Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-03-28

the tender Point il 10 regard to this res
oIttion. H wishef to strike out 50
mach - quires ~1ether there is any
Of Ter moIive or reopon FOR holding on to
~ fort in ~ sltsded< States, Except
Tortugas and Key West,) and recaPtur-
ing the others, than purpose to reduce
those States into subsection to our laws
and our authority. We certainly can.
not justify the holding Of forts there,
much less the recapturing of those that
have been taken, unless We intend TO re-
duce those States themselves into sub
lection. / take it TOT granted no man
will deny the proposition that whoever
permanently holds Charleston and South
Carolina is entitled to the possession OF
Fort sumter. Whoever permanently
holds Pensacola and Florida is entitled to
the possession Of Fort Pickens. Whoever
holds the States in whose limits those
forts are placed is entitled to the forts
themselves, unless there is something
peculiar in the location of some partic-
ular fort that makes it important for
MS to hold it for the general defense OF
the whole country, its commerce and
interests, instead OF being useful only for
the defense Of particular city or local
ity.
1t is true that Fort Taylor and Jefferson
at Key West and 1ortugas, are so situa.
ted as to be essentially national, and
therefore important to US without refer
ence to our relations with the seeded
States. Not so with Moultrie, Johnson,
Castle Prnckney and Sumter, in Charles
ton harbor not SO with Pulaski, on the
Savannah river not SO with Morgan,
and other forts in Alabame; not SO with
those other forts that were intended to
guard the entrance Of a particular harbor
| for local defense.
Mr.. Doolttle-W;ll the Senator allow
me to ask a question! How is it with
the forts at the mouth of the Mississippi
| river!
Mr.. Douglas-Well, sir, will say
that those do not form an exception to
my rem ark, for the reason we have no
use for the forts at the mouth of the
Mississippi river, if we allow the South
ern Coniederacy to hold the State OF
Louisiana and command both sides of
the river The forts at the mouth of the
Mississippi are very essential to US, if we
intend to conquer and reduce her peo-
pIe into subsection to our laws; but if
We are going to give up SO much OF the
river as lies within Louisiana; il VIE are
going to allow Louisiana to exercise &C.
tual jurisdiction, what use is fort to us,
unless We redncc the State to obedience,
ard reduce all conflicting authority (!
Hence | desire to know, whether the
object Of retaking these forts is TO use
them as a starting-point in an invasion
| for the conquest of the States in which
they are situated! 1t is idle to evade
the question, or attempt to cvade 1t. 1t
IS no longer a question OF enforcement
of the laws, or of collection Of revenue,
or of taking care of public property !;
the question is, whether we are going
to reduce the Southern Coniedcraoy by
military force into subsection to our laws!
If so, presume Senators are convinced,
by this time, that that means war. We
cannot deny that there is Southern
Confedelacy, dc tdctO, in existence, with
it's capital at Montgomery. We may
regret it. regret it most profoundly ;
bnt cannot deny the truth Of the fact,
painful, notifying as it is.
MIR. Clsrk-Will the Senator allow me
now to ask him question at this point!
Mr.. Douglas-I shall not, for this
reason; see there IS an attempt on that
side OF the House to catechise me, and
not allow themselves to be interrogated
If they now will allow me to put qnes-
tions to them, and will furnish frank
answers, will invite every one Of them
to nterrogatc NE; but if you will meet
in caucus, and resolve to be silent, and
prevent every body else from talking,
SO lar as you can, and, it you cannot
prevent them, remain silent yourselves,
for tear that, inasmuch as you are divid-
ed into compromising and uncomprom-
ising Republicans, into war and peace
Republicans if one side speaks, the
other will be compelled TO speak in self
defence, and therefore you will be silent
yourselves while you catechsc me in re-
spect to my opinions. (Laughter.)
am willing to have free interchange
Of opinion, but l want reciprocity; aud
it is more important to get at the policy
the majority are going to pursue, than
it is to know what the minority are going
to do.
Mr.. Fessenden-W Will the Senator al
low me to ask him one question just
there and that is, whether, in what he
has just stated, he means to intimate
that anything of that sort had been
done, or was contemplated to be done,
on this side Of the chamber; meeting in
caucus and resolving to be silent, and all
that! Does he mean to intimate that,
or is it his mere Imagination
Mr.. Douglas-I do net mean to init
mate anything, and did not but will
state very frankly that have heard the
report, and heard the time and place Of
the caucus mentioned so often that be-
leved it, and believe it yet, unless the
Senator gives an unequivocal denial.
Mr.. Fessenden-I will only tell the
Senator that there is not a word Of truth
in it from beginning to end.
MIR. Douglas-1 am glad TO hear it !;
but the report came from your side Of
the House.
Mr.. Fessenden-I do not know where
it came from.