The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1863-03-17

occasion-bui pressed on by the uliras who
requSged blbod lettirg," the peace measures
were thrown overheard aud our county swept
along towsFd4 the briHg OF ruin
Bat there was yet another chatc4 10 save
the Cnion- Let us see how dat was tllroTn
away also Tie nexk chance for saving the
UHion and preventing blcodshe9, Vas at the
Peaes Conference OF INaach. 1861 That body
cane together come time early in 1iarfsi; il was
cslmposed OF Representatives from tho border!
States, and from the Middle. Western and
NDrshern STATES The proceedings q the con-
ference wefs highly honorable to tie ability
AID PATRIOTISM OF the border Safe delegatesl
They did whaf they could 10 save the union.
The part that Virginia took in those procee 4
i1gs was purely national one. as everybody
bild see. Though suffering from the efecis
81 tho John Brown raid. she nevertheless
showed herself anxious 10 keep tie psace,
Thateser might be said Of others 8utin vain
The Cohfevetce broke up without having ac-
complished anytlling IL Was failure
And wso Pet me ask, is responsible for thak
fixture, ~ ho prevented the Confidence from
adopting the measures which were needed q
prevent fratricidsl war , The saIne class q
ihsn who defeated the Crittendeh Bin They
defeated the peace proposition Of the Confei-
ence Unfortunately for our county. tie del
fgstes from the ffee States appear to have
been selected by Republican GOVERNORS. on
account OF tie known hatred OF these fueni 10
compromife3 Of all kinds. Those who We're
sent from tIls State voted, with one exception
against the ieace measures Of tie t'o1fereLee
lfaat Assembly, which for brief period hal
given us some hopes of preserving tins tIion
lbToke up In 3espair and the brink OF idesirct
tion seenr4d reached At lass. Another Eaiinre
20 restors harmony, and tile rnin would be
complete. It. seemed 20 be pre- detertni- ed
shat there Should lss another failure anyway
aud the galf OF peftitioa reached at last. Bat
tr~ll- of las
phase OF this question, single word as to Ger
tain conrervhtIFe opinions " ilich began to pre-
vail after thb Administration xentinto power.
Shortly after Mr. Lincoln vas r-orn intc
Office. hsSx3uestion began to be seriously de
bsted az to whetller sovereign State coslid
rightfuliy bf coerced by force Of hrns. sim
not goisg into tie discussion Of ii at the pras
ent time. Iloniy wish to reiniud ypu that ssiEl,
question vas raised. and that the negative
OF At was ably sustained by men OF great woHtls
and ability, aud BY no one more ably Than dur
woi thy fellow-citizeD, Mr.. Eaton Il wa
proved beypnd Controversy that the founders
Of the Constitution never provided. or in;etd-
ed 10 provide, for any such military schen3es
as arc now on foot for the conquest Of the
lSouihern Siates. Never On the contrary. il
was shown that the founders Of fhht struInepi
voted down every proposition Of the sort. AL
this was prbved. and more than need trouble
you with al this time. Now what l sneaa i
+ this. before / come to another Inatier-ihai
these undesirable proofs OF the triIe intent aLi
meaning Of the Constitution on the subjcc; o.
icpercion or force ought TO have impressed tht
I men IN power, at Washington. with the ahso
iute necessity for using great ftrbearaHce il
their dealings with the seeding States Fol
= while these considerations may have had
some weight with them. but they we're soon Il
give wax iir others.
+ This brings me 10 speak or one chance more
Oh,
might have averted the horrors Of civil var
We shall see how that was thrown awas also
land the Union dashed on the rocks. L s.
lhspScned that the whole question Of peace oI
war was destined TO turn on a single pivot
aud that fort in Charleston harbor- b q
lconcurrenco in circumstances. Fort SuInteI
became thd point upon which thA very exist
fence of tha Union hinged Bat. in comparison
l'with the wi5rta OF the Union, and the direful
lewis which might follow sorions collision
lin iha- quhrter, the fort Was Of little cfrse-
lgaelce 10 any body. A collision beswcei lie
State and Federal troops shpnlf, if possible
be avoided. All that was wanted was TO gain
time for reason 20 lia We its tuFns Tho Govern
-iment might 90 on with liz b,ockade. bul
should DO nothing to provoke tile shedding o'
blood. Now Il was seen. and plainly seen
i that any attempt 10 reinforce Sumter wpnld
provoke the very, crisis which some or the
b.s men in onr country wished 10 avoid
And tiiis Has not only seen, but the Federal
auihceI iies at tho capital gave their ple5ke "a
Justice Cahpbei. Of the Supreme Court 81 tic
4 United Stales. that ne such attempt shoult bn
} made 20 reinforce Fort Somterl Ia proof d
this, refeE yOu TO the judges letter o. the
the subject-a letter which was pabIished II,
the Journal Of Conmercs, and o:her papers
some two months after the war broke out
l-Pnt not youf faith in Princes" The psedge
l have Just referred 10, had scarceiy been
tmade when msasnres were actually taksn by
4 the Federal Authorities for doIne what seemed
to be the very thing which the Goversneai
had solemhly agreed not 10 do. A G0sern
ment h9tira was sent to Claries;on hsfbor
souewher between tho 10Th and 18th oil
sent there to aecomplish a certain purpose
and that purppse was TO drals he fire Of Fori
II Moultrie, in. occupation of Southern troops. In
order that tho FelerSl authorities, and tile
men who were urging them to blood letting
II might have the overt act they required 10 JOS
II tify declaration OF war against the South
II Their plan succeeded, and we were pashed
over the brink Of ruin. and plunged into the
very VORTEX OF horribly destructive. awful aud
ruinous civil war. the end OF which no Inau
can tell.
Having done with occurrences which preceiti fhe
war, let me BREEZY advert 20 what bas Ence tskeh
Il place. The war having bsen ilansurated. We were
lpd fhat is was 70 be q utrfor ia f,on>tiulan aud
II the Urifnl denv that t.s been a war fnF Feifber
This drnsal }. u viii drd> tsined by aiussi ercry
isaSDe hck CT the Admin nation sifcc tie rkf hl3E
II was straeh Tr1u tie msmehf troops Wcfe hrst or
dered % Waahhgt0n prii 1861. the Ca1sfituii0 ion
has scareely b. fn regarded AZ al By the = pa
Ter Some of their zeal0ns EnpiDrters nete t1u
daily kdzHt this. Bnf. kay they. The South haFinE
lhrvk4n tht ContstHton. we are no longer boond By
Il. T1ls confession II 10 amounts q any thing at AZ
i virfsl imreschsnento her President. who has
taken an cath % support. maiuia4 and deisnd the
nf led kfnf ~