The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-03-20
Relaxing the EOras.

The great horror down South is, that Mr..
Lincoln i'll proceed to retake the forts that
are in the hands OF the State troops, and
bring on war, pcstilence, famine, bankruptcy,
and all the other calamities. We don't think
trey need BE- alarmed on that subject. Mr..
Lincoln don't indicate any disposition 10
surrender any forts, but he proposes to pos
sess them. Yet he says. he will make no
attack, and that there will be no occasion
for the shedding of blood. This puzzles a
great many good people dreadfully What
could Mr.. Lincoln mean by mo attack"
mo bloodShed,' mo hurry" and yet ''pns-
sess9"-that mysterious Swedish word
possess ~ Well, we think the President
| had mental reservation about that word
possess" We know it is dangerous in
these times to conclude sentence in tnat
abr Ipt manner-because the Border Slave
States might construe it to mean coercion,
and straightway perform the "happy dis
patch will we risk it this time and
| if the Border States can not get over this pa
rcnthesiS, which we consider sort Of COM
promise, out they must 60 We think Mr.
Lincoln means to let the South posses
the forts it has got, for time. They have
| the elephant. now LET them maintain him
! They wanted forts so badly that they took
all the empty ones by storm, aid have been
working upon them ever since, digging
bitches and mounting guns furon>ly. Our
/ sea coast Notifications were never in the
4 world in such splendid condition and that
without cost or trouble to the government
The States have periodically stepped for
ward and relieved the government ofthe care
of its fortihcations. Where few months
ago the old forts We're neglected, the guns
unmounted, and sand drifting over the walls,
and the barracks tenanted by few rusty
old soldiers, they are now in fine condition
tnll of soldiers, cannon mounted, bitches
cleaned out, and every thing ready for the
1 enemy The States have bee, at great
expense. The chiva,ry have blistercd the !
hands, in working like niggers, straining at
/ the guns, wheeling sand, and other patriotic
Grudgery. The delicately reared scionS oil
/ the arstocratic cd tory blood f Charleston
have been digging in the sand along the har-
Dor for months, and have levied on the plant.
atoms, far and near, for black laborors to
engage in the same useful occupation. Here
tofore, Charleston has been pensi yner
4 upon the government-now she is full Of the
notion oftaking care of herself and damn
ing the expense" We put it to any rea-
sonable person whether it is proper to OBJ.
'struet her violently in her laudable design,
Of relieving the Government of the burdens
heretofore imposed by her poverty and men.
dcant ideas of the duties of Government
: Depend upon it Mr.. Lincoln will not con, slider
itright to coerce aissipated young man,
who has always been Arrest and hcav;ness
to his father, out Of his eudeavor to make
/ n, r., De- ell,
the forts want an attack made upon them
They think it would be too bad If they did
not have the opportunity of proving the ex.
cellence of their work The state of the
case would he dreadful in the extreme if nc
attack should be made. Southern honor
would be in precarious condition if few
bones were not fractured In order to dc
the thing according to 1.-The Code" shots at
least must be exchanged, and the shedding
Of the first drop of blood would be the sig.
nal, not OF universal war, but Of an immedl-
ate truce. The fact is, holding the forts has
become an exceedingly wcarisome business
In some cases 1t has become almost intole-
rable. The fine fellows who went out to
play soldier are getting entirely too much of
it. 1t was a gay thing to march about once
in while in all the CORY of "fuss and feath.
erS," a brass band roaring in front, the side
walks covered with negroes in the uttermost
enthusiasm, and fair ladies waving hand.
kerchieiS from the windows, and throwing
J kisses with their white hands. 1t was a
mighty thing to march forth as if to actual
combat, making believe there was some.
thing bloody to be done immediately, and
remarking the awe of the African, and the
tender sympathes Of the European race.
But it is neither gay or m; ghty to be lod ged
in vile Old forts, heaying and tugging at big
guns and sand bags, hucgng cold mnSkctS
all night. i ats not the onteltanment t
4 which the chivalry invited tn inselveS. But
there they are, and if the agony Of possession
continues much longer, their eyes will be
'sot." The old question of school, house de.
batting clubs. upon which an enormous guam
THY Of juvenile cioquence has been expended
without producing a satisfactory solution
In which is there the most happiness, pur.
silt or possession ?-is about to be abolished
The demonstration of the extreme unhappi
ness of the South in the possession Of tbs
forts, will squelch the possession side o
the custom. The seeded States are lik;
the.hunter that caught the bear that was
climbing down tlee by bis paws and held
him from the opposite side Of the tree. lie
was sorry, indeed, that he had captured tn,
animal in that way. The bear was irliatei
as being seized in that ungentemanly man
ner and was hard to held The hunter tho
it would be better to hold tight, as he hat
apprehensions of uhlriendly demonstrations
from Bruin. He stood it as long as he coult
and then letting g., fed from his game Al
that is necessary in respect to forts in tn
hands of the State troops is to see that thos
who have so kindly assumed the control o
{ them don't steal the cannon and sell then
for old iron and brass. As for the Southern
runaway team of States, let US have stron,
steady pull on the reins, but no ashng ant
jerking. Keep the animals in the middle o
, the road and they will presently be rul
down, so that they can be easily controlled
(, and exceeding glad to stop; and with th
discipline they will be cured of their vicou
notion of running away. If we may b
permitted to proceed with our uquine simil
! we express the hope that Mr.. Lincoln vii
prove to be perfect Rarey in the bushes
of driving the devil out of horsehesh AM
we will take the liberty Of adding that W
, think the Rarey Philosophy Of combining
firnness with Cancellation, subduing appre
tensions by acts Of genlleness, and savag
propcnsities by kindly demonstrations, hold
\ ing on at the same time to the straps, is tn
true one for the Administration. Under thi
system we hope the President will tame tn
, Southern Cruizer. In this way he ma
, possess" the furniture without wan--an
possession Will be compatible with peace
| I;Dr;DDufi Gam m ,r;of