American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1862-11-28

cere Union man, have an empty prohibition
when the laws Of nature were stronger pro-
hibttioH than any that could be passed by
act ot Congress TIIear, hear That lie
waved by saying that he was committed on
this subject. Then it was that / replied to
him: Ar. President, you say you were ac-
cidentally selected, and elected by a party
You were the candidate Of the rarity: bat
when you were elected, sir / thought
have been taught to beIieye-ihat YOU were
the President Of the Union. ] opposed Won
sir ! said TO him. with all the zeal and en-
ergy of which am master. / endea Fored to
prevent your election, nQt because had any
personal feelings Of enmity toward you. but
because believed il would lead to the very
result we now witness. / opposed You, sir,
but You are my President you have been
elected according to the forms of the Consti-
tuition, and yon the President of the peo-
pie Of the United States. and | think that
some little Difference is due to the opinions
Of those who constitute the aj1rity, accord
ing To the vote that had been poiled, of
900 600 men in the United States lie at
once rather bliskiy said: If he was a minor
ity President he was not the first, and that at
all events lie had obtained more votes than
could muster for any other man. think,
rs near as can recoilect, those are about his
identical words. l responded at once to him
that did not intend to recall to him that he
minority President, not of the men
who voted Tor him. but Of the whole people
of the United States, and that the wishes
aud feelings and interests of the whole peo-
pie OF the United States-the party with
100000 majority as well as the minority
party by whom he was elected-ought to be
consulted by him. General Donovan here
interPosed and presented three alternative
propositions to HIM. First, that he might
remain perfectly idle and passive, and let the
dsintegration of the States go on as it had
i
were asked, and bring the whole power of his
administration to bear in obtaining those
guarantees or. third, resort to coercion and
attempt TO force the seeding States into
obedience. lie illustrated very distinctly
aud clearly those three propositions. When
the conversation had slackened little,
ventured To appeal to him in manner in
which never appealed to any other man and
never expect 90 again. said that to the
last proposition desired TO say one word
that trusted and prayed to God that he
would not resort to coercion that, if he did,
the history Of the admins tration would be
written ia blood and all the waters of the
Atlantic Ocean could never wash it from his
hands. Hear, hear and applause. He
asked me what | would do, and if | meant
by coercion the collecting of the revenue and
the taking back of the forts which he said
belonged to the United States. / replied
that that was the only mode IN which it was
possible that he could, under the ConstItu-
ton resort to coercion-by an attempt to
collect tbe revenue aud take back the forts.
II 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 whIs-
kers, with his elbows upon his knees, and
his hands upon the sides of his face in an
attitude of listening. and when he would
speak he would drop his hands and raise his
head. Dropping his hands and raising his
head he said he would ell mo a LITTLE aueP-
dote which had happened when he first came
to the bar. An old man, he said, had APP
piled to him to bring suit. and made out
capital case as he thought, but when the
evidence detailed before the jury it was
Lhe worst case he had ever listened to, and
while the evidence going en- the old man
came listening to the evidence himself, and
whispered in his ear, GUY it up Laugh
ter Now said he, Governor, wouldn't
this he guvin' it up2" | assure you, Mr..
Chairman, L don't present it in any light
different from that in which it actually
whatever. | said 70 him,
* Mr.. President, it may be said that it would
be 'guvin' it up but hadn't you better
guv it up without blood~hed than drench
this land with blood, and then have to guv
it up p Applause. lie 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 ] would like to know from you what
am To do with my oath of Office. said to
him that he had taken solemn oath to see
the laws faithfully executed; but that Con- /
gress was then in session, and application
had been made to Congress to give the Pres +
ident Of the United States the power to coll
lect the revenue by armed vessels outside of
the ports, and Congress had refused to give
that power. IT, | said, Congress fails to +
rive the necessary power. Mr.. President, to
Won TO collect the revenue by armed vessels .
outside the ports, how are you TO collect 1t
Do YOU think that You can send a collector
to the port of Charleston, to the port of
Savannah or of New Orleans to collect the +
revenue there 3? Is it not an impossibility
and does YOUR oath bind yon 20 do n thing
that Is impnssibIe? As to the forts, that is
a matter within your discretion, sir. You
can withdraw the troops If you please You
are the Commander in -chief, and il belongs
to Won either to keep them there or to with
draw them totally. and prevent a collision,
and a consequent deadly and ruinous war"
Well, said he. raising himself again,
will only answer yen by telling you little
,necdote which struck me MS you were going
Dn 1t is from Esop's fables, and, doubtless,
IN your sehoolboy days, yon have read 1T.
Esop. YOU know, says he, " illustrates great
often by making mute animals
speak and act, aud according TO him there
was a lion once that was desperately in love
With a beautiful lady, and he conrted the
adv and the lady became enamored of him
ind agreed to marry him. and the old people |
we're asked for their consent They were i
,fraid of the power of the lion, with his long
ind sharp claws and his tusks, and they said
o him: We can have no objection 10 so re-
parsonage as you, but our daugb-
er is frail and delicate, and We hope that
-ou will submit 10 have your claws cut of |
md YOUR tasks drawn, because they might
10 vcry serious injury to her The lion :,
identified. being VERY mich in love. His
laws we're cut sf and his tasks drawn, and
hev took clubs then and Knocked him on tho j
cad daughter / replied, l thiRls, I
boutin substance this-that il was an ex- ,
eediueiy interesting anecdote, aud very
propos, but not altogether a satisfactory
a me- and thcn saia TO him, Mr.