Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-07-10

tempted, unless themselves, by resisting so
much, should provoke more. They knew that
this Government desired to keep the garrison
in the fort; not to asSail them, but to merely
maintain visible possession, and thus to pre-
serve the Union from actual and immediate
dissolution, trusting, as hereinbefore stated
to time, discussion aud the ballot box, for a
final adjustment, and they assailed and re-
duced the Fort for precisely the reverse OBJ
Ject, to drive out the visible authority of the
Federal Union, and thus force it to an imme-
date dissolution. That this was their object
the Executive we'll understood. And having
said to them in the inaugural address-you
| can have no conflict without being yourselves
| the aggressors-he took pains not only to
| keep this declaration good, but also keep the
case so free from the power OF ingenious soph-
| lstry as that the world should not be able to
misunderstood it. By the affair at Fort Sum
| ter, with its surrounding circumstances, that
| point was reached. Then, and thereby the as
| sailants of the Government began the conflict
OF arms without gun in sight or in expec-
fancy to return their fire, save only the few in
| fort, sent TO that harbor years before for their
| own protection, aud still ready to give that
protection in whatever was lawful. In this
act, discarding all else, they have forced upon
! the country the distinct isSue-immediate dis
| solution blood-and this issue embraces
more than the fate of these United States; it
presents to the whole family of man, the ques-
| tioH WHetucr CONSTITUTIONAL hepuDnC OF
| Democracy, government of the people by
the same people can or cannot maintain its
| territorial integrity against its own domestic
| foes. 1t presents the question, whether dis
contented individuals, too few in numbers to
control the Administration according to or
| ganic law in any case, can always, upon the
| pretences made in this case or on any other
pretenses or arbitrarily without any pretense,
break up their government and thus practical
| ly put an end to free governments upon the
| EARTH 1t forces US to ask, is there in all re-
| publics this inherent and fatal weakness
| Must Government of a necessity be too
| strong for the liberties of its own people, or
| too weak to maintain its own existence So
viewing the issue, choice left but to
call out the war power of the Government,
| and so to resist the force employed for its
destruction, by force for its preservation.
The call was made, and the response of the
country was most gratifying, surprising in u
| nanimity and spirit the most sanguine eXpecta-
tion. Yet none of the States commonly called
Slave States, except Delaware, gave a regiment
| through regular State organization. A few
| regiments have been organized within some
| others of those States by individual enterprise,
| and received into the government service. Of
course the seeded States, SO called, and to
which Texas had been joined about the time
| of the Inauguration, gave no troops to the
| cause of the Union. The border States, so
| called were not uniform in their action, some
| of them being almost for the Union, while in
| others, such as Virginia, North Carolina, Ten
nessee and Arkansas, the Union sentiment was
| nearly repreSsed and silenced. The course
| taken in Virginia was the most remarkable,
perhaps the most important. A convention,
| elected by the people of that State, to consid-
| er this very question of disruptng the FEEDER
| al Union, was in session at the Capitol of Vir-
| ginia when Ft. Sumter fell. To this body the
| people had chosen large majority of profess
| sed Union men. Soon after the fall of Sum-
| ter, many members of that majority went over
| to the original disunion minority, and with
them adopted an ordinance for withdrawing
| the State from the Union. Whether this
change was wrought by their great approval of
| the assault upon Sumter, or their great resent
| ment at the Governments resistance to that
| assault, is not definitely known although they
| submitted the ordinance for ratification to a
vote of the people, to be taken on day then
somewhat more than month distant. The
| Convention and the Legislature, which
| also in session at the same time and place, with
leading men of the State not members of eth
| er, Immediately commenced acting if the
State was already out of the Union. They
pushed military preparations vigorously for
ward, all over the State they seized the Uni
ted States Armory at Harper's Ferry, and the
| Navy Yard at Gosport, near Norfolk they re-
ceived, perhaps invited, into their State large
| bodies of troops, with their warlike appoint
ments, from the so-called seeded States !;
they formally entered into treaty of tempo
rary alliance and cooperation with the So
called Confederate States, and sent members
to their Congress at Montgomery and finally
they permitted the insurrectionary govern
ment to be transferred to their capital at Rich
mond.
The people of Virginia have thus allowed
this giant insurrection to make its nest with
in her borders, and this government has no
choice left but to deal with it where it finds
it; and it has the less regret as the loyal citi-
Zens have in due form claimed its protection.
Those loyal citizens this government is bound
to recognize and protect, as being in Virginia.
In the border States, so called, in fact the
| middle States, there those who favor
policy which they call an armed neutrality
that is, an arming of those States to prevent
the Union forces passing one way or the dis
union the other, over their soil. This would
be disunion completed; fguratvely speaking,
it would be the building of an impossible wall
along the line of separation, and yet not quite
an impossible one, for, under the guise of
neutrality, it would tie the hands of the u
MON men and freely pass supplies from among
them to the insurrectionists, which it could
not do as an open enemy. At a stroke, it
would take all the trouble off the hands of Sc
cession, except only what proceeds from the
external blockage. 1t would do for the dis
unlonlsts that which of all things they most
desire-feed them well and give them disunion
without struggle OF their own. 1t recogni-
zes no fidelity to the Constitution, no obliga-
tion to maintain the Union. and while very
many who have favored it are doubtless loyal,
it is, nevertheless, very injurious in effect
| Recurring to the action of the Government, it
may be stated that at first call was made for
5000 militia, and rapidly following this,
proclamation was issued for closing the ports
of the insurrectionary districts, by proceed
ings in the nature of a blockade. So far all
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