The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1861-01-17
To Honorable ROBERT w. BARNwEIL,
JAMES II. ADAMS, JAMES L. ORR.
WAsnINGroN, D. c., Jan. l, 1861

Su::-We have the honor to acllnowl-
edge the receipt of your letter of the 3oth
December, in reply to a note addressed
by us tc you OH the 2sth of the same
month, as Commissioners from South
Carolina.
In reference to the declaration with
which your reply commences, that your
"position as President of the United States
was clearly defined i'll the Message to Con
Congress on the Sd Instant" that you
possess 'no power to change the relations
heretofore existing" between South Caro-
lima and the States, 'much less to ac-
knowledge the independence ofthat State"
and that consequently you could meet us
only as private gentlemen of the highest
character with an entire willingness to
communicate to- Congress any proposition
we might have to make" we deem it only
necessary to say that the State Of South
Carolina having, i'll the exercise Of that
great right of selfgovernment which un-
dcrlies all our political organizations, de-
clared herself sovereign and Independent,
we, as her representatives, felt no special
solicitudc as to the character in which you
might recognize us.
Satisfied that the State had simply ex-
erciscd her unquestionable right, we were
prepared. in order to reach substantial
good, to waive the formal considerations
which your constitutional scruples might
have prevented you from extending. We
came here, therefore, expecting to be re-
ccivcd as youdid receive us, and perfectly
content with that entire willingness. of
which you assured us, to submit any pro-
position to Congress, which We might
have to make upon the subject Of the In
dependence of the State. That willing
ness was ample recognition Of the condi-
ton of the public aif:irs which rendered
our presence necessary. In this position,
however, it our is duty, both to the State
which we represent and to ourselves, to
correct several important misconceptions
of our letter, into which YOU lave fallen.
You say ''it was my earnest desire that
such disposition should be made of the
whole subject by Congress, WHO alone
possess the power, to prevent the inaugn-
ration Of civil war between the parties
in regard to the possession Of the Federal
forts in the harbor of Charleston, and l
therefore, deeply regret that, in your
opinion, 'thc events of the last twenty
four hours render this impossible" ," We
expressed no such opinion. and the lam
guage which you quote as Ours is altered
in its sense by the omission Of most I'M
portant part of the sentence. What we
did saw was "But the even. of the last
twenty-four hours render such IN assur-
ancc impossible. "Place that assurance"
as contained in our letter in the sentence,
and we are prepared to repeat it.
Again, protesting to quote our Ian
guage, you say: "Thus, the authorities of
South Carolina, without. waiting or ask
ing for any explanation, and, doubtless
believing, as you have expressed it, that
the officer had acted not only without,
but against my ORDERS" &c. We ex-
pressed no snch opinion in reference to
the bclicf,of the people Of South Carolina.
The language which you have quoted
was applied solely and entirely to o'n as
surances, obtained here, and based, as yon
well know, upon your own declaration' a
declaration which, ut that time, it was I'M
possible for the authorities Of South Caro-
lima to have known. But, without follow
inc this letter into all its details, we pro-
pose only to meet the chief points of the
argument.
Some weeks ago, the State Of South
Carolina declared her intention, i'll the eX-
isting condition Of public affairs, to secede
from the United States. She called Con-
vention of her people to put her declara-
ton in force. The Convention met and
passed the Ordnance of Secession. All
this you anticipated, and your course OF
action was thoroughly considered. In
vonr animal Message you declared you
had no right. and would not attempt to
coercc 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 Caro-
lima, if an attempt was made to take it by
force .
Seeing very early that this question of