The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-08-24
WHOLE NUtERERa !


stead Of being useful only for the defense
ola particular city or locality.
1t Is true that Forts Taylor and JetIer'
srn, ut Kew West and Turtugas, are So
situated NJ to he essentially national, ana
therefore important 10 us without refer
rrcnce To our relations with the seeded
States. Not so with Moultric, Johnson,
Castle Pinckney, and Sumter, in Charles
ton harbor; not so with Pulaski, on the
Savannah River; not So with Morgan
aud other forts in Alabama; not SO Win
those other forts that were intended TO
guard the entrance Of particular harbor,
for local defense.
Mr.. Doolitt.e the Senator allow
me to ask question: How is it with
the forts at the mouth Of the Mississippi
river?
Mr. Douglas-Wcll, sir; will say that
those forts do not form an exception TO
nv remark, for this reason: we have no
use for the forts ut the mouth OF the Mis-
si>sippi river, if we allow the Southern
Confectionery to hold the State of Loui>i-
ana and command both sides Of the river.
The forts ut the mouth of the Mississippi
arc very essential to us, If we intend T."
conquer and reduce her people into sub
lection 10 our laws; but if we are going
To give up so much Of the river ns lies
within louisiana; il we are going to al
low Louisiana to exercise actual juris'llc-
ton, what use is fort to Us, unless we
reduce the State to obedience, and re
move all conflicting nuthorityP Hence. ]
desire TO know, whether tho object OF
retaking these forts is to be used as n
>tarting.point in an invasion for the con
quest Of the Stats in which they are sit
uatedg 1T is idle to evadc this question,
or attempt to evahe it. 1t is no longer n
question Of enforcement Of the laws, or
Of collection Of revenue, or Of taking care
Of public property; the question Is, whe-
thcr we are going 10 reduce the Southern
Confcdcracy by military force into sub
lection TO our laws! Ii so. presume
Senators are convinced, by this time, that
that means war. We cannot deny that
there is Southern Confcderncy, de .fctcto,
in existence, with its capitol at Montgom
cry. We may regret it. | regret it
most profoundly; but | cannot deny the
truth Of the fact, painful, notifying as
its is.
Mr.. Clark-Will the Senator allow me
to ask him one question ut this pointp
Mr.. Donglas--l shall not; and for this
reason see there Is nm attempt on that
side Of the House to catechise me, and
not allow themselves to he Intercepted.
If they will allow me to put questions to
them, and will furnish frank answers,
will invite every one of them to interrO-
gate me; but If you will meet in caucus,
and resolve to be silent, aud prevent eve.
rybody else from talking, so far as you
can, and, If you cannot prevent them, re-
main silent yourselves, for fear that, in
aSmuch Hs you are divided into compro.
missing and uncompromiSing Republicans,
into Union and disunion Republicans, in
to war aud peace Republicans; if one
side speaks, the other will be compelled
to speak in self defense, and therefore you
will keep silent yourselves while You cat.
cchisc me in respect to my opinions.
nm willing to have free interchange al
opinion, but want reciprocity; aud il IL
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.. Fesscnden--Will the Senator allow
ne to ask one question just there; and
that is, whether, in what he has Just sta
ted he means to intimate that anything OF
that sort had been done, or was contem.
plated to be done, on this side Of the
Chamber; meeting in caucus and resolv.
ing to be silent, aud all thatp Does he
mean to intimate TINT, or is it hia mere
imagination
Mr. Donglas-I do not mean tn init.
mate anything, and did not but I will
state very frankly that ! have heard the
report, and heard the time and place Of
the caucus mentioned go often that | be.
lievcd 1t, and believe it yet, unless the
Senator gives an unrquivocal denial.
Mr. FeSsenden-I will only tell the Sen.
ator that there is not word Of truth in
it from beginning to end.
Mr.. Douglas-I am glad to hear it; hui
the report came from your side of the
House.
Mr.. Fcssenden-I do not know where
it came from.
Mr.. Doug'as-At my rate, there IL n
very ominouS silence over there-a silence
when the country may DO wrecked on q
miSapprehenSion as to the policy Of the
Administration. Now. sir, repeat, that
desire to know from the Administration
whether they mean peace or war whether
they mean 10 ask for military force ade.
1uate not only to hold the forts they have
got, but to re.capture those thut have been
lost and to reduce TO subsection aud obc-
dience all the people Of all the States who
have claimed, or shall claim, the right to
Scccde; for it is folly to talk about thu
forts, unless we are going To do the other
thing. 1t is morally wrong to collect rev.
enue from people that you do mot pro
tcct. II You compel people to yield ODE.
dience tn your laws, You must give them
the protection Of tho laws. Hrnce tn,
simple question is, whether, by military
power by the army, the navy, and the
militia, we are going to suhjugate those
seeded States and hold them by military
force in obedience to our laws until they
so far change their nclinations as to obey
them voluntarily? If this be the policy
desire to know, and the country will de-
mand to know, how large an army it viii
take. RumOr says that estimates arc al
ready made on that subject. should
like to know whether those rumors are
correct. should like to have that cSti
mate before the country. I should like
to know whether or not, in the estimation
of the highest military authority in Amer
lea, it would require thirty five thousand
men to protect the capital, and two hun
bred and fifty thousand for field opera
tons, in order to reduce those States Il
obedience to our law and our authority
Gentlemen may laugh and talk in theil
seats about letter writer's. saw them
laugh the other day, when I told them
that while Fort Sumpter could have been
relieved and reinforced a few weeks agC
with single ship Of war, now It could
not be done by your navy, unless you had
ten thousand land troops. When severa
of you rushed off to the commanding gen