Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1861-01-16
WASHINGTON CRY. Dec. Goth, Isl

WASHINGTON CRY. Dec. Goth, 1860
Gentlemen III have had the Gunor to re.
caiSe your communication Of 2Sth instant
together with copy Of "your full powers o..
the Convention Of the People Of South Caro-
ina," authorizing You to treat with the Cow
ernment Of the United States on various i'm
portant subjects therein mentioned, and also
u copy Of the Ordinance. bearing date on the
2Oth instant, declaring Chat the Union now
subsisting between South Carolina ard other
States" under the name Of the United
States Of America" is hereby dissolved.
In answer to this communication, have to
say, that my position, US President Of the
United States, was clearly defined in the
Message to Congress on the Sd instant In
that stated that, "apart from the execution
Of the laws, SO far as this muy lie practicable,
the Executive has no authority to decide
what shall be the relations between the Fede-
raj Government and South Carolina. He has
been invested with no such discretion. lie
possesses no power to change the relations
heretofore existing between them. much less
,oacknowledgc the independence Of that State
THIS would be to invest u mere Executive
officer with the power Of recognizing the dis-
solution Of the Conlrdrracy amoug our thirty
three Sovereign State. 1t bears no re<em.
biance to The recognition Of foreign lie .ftcto
Government involving no such responsibility.
Any attempt to du this would, ON his part,
be a naked act Of uSurpatun. 1t is. therefore,
my duty to submit to Congress the whole
question in all its bearings"
Such is my opinion still. could therefore
meet YOU only az private gentlemen Of the
highest character, and was entirely willing TO
communicate to Congress any proposition YOU
might b We to make to that body npun the
u:cct. Of this you were well aware. 1t
was my earnest desire that such disposition
might he made Of the whole sub rct by Con-
grc>S, who alone possess the power, as to pre-
vent the inauguration of civil war between
the parties in Regard t. the possession of the
Federal forts in the harbor Of Charleston /;
and therefore deeply regret, that, in your
opinion "thc events Of the last twenty-!our
hours render this impossible
In conclusion you urge upon me "the i'm.
mediate withdrawal of the troops from the
harbor Of Charleston" stating that "under
present circumstances they are standing
menace which renders negotiation impossible,
and a. our recent experience show, threatens
speedily to bring to bloody issue questions
which ought to be settled with temperance
and judgment"
The reason for this change in your position
is that since your arrival in Washington, an
officer Of the United States, acting as we
(you) are assured not only witllGut, but
against your (my) orders, has dismaated one
ort and occupied another. thus altering to a
mos, imIo: tant extent the condition Of affairs
under which we (you) came" You also al
lesc that you came here "the Representatives
Of an authority which could at any time with.
in the pa>t sixty days, have taken possession
of the forts in Charleston harbor, but which,
upon pledges given in manner that We (yOu)
cannot doubt, determined TO trust TO your
{,ny) honor rather than to its power.''
This brings me to = consideration of the
nature Of those alleged pledges. and in what
manner they have been observed. In my
Message of the 81 OF December last, | stated,
in regard to the property of the United States
in South Carolina, that it "has been pur-
chased for fair equivalent by the consent Of
the Legislature of the State, for the erection
Of forts, magazines, ar<enals, &c, and over
these the authority to exercise exclusive leg
islation, has been expressly granted by tue
Constitution to Congress. 1t is not believed
that anv attempt will be made to cxpel the
United States from this property by force
but if in this should prove to bs mistaken,