The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-12-05

seeding States into obedience lie H.
lustrated very distinctly and clearly those
three propositions.
When the conversation had slackened
little ventured TO appeal TO him in a
manner in which ] never appealed TO any
other man, and never expect 10 do again
lsaid as TO the last proposition ! desir'
ed to say one word--that trusted and
prayed TO God that he would not resort
10 coercion that if he did, the history oi
his administration would be written in
blood, and all the waters of the Atlantic
ocean could never wash il from his hands
Hear, hear, and applause.) He asked
me what would do. and il | meant by CO.
ercion the collection of the revenue and
the taking back of the forts which he
said belonged TO the United States, re-
Piled that that was the only mode in
= Wish .g-t> ~ possible that lie could. un-
der the Constitution resort TO coercion
by an attempt to collect the revenue and
10 take back the forts. lie had placed
himself in a chair with rounds to it, with
his feet upon the highest round-a long,
lanky man with very large side whiskers,
with his elbows upon his knees, and his
hands upon the sides of his face, in an at
titude of listening. and when he would
speak he would drop his hands and raise
hls head. Dropping his hand and raising
his head, he said he would tell me little
anecdote which had happened when he
first came to the bar. An old man, he
said. had applied to him to bring a suit,
and made out acapital case, as he thought;
but when the evidence was detailed be-
! IN 3 .,,,y . l,a l,a bn Il
ever listened TO. and whine the evidence
was going on the old man came, listening
to the evidence himself, and whispered in
his ear, ''Guv it up" daughter. J.
Now" said he. "Governor wouldn't this
be guvn it up'?"
assure you, Mr. Chairman, don't
present it in any light different from that
in which il actually occuryed-none what
ever. said to him. Mr. President. it
may be SAID that it would be 'guvin' it
up" but hadn't you better 'guv it up
without bloodshed than drench this land
with blood and then have to guy it up?"
! applause He then asked what he was
to do with his oath of office. He said he
had sworn to see the laws faithfully exc
cuted, and, addressing himself to me, he
said: al would like to know from you
what am to do with my oath of office"
| | said TO him that he had taken q solemn
oath TO see the laws faithfully executed:
but that Congress was then in session, and
application had been made to Congress
to give to the President of the United
States the power to collect the revenue
by armed vessels outside the ports, and
Congress had refused to give the power.
! "lf,"l said, Congress fails to give the
necessary power, Mr.. President, to you
to collect the revenue by vessels outside
the ports, how are you to collect il! Do
J ygR thipk you can senaeR eollettor TO the
pait osCharleston. TO the port of Savan-
nab, or of New Orleans, to collect the
reFenue there? Is it moi an impossibility.
and does your oath bind you TO thing
that is impossible? As TO the forts, that
is a matter within your discretion, sir
You can Withdraw the troops ifyou please.
: You are either to keep them there or
withdraw them totally and prevent col
/ lision and consequent deadly and ruin.
I Gus war"
We'll" said he, raising himself again,
\ 81 will only answer you by telling you a
little anecdote which struck me-excuse
! me-" says he, "a little anecdote which
struck me as you were going on. 1t is
from Esop's fables and doubtless in your
schoolboy days you have read it. Esop,
| you know" says he, 'illustrates great
principles often by making mute animals
speak and act, and according to him there
was lion once that was desperately in
| love with beautiful young lady, and he
| Il 4 hn lnl, Ith h.a lad,
amored Of him and agreed to marry him,
and the old people were asked for the
consent. They were afraid of the power
Of the lion, with his long and sharp claws
and his tusks and they said to him: I'VE
can have no objection TO so respectable q
parsonage as you but our daughter is frail
and delicate, and we hope that you will
submit to have your claws cut off and
your tusks drawn, because they might do
very serious injury to her," The lion
submitted, being very much in love. His
claws were cut off and his tusks drawn
and they took clubs and then knocked
him on the head" (Laughter)
replied, | think, about in substance
this-that it was an exceedingly interest
ing anecdote and very oppropos, but not
altogether n satisfactory answer to me-
and then said to him, Mr. Lincoln, this
| to me, sir, is the most serious and all alb
sorbng subject that has ever engaged
my attention as public man. J depre.
! cate and look with horror upon fralric-
idal war. look at the injury that it is
to do, not only to my own section-that
| know is to be be desolated and drenched
| in blood--but think Of the injury that
| it is to do the cause of humanity itself
and | appeal 10 you, apart from these
| facts, to lend us your aid and counten-
ance in averting calamity like that"
Before he replied, Mr.. Rives. Of Va,
got up. We bad before that conversed
sitting in n semi.crcle around the Presi
dent; but Mr.. Rives rose from his chair,
and with dignity and eloquence that
have seldom heard surpassed in the course
Of my life, he appealed to him. | could
not pretend TO give even the substance
OF bis speech; but | remember that he
told him that he was then very old
man that there never hau been n ihrob
OF his heart that was not in favor Of the
perpetuation of the Union; that he came
there with hope and wish to pcrpetuate
it, and that all his efforts had been exer.
ted in endeavoring 10 procure such guar
antees as would perpetuate it: but that
he desired to say to bim-and he said ii
with trembling voice-in order that he
might know, and not say thereafter that
he WIS not fully warned, that he agreed
with every word had said with regard
to the horrors Of this anticipated war, and
that II he did resort to coercion Virginia
would leave the Union and join the sece.
ded States. may. SIR" he said "old as
am, and dearly as have loved this Un-
ion, in that event. 90, with ell my heart
and soul" Hear, henr:)
Mr.. Lincoln jumped up from his chair,
as Mr.. Rives was standing, advanced one