Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-08-23

numbering from Three to -Four Thousand
soldiers with its depots, provisions, arms
ordnance, wagon trains, etc, etc They
bad for years, through the traitor Floyd
Mr.. Buchanau's Secretary Of War, been
favored with the transfer to and deposit at
the points most advantageous for them of
all the arms and munitions of the Republic
All this wholesale spoliation aud disarming
OF the Republic in behalf of the Disunlou
conspirators hod been going on in the face
OF the People, unresisted aud scarcely re.
buked 10y President Buchanan. Mr.. Bad.
ger and North Carolina are our witnesses
that it was wholly uhjustifabc.
3. Mr.. Lincoln was inaugurated His
Address was au undisguised appeal to the
South to r,frain from treason and submit TO
the laws. 1t assured them in every couceiva.
ble way that their constitutional rights
should be scrupulously respected. Argu-
ment, remonStrance, persuasion, euireaty,
were never before so blended in an appeal
from chief magistrate to deuded and
treasonable faction lie ripped from
them every shadow Of pretext for rebellion.
But, he said in substance, if you will force
conHlct upon me, | must meet it as best
| can. There is the Constitution in O
few moments, | shall have sworn to uphold
it, and | shall be faithful 10 my oath
There are the laws shall not be true to
my trust unless exert all my power TO
cause them TO he obeyed. If you force on
me the bloody issue, the blood be en- your
towu heads
4. Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor,
S. c., covers a little slet virtually created
by the Federal Government. The site
was of course ceded by South Carolina TO
the Union. Here were seventy U. S.
soldiers, on the verge Of famine. They
had removed thilher by night from the
more exposed aud weaker Fort Moultrie
nearer TO Charleston. The Seeded States
had formed au Independent and hostile con.
federacy and sent commissioners to Wash.
ngton TO negotiate for recognition Of
their independence, President Buchanan
had not been able to receive them in their
official capacity no more was President
Lincoln for the simple reason that neither
acas at all authorized to negotiate l0ith q
portion Of our cOnatry as an independent
PoWer, nor to Alternate By treatv q thru of
tie area Of the Union Hence negotiations
on the basis OF DEuniOn were simply i'm
possible.
Meantime, the needs Of the little garrison
OF Fort Sumter became daily more immin,
ent, President Buchanan had attempted
to provision it by sending thither claudosti.
nelly merchant steam ship laden with sup
plies but the project was traItorously be
frayed, and the steamship cannonaded ouI
of Charleston harbor without having eff
fected her object. Presilcnt Lincoln, after
due deliberation, resolve TO send her
and 10 send her openly. lie notified his
intention to the authorities of South Caro-
lima, as he felt bound by prior agreement
to do. Forthwith, the bombardment of
Fort Sumter was ordered by the Coufeder-
ate authorities (their batteries had previ-
ously been planted SO close to its walls as
to render protraCted resistance impossible
aud a canonade of thirty hours reduced the
fort to churrred, dismautled wreck. Ma
jor Anderson and his little garrison sur
rendered, aud the war was fairly begun
5. President Lincoln thereupon proclaim.
ed the existence of formidable insurrec.
ton, and called out IS 600 Militia to sup,
press it, defend the imperled capital, aud
enforce the violated laws. Could he have
failed to do this without perjury and com.
pomplcity with treason | think not.
The requirement of the Constitution is ex.
plicit--"He shall take care that the laws
be faithfully executed" Were thcy-the
Revenue laws, for eXampe-so executed
at lhut moment in Charleston, Mobile, or
New Oceaus VIGOROUSLY, they were
not. There was his du'y plauly portray.
ed-his oath TO faithfully execute the
Office Of President Of the Uni ed States
and, to the best Of my ability, preserve,
protect, and defend the Constitution
weighing on his soul. lie had not appeal
ed to force the Rebels had. What course
remained open to him but to try to enforce
the laws | can imagine none. Yet the
fact that he did so is Mr., Badgers sole
excuse for his Gwn treason and that Of his
fellow citizens. Is not he, are not they,
condemned by their own statement Of the
case
War having been thus made upon
the Union by the conspirators, Mr.. Badger
and his fellow. citizens spurned the reuusit-
ION VI luG L lCSluSuA 'Ol Ahllltlu 10 upuOlu
the Federal authority against the trai.
tors plotting and lighting to subvert it
On the contrary, they held new conven.
tion, voted their State out of the Union,
and turned it over-so far as they had pow
er to do-to the service of the Rebellion
The UaiOnists (he says) being first to take
up arms against their country, because il
had not peacefully submitted to spoliatiou
and division at the hands of the traitors
Are not these model loyalists !? In March
they are for the Union, insiting that nc
cause exists for its overthrow. But South
Carolina aud six other states spurn the
Union, and commence war for its over
throw. The Government resists force by
force, refusing TO consent to its own dissolu
tion That, says Mr.. Badger, is "sutjuga
tion, under pretenss of executing the laws ?
Is it pretense? If SO, where shall w
find reality
Mr., Bandger and his set profess to have
been UnioniSts up to the bombardment o
Sumter HoO Unionists ? If the Federal
Government did not resist it, Disunon wa
then an accomplished fact. II il did resist
| thosa Contharn ITniOnistS ranonnoad tbai