The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-07-10

deirsd to keep the garrison in the fort. not 10
assail them, but merely to maintain visible pos
se,siou. ard thas to preserve the Union rom &C
,ual and immediate dissolution, trusting, AS
bereinbcfore stated to time, discussion ana tne
ba,lot,box for fua. adjustment. and they assault
ed and reduced the fort for precisely the reverse
ob;ect To drive out the visible authority oil the
Federal Union. and thus force it TO immediate
,,;s.,,ln,ion. That this was their object the
Erecutiye well understood, having said to them
In the inaugural address "yOu can have no con-
fcts without being yourselves the aggressors
he took pains not only to keep this declaration
good, bu, also TO keep the case 80 far from IN
genious sOphistry that the world should not
msunders,andit By the affair at Fort Sump-
ter, with its surrounding circumstances tha'
point was reached Then and there, by the as
sailants Of the government began the CONNECT
without gun in sight, or expectancy TO return
their firing. save only the few in the fort sent 70
that harbor years before for their own protec-
ton. and still ready to give that protection 10
whatever was lawful. In this act describing oil
else thew have forced upon the country the dis
tiDct issue Of immediate dissolution or blood;
and this issue embraces more than the fate oil
these United States; it presents to the whole
family of man, the question whether cOnstitu-
tional republic, or a democracy, govern
meut Of the people, by the same people,
can or cannot maintain its territorial integrity
against its own domestic foes. 1t presents the
question whether Disconnected persons, too few
in number to contro! the administration, accor-
ding to the organic law in any case, can always,
upon the pretences made in this case, or any
other pretence-, or arbitrarily without any pre-
tence, break up their government, and thus prac-
ticslly put an end to free government upon the
earth 1t forces US to ask, is there in all repub-
lies this inherent and fatal weakness? Must a
government of noooooi'- DO TOO 0t.ons fc- III"
liberties Of the people, or too weak to MAINTAIN
its own existence?
So viewing the issue, no choice was left but
to call out the war power OF the government,
and so to resist the force employed for its des-
truction by force for its preservation. The
call was made, and the response OF the country
most gratifying surprising in unanimity and
spirit the most sanguine expectations Yet
more of the States commonly called slave States
except Delaware, have offered a regiment
through the regular State organization "A few
regiments have been organized in some other oil
those States by individual enterprise and re-
ceived into public service. Of course the sece.
ded States, so called, and to which Texas has
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 tht
Union, while in others as in Virginia, NORTH
Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas, the CniOI
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 consider this very question of disrupting thi:
Union was in session at the capital Of Virgins
when Fort Sumpter fell To this body the PEG
pie had chosen a large majority of prOesseC
Union men. Almost Immediately after the
fall of Sumpter members of that majority wen
over to the original minority, and with then
adopted an ordinance for Withdrawing the State
from the Union. Whether this change Wa:
wrought by their great approval Of the assault
on Sumpter, or their great resentment at tht
governments resistance to that assault is not DIET
initely known. Although they submitted thu
ordinance for ratification to vote of the PEG
pie, to be taken ut day then somewhat mOrt
than month distant the convention and Leg
islaiure, which was also in session at the SAINT
time and place. with leading men Of the State
not members of either, Immediately commence t
acting as if the State were already out of thu
Union. They pushed military preparations
vigorously forward all over the State; the,
seized the l. ;. armory at Harpers Ferry, ant
the navy yar,i al GOsr ,rf- near Norfolk. tho,
received, perhaps invited, into their State, larg'
bodies Of troops with their warlike appoint
ments from the so called seeded States; the,
formally entered into treaty of alliance will
the SO called Confederate States, and sent mem
bers to their Congress at Montgomery, ano
finally, they permitted the insurrectiOnary gov
eminent to be transferred to their capital a
Richmond. The people of Virginia have thu
allowed this giant insurrectiOn to make its nes
within her borders, aud this government has nc
choice left but to deal with it where it finds it
and it has the less TO regret the loyal citizen.
have in due form claimed its protection. 1hOst
loyal citizens the government is bound to recog
nize and protect as being in the State Of Vir
gaia
In the border States, so called, in fact, the
middle States, there are thOs, who favor pcli
cy which they call armed neutrality, that is, al
armlng OF those States to prevent the UniOI
forces passing one way OF the disunion the 9th
er, over their soil. This would be disuniOr
completed; fguratively speaking, it would bt
building up an impossible wall along the line
Of separation. and yet not quite an impassabl,
one. Tor under the guise Of neutrality, it wonl-
tie the hands OF the Union men and freely pas
supplies from among them to the Instruction
lists, which it could not do as an open enemy
at stroke it would take all the trouble off tn,
haads OF secession, except only, what proceed
from the external blockade 1t would do fO
the disuniOnists that which Of all things they
most desire-teed them well and give them dis
union without struggle of their own. 1t rec
Ognizes no fidelity to the Constitution, no obi
cation to maintain the Union, while very many
who have favored it are doubtless loyal citizens
1t is nevertheless very injurious IN effect.
Recurring TO the action of the government
it may be stated that at first, call was made
for $4,000 militia, and rapidly following this ,
proclamation was Issued for closing the port
Ofthe insurrectionary districts by proceedings il
the nature Of blockade. So far all was believed
to be strictly legal, AT this point the insurrec
tionists announced their purpose of entering up
on the practice of privateering. Other call,
were made for volunteers to serve three years
unless sooner discharged. and also large add
tiOus to the regular army aud navy. These
measures, whether strictly legal or not, wert
ventured upon what appeared to be popular
demand for public necessity, trusting, then a:
now, that Congress would readily ratify them
1t is believed that nothing has been done be.
vond the Constitutional compatepcv Of ~,