Des Arc semi-weekly citizen., 1861-07-10
SYNOPSIS OF LINCOLN'S MESSAGE DELIVERED TO THE FEDERAL CONGRESS
 ON FRIDAY LAST.

tional property except Pickens, Taylor, Jef- ferson and Sumter seized, put in offensive po- stion, other forts built, armies organized and being organized avowedly. hostile to federal forts. These States seized or menaced dis proportionate amount of arms, intuition some- how, found its way into rebellious States, ac- cumulations of national revenue within rebel borders were seized, federal navy rules scattered, federal navy and army officers had resigned, great numbers of ordinances, declar- ing separation had passed these States,-These States, under the title of Confederates, were applying to foreign powers for recognition and assistance. The incoming administration, be- lieving it to be it's imperative duty to prevent the threatened dismemberment, chose the poIi- cy indicated in his inaugural, the exhaustion of all peaceful measures, before resort to CO., ercion. The government seeking only to hold the public places, unresisted collection of revenue, and relying on time and the ballot box for the rest, and promising in the mean time the continuance of the mails Every thing was foreborn to keep the government on foot. On the 4th of March, leter was re- ceived from Major Anderson, stating that the place could not be held. After consultations Scott concluded that the force at the disposal of the Government was not adequate for the relief of Sumter without immediately victual- ing. The Administrations duty was the safe withdrawal of the garrison, but believing this course would be utterly ruinous, that the ac- tion would be misunderstood, and discourage the friends of the union, embolden our runous enemies, and encourage Confederate recogni- tion abroad and our national destruction.- This course was una liowable previous to Sum- ter's starvation. but Pickens might be rein forced, thus, indicating the administra ations policy, and preparing public mind for Sumter's evacuation as a military necessity. Orders were immediately issued for the reinforcement of Pickens Orders impossible by land, were sent by sea, and the first return to order receiv- ed from the South was before Sumter's fall
 Brooklyn, under Buchanan's quasi armis- tice, refused to land reinforcements at Pick ens before crisis was reached by Sumter's evacuation. Government planned expedition to victual Sumter, to be used or not as circum- stances required. Governor Pickens notif our Government that victualing would not be interrupted if no attempt was made to rein force Fort with men,, arms and ammunition.
 But the Fort was taken without waiting for the vctualing expedition. This attack or Fort Sumter was not in self defence, for the assailants knew that it could not be mschiev- ous to them, and the only object of the gov ernment was to maintain nominal possession, thus preserving Union from dissolution. and trusting to time and the ballot for an adjust ment of the pending difficulties. The Fort was assailed for no other object than to drive out visible Federal authority, and forcing immediate dissolution on the country, by in- augurating this conflict. This the executive understood, and made the declaration good that the South were the aggressors. In the cir cumstances surrounding the Sumter affair then, the Confederates begun the conflict, and forced upon the country, for it's destruction, the issue of immediate submission ion-embracing even more than the fate of the Union; it solves the question whether the people can main- tain the integrity of its territory against do mestic foes. Whether individuals, too few to control the government, can, by organized law, break up the Union, thus ending free governments on earth. It forces the ques ton, must governments be too strong for the peoples liberty, or too weak to sustain its own existence.
 No choice was left but to call out the war forces of the government and repel the power employed for it's destruction. The response to the call surpassed the most sanguine expecta- tons. Delaware alone, however, of the slave states responded. A few slave state regiments were raised by individual enterprise and have been accepted. The border states were not uniform in their action, and the course taken by Virginia most remarkable. Her important convention called to consider the question was in session with large union majority when Sumter fell, yet she went out of the Union, made extensive military prepations, selzed federal property and received large bodies of confederate troops, entered into a treaty with the confederates, sent representa- tives to their councils, permitted iGsurrection- ary government to be transferred to Virginia's capital. Government has no choice left in re- gard to Virginia and does so with less regret, from having been called to protect loyal citi- zens, whom it is bound to sustain. Other bor- der states favored armed neutrality to prevent union and disunion troops occupying their soil. This would be disunion complete, figuratively speaking, it would be building impossible walls along line of separation, yet under guise of neutrality would tie the hands of the union- ists and feed the insurrectionists, taking all trouble from secession hands, except what arise from external blockade, would be dis union without a struggle of their own. It recognizes no fidelity to the constitution, no obligation to maintain union, and while many loyalists favor it, it's a very injurious and re- curing action.
 Government first called out 75,000 troops, and proclaimed bloekade of insurrectionists, announced privateering, issued call for three years troops, measures ventured under popular demand and public necessity trusting congressional ratification. Soon after it was considered duty to authorize commanding General to suspend the habeas corpus act where public safety required 1t.
 This was necessary to the execution ofthe laws. The continuance of this law made in such extreme tenderness of the citizens liberty, that it practically released more of the guilty than innocent. To state the question more directly, are all the laws but one to be exc cuted, and the government go to pieces if the least one be violated. But it was believed that the suspension of the habeas corpus was net unconstitutional; and forbearance had been so