Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-07-06
sYSoPas OF THE pRESIpENT,S MESsaGE.


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SYN0PSIS OF THE PRESIDENT'S MENACE
It says, at the beginning of the present
Administration the Federal Government was
found in several States except the postal
functions aud the National property. except
Forts Pickles. Taylor, Jefferson and Sumter
bad been seized and put in offensive position
Other forts were built, armies organized and
being organized. avowedly hostile. The Fed
eral forts In these States were besleged or
menaced- A disproportionate amount of
arms and munitions had, somehow, made
their way into the rebellious States. Accu-
mutations of National revenues within the
rebel borders bad been seized. The Federal
Navy was scattered. Federal army and navy
officers bad resigned in great numbers. Or
dlnanees, declaring separation, had passed;
and these States, under the title of Confede.
rates. were applying to foreign powers for
recognition aud assistance. The incoming
Administration believed it to be its impera-
tive duty to prevent the threatened dismem-
berment. The Indispensable policy chosen
Was indicated in the Inaugural Address; be-
ing the exhaustion of all peaceful measures
before resort to coercion-the Government
seeking only to hold its public places and
property unwrested, and the collection of its
revenue, relying upon time, discussion and
the ballot-box for the rest, promising in the
meantime, continuance of mails. Every
thing was forborne compatible with keeping
the Government on foot
On the 4th of March letter was received
from Major Anderson, in command at Fort
Sumter, stating that the place could not be
held After consultation, Gen. Scott coin-
cided that the force at the disposal of the
Government was not adequate for the Sumter
relief without immediate victualling. The
administrations duty was reduced to safe
withdrawal of the garrison. It was believed
however that the abandonment of Sumter
would be utterly ruinous, that the action
would be misunderstood, discouraging the
friends of the Union, emboldeuing the enemy
and encouraging the recognition of the Con-
federates abroad; in fact that it would be
National obstruction. This course was uEal-
terable. Previous to Sumter'S starvation
Pickens might be reinforced, indicating the
policy of the Administration, and preparing
the public mind for Sumter's evacuation as a
military necessity. Orders were immediate
ly issued for the reinforcem of Fort Pick
ems Orders impossible by land were sent
by sea. The first return to the order was re-
ceived a week before Sumter's fall.
The Brooklyn, under Buchanan's quasi ar
mistice, refused to land troops to reinforce
Pickens. Before the crisis could be reached at
Sumter to prevent Sumter's evacuation, and
before the reinforcement OF Pickens, the Gov
ernment planned an expedition to>victual
Sumter, to be used or not as circumstances
might require. Contingencies required the
of the plan, and Gov. Plckens
was notified that if the victualling was unre-
sisted, no attempts would be made to throw
in men, arms, or munitions, without notice.
The fort was taken without waiting the ar
rival of the victualling expedition; thus the
attack on Sumter was in no sense in self de-
fence. The ASSISTANTS knew that in no event
could Sumter be mischievious, and were no.
titled that the feeding of hungry men was the
only object, aud that the Government only
wished to maintain nominal possession of the
fort, thus preserving the Union from disrup-
ton, aud trusting to time, discussion and the
ballot-box for final adjustment. The fort
was assailed with the obi ct to drive out WIS.,
ible Federal authority, forcing an immediate
dissolution.
This the Executive understood, and having
in the inaugural said, "You can have no con-
ct without being yourselves the aggres-
sors," Lincoln took pains to keep this decla-
ration good in the circumstances surrounding
The Sumter affair. Then and there the Con- |
federates began the conflict. They have
forced upon the country destructive issue
Of immediate dissolution or blood. Embra-
cling more than the fate of the Union, it solves |
the question whether Peoples Government
IAN maintain the integrity of its territory
gainst domestic foes, whether individuals too
ew to control the Administration by organic |
aw, can break up the Government, thus
ending free Government on the earth. 1t
orces this question, must the Government be |
90 strong for the peoples liberty, or too
weak to maintain its own existence? No
,hoice was left but to call out the war power
IF the Government to resist the force employ
ID for its destruction. The response to the
,all surpassed the most sanguine expectations
Delaware alone, however, of the slave States,
a few slave States reg iments have
been raised by individual enterprise, and &C
,epted. The border States were not uniform
n action. The course taken by Virginia was
he most remarkable and important. The
Convention to consider this question in ses-
ion when Sumter fell, with a large Union
went over, and carried the State
put of the Union, made extensive military |
seized Federal property, receiv- |
ID large bodies of Confederate troops, enter |
ID into treaty with the Confederates, sent |
to the Confederate Councils, |
md permitted the insurrectionary Govern |
nent to be transferred to Virginia's Capitol. |
Other border States favor armed neutrality; |
hat arming to prevent union aud disunion |
TOops from occupying the soil. This would |
De disunion complete; figuratively it would |
De building impossible walls along the line |
If separation; yet, under the guise of neutral |
ty, would tie the hands of the Unionists and |
eed the insurrectionists, taking all the troub- |
e from secession hands, except what arises |
rom the external blockade, and would give |
nalcontents disunion without struggle of |
heir own.
1t recognizes no fidelity to the Constitu- |
ion, no obligation to maintain the Union, |
While many loyalists favor it, it is very inju- |
'ious.
Recurring to the action of the Government |
le says, it first called out rs, 900 men, then |
proclaimed blockade. The insurrectionsts |
their determination to privateer
rhe Government called for three year troops /
md large additions to the army and navy.
Measures were ventured upon under popular |
lemand and public necessity trusting to Con-
,ressional ratification. Ii soon after consid- /
red it duty to authorize the commanding
General to suspend the writ of hr6us corpus
where the public safety required it. This
vas necessary to the execution OF the laws.
The continuance of this law made in such
xtreme tenderness of the citizens liberty
relieved more of the guilty than
he innocent. To state the question more
Lirectly, are all the laws but one to be unex-
cuted, and the Government to go to pieces
est one be violated, but it was believed that |
he suspension of the habeas corpus was not
Forhearance has been SO |
and long continued as to in
luce Foreign Nations to shape their action on |
he superstition of an early dissolution.
The Administration was concerned, but is |
low happy to state that the sovereignty of
he Union everywhere is practically respect
d. SympatbY with the Government ia man |