The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1861-04-12
P E A G K OR w AR.
SPEECH
Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois
IN REPLY TO
SENATOR HOWE, OF WISCONSIN.

IN REPLY TO
SENATOR HOWE, OF WISCONSIN.
The Senate resumed the consideration
of the following resolution, submitted by
Mr. DOUGLAS, on the 18th ut.:
ResoIped, That the Secretary of War be re-
! quested to inform the Senate what forta, arsen
ais navy-yards, and other pablic works, within
the limits Of the States of South Carolina Geor
gis, Florida, Mississippi Louisiana, and Texas
are now within the possession and actual occu,
patton of the United States, ard by what mum
Der of men each is garrisoned and held, anC
whether reiniorcements are necessary 10 retsir
the same; and if so. whether the goverEmen,
has the power and means, under existing laws
to supply snch reinorcements within such time
as the xi"encies and necessities of the case may
| den and; aid whether the defense and protcc-
ton of the United States and their interests
make 1t necessary and wise to retain military
possession OF such forts, places and other prop
erty, except at Key West and Torugas, AID tt
| recaptuIe and reoccupy such Others as the Uni
! ted States have bee. deprived Of bg seizure Oh
surrender for any other purpose, and with view
| to any other cad than the subj CATION and oc-
| cuparion OF those States which have assumed
| the right to aecede from the Union, and within
liO>- iliDIis buCu ItTfS property
are situated; and if such be the motives for
recapturiug ard holding the forts ard ther pub
lie properly, what taTy force, including reg
ulars and volunteers, would be necessary TO
enable the United States 70 reduce the States
aforesaid and such Others are supp psed &c
Sgmpath ze with them, to subjection and oGe
dience to the laws of the Union and to protect
the Federal capital.
Mr.. HOWE addressed the Senate in op
position to this Resolution. when M-
DOUGLAS replied as follows:
Mr.. Douglas. Mr. President, I have
been forcibly struck with the peculiar rea
sons which the Senator from Wisconsin
has ASST gned for opposing the resolutions
which | offered. First, he thinks it uD
necessary to adopt it, because | seem tc
possess al the information expected to be
elected by it, and therefore it is unneces
sary for other Senators TO possess it; sec
ondly, he objects to its adoption, because
he does not think the War Department
possesses the information third, he think:
it unnecessary to adopt it, because the
late Administration, being il possession o
the information impaired it all to the
secessionists in the Confederate States pri
vsteI Iy; and fourth, that since the seces
sionists possess it, ii is not prudent for u,
to let our own people have it, Those are
the four reasons why the resolutions ough
not to oe adopted They are SO consisten
and harmonious that shall not attemp
to resist the force of them.
Mr.. Howe. If the Senator would pre-,
fer to reply to those reasons, I am quite
willing he should; but l will state to hin
in justice, that he is entirely mistaken il
the reasons which | gave, the last two
especially.
Mr.. Douglas. listened to the Senator
attentively, and looked over the report, a.
full as | could fpd it in the newspapers
and found it contained that construction.
If the War Department does not posses
the information, certainly there would b.
10 harm in adopting the resolution anC
getting that answer. If this informato.
has been impaired to the Confederate
States, and the enemy are in possession 0
it, there certainly can be no harm in let
ting our people have it.
! But, sir, [ apprehend it would tend t.
| allay the public excitement to have th
| information attested so that it would sp
pear that there was but one fort within tn,
limits of the confederate States now in th,
possession Of the United States OF course
| except Fort Sumter, inasmuch as under
stand that the order has been given fo
! surrendering it. There is but one where
collision could take place. Iapprehenc
| that Folt Pckens is the only one within
the limits of the Confederate States in tn,
possession of the United States. If Iher,
is any other, l should like to know it. I
may be supposed, perhaps. that Key Yves
and Tor:ugas, or Forts Taylor and Jeffer
son, as they are called in the War Depart
ment, are within the limits of the Confed
crate States, but that is entirely a mistake
The Confederate States, being revolution
ary government, holds whatever they ac
tually occupy, and no more. Revolution
takes nothing BY implication and mas
1 much as the Confederate States have neve
been in possession ot Key West or Tortu
1 gas, it cannot be said that those place ar,
/ within the limits of the Confederate State
under their revolutionary government
Besides these two places are national fol-
tiications, bull: for general defense
fortifications in which the commerce c
Maine has q thousand fo!d more interes
than that Of Florida. Those are place
that we should hold under all circumstan
ces, whether the cotton States should b
restored to Us. or whether they shall b
permanently separated from us.
| desired to find out whe;her the polio
is to be peace or war. | believe it to b
peace. Others dissent from that view {
the inaugural The Senator from wis
consin has just called upon me to assur
the Southern States that it was not th
purpose of the Republican Administratio
to invade the rights or make war upon th
people Of the South. Tha, Senator forge