address of MeSsqs Craw
ford and Forsyth, the members of the Commission
then present in this CITY, took note Of the address
a card, and engaged to send whatever reply might
made to their lodgings Why this not done it is
proper should be here explained. The memoran-
dunn dated March 10, and was not delivered until
April s. Why was it withheld during the interven-
l-ing twentythree days? IN the postscript to your
memorandum you say it "was delivered, as was un-
derstood, with their (Messrs Forsyth and Craw-
ford's) consent"
This is true; but it is also true that on the 10th
Of March Messrs. Forsyth and Crawford were
assured by person occupying ngn omci1i
position in the government. and who, as they oehes
ed, was speaking by authority, that Fort sumter
would be evacuated within very few DAYS, -nu