Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-02-23

and renewed their request chat would with
hold the COMMUNICATION with which Istood
charged and await further Instructions This
| have done. The further Instructions arri!
we'd on the '30tli inst; and bear date the 10Th.
d now have the honor to make to you my first
communication as Special Envoy from the
Government of South Carolina You will
find enclosed the original communication to
the President Of the United States from the
Governor of South Carolina with which L,
was charged in Charleston on the 18th day of
JANUARY, instant, the day on which it bears
date tam now instructed by the Governor
of South Carolina to say, that "a his opinion
as the propricty of the demand which is
Icontoined in this letter has not only been con
frmed by the circumstances which your (iny)
mission has developed but is now increased
to conviction Of it's necessity The safety
OF the State requires that the position of the
President should be distinctly 'understood--
The safety of all seeding States requiresi it as
much as the safcty'of South Carolina If it
be so, that Fort Sumter is held as property,
then as property The rights, whatever they may
be- of the United States, can be ascerttned,
and for the satisfactona of these rights the
pledge of the State Of SOUTH Carolina you
q am) authorizedto give, "'t!If Fort Sum-.
| ter is not held as property, tits held, say
my distractions, :" as itmiltary post, and such
a post within the limits Of South Carolina
cannot be tolerated" rtHf ~ 7T4s
You will perceive that it is upon the pre-
SUMPTION that it is solely as property TINT
you continue to hold Fort Sumter that [ have
been selected for tile performances of: the du-
ty upon which 1 have entered. III donot'
come as amilitaryt man, to demand the SUR.
render of n fortress, but as the legal officer of
the ,SE,te, its Attorney General, to ,elaim, for
the State Of exercise of its undoubted right
OF elninent domain aud to pledge the State
to make good 'allinjury to tho rights of prop,
crty which arise from the exercise of the
claim .+it'.!a t.rd ,we, ,w r..t I'm.
South Cafolina, as separate independent
| sovereignty, assumes the right to take into
her possession everything within her limits
essential to nlaintain her honor or her safety
irrespective of the question of property, sub
icct oaly to the moral duty requiring that
compensation should be made to the owner,
This right she cannot permit to be drawn in-t
to discussion. AS to Compensation forsany
property, whether Of an individual or Cow
ernment, which she may deem it necessary
for her honor or safcty,to take Into her posses,
sion, her past history gives ample guaranty
that it will be made, upon ii faiE accounting,
to the last dollar The proposition now is,
that the law officer should, under authority of
! the Governorahd his Council, distinctly pledge
the faith of Smith Carolina to- make such.
compensation in regard to Fort Sumter, aud
its appurtenances and contents, to the full
! extcht of the money value of the property of
the United States, delivered over to the au,
thorities of South Gurolina, by your COM
niand. 4n,: 'Ira,p s~.11 ,-H - u-,t..,.
~ will not suppose that q pledge like this
can be corsidcrci Insufficient Security Is
not the money value of the property-of the
United States in this fort, situated whereit
cannot be made available to the United
States for any One purpose for whichit was
originally CONSTRUCTED, worth more to {. the
United Stiltes thnn the property itself ~
Why, then,' as property, insist on holding it
| byan armed garrison r. Vet such has been
the ground upon which you have invariably
| plnccd your occupancy of this f,rt by troops, /,
beginning prospeotiyely with your annual
Message of the .4th December, again in
your Special EEessageof the 9th January, aud
still mdro enphatically in your Message of
ther2Sth january. The same position is set
| forth in your replyato.the Senators, through
the Secretary of War aa i,itert,s -Itis there
virtually Conceded that Fort Sumter "is
held merely % property of the United States,
which you deem it your duty to protect aud
preserve.Rj '@is.3itcsf -i,il 49, al ...il,.,f,
'Againit is s.submtted that the continuance
of an armed possession actually jeopards the
property you desire to ptoteet.9d 1t is impos-
sible butgthat. such a possession, if continued
long enough must lead to collision No peo-
pie not completely abject and. pusilanimons
could submit indefinitely to the armed .occu-
patton OF fortress in the,midst of the harbor
pfeits principal city, and commanding the IN
igress and egress of every ship that enters the
port, the daily Ferry Boats that ply. upon the
lwators, moving but at the spferapce of aliens.
An attack upon. this fort would scarcely. Inn
prove t,as kropcrty, whatever, the result, and
if..eaptpsed il you'd no )Qngef be the subject
of account, r. !, .y..,,...,, ,.;.,,,.
I.,l To protect Fort Sumter, merely as proper
~, it is submitted that an armed occupancy
,Isspot only unnecessary, but that tits manitestl
lSthe worst. possible, means which, can be re-,
sorted to for such an object. !, ,,a.,.,,. -,
Your reply to the Senator's, through Mr.
Holf ,declqrGs lite be your sole object /" to act
/ fstrietlyaon the defensive, aud to authorize no
movement against South Carolina, unless jus-
tilted by.a hostile mpyelnept on thoir part"
vet, in reply to thelpropositiop of tba SenYtors
that no reinforcemepts should be sent to Fort
lSumters provided South Carolina agrees that
during the same period no ATTACK shGS,S BE
made, you say sit is Impossible for me (your
Secretary to give you (the'Senators0 any
such assurancen that IL would he A manifest