The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-09-06

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that purpose, as / was informed by Speaker
Pennington at the time, the legislature were
told by q distinguished member from Mary
land, then believed to hold confidential rela-
tious with the incoming premier, that Mary.
land would secede if the movement were
PERSISTED in. The movement was aban-
doned and it was abandoned undoubt-
eddy through his councils and in de-
ferance TO his position as the incoming pre-
mier Non-resistance was, We have seen, his
publicly declared policy in the senate as 1t
was in the cabinet. He agreed with Judge
Campbell, the rebel commissioner for the
surrender of Fort Sumter and, when the
president came to a different determination,
he nevertheless made good his promise. He
it was, undou btedly, who gave the notice by
the telegram sent through Mr.. Harvey, then
and still our minister to Portugal, of the
presidents purpose to reinforce. But the
succor never came. Mr.. Seward got an order
directly from the president, withdrawing the
Powhatan, the armed vessel assigned to the
expedition by the secretary of the navy, with
out the knowledge Of the secretary, and with
out the president knowing that the Pow
hatan was the vessel ordered to relieve Sum
ter. The men and provisions came, but not
a sailor with them to put in the fort. the
Powhatan having been withdrawn. Ii was
in Difference 20 him that Gen. Scott recon-.
mended the surrender of the fort-because
the general, during the previous admiDistra-
ton, had wished to reinforce it, and been re-
fused permission to do so by Mr.. Holt, then
secretary of war.
Mr. Holt, now the head of the bureau of
military justice, was then also a power in
Washington. Whilst secretary of war, as
already stated, he refused to permit General
Scott to reinforce Fort Sumter, and he had,
whilst postmaster general, written and pub
lished a letter dated 30th Nov. 1860, justify
ing the rebellion. He says, in that letter the
people of the north ''have been taught that
they are RESPONSE BILE TOR the domestic institu.
tions OF the south, and thai they can be faith
full to God only by being uniaithful to the
compact made with their fellow men. Hence
those liberty bills which degrade the statute
books of some of the free states, and which
are confsssediy a shameless violation OF the
federal constitution ia "A point vital to her
honor. We have here presented from year TO
year the humbing spectacle of free and soy
ereign states. by z solemn act of legislation,
legatizing the theft OF their neighbours proper
ty. l say THEFT, since IL is not the less so
because the subject of the despcabe crime
chances TO be a slave, instead of a horse or a
bale of goods After much to the same
purpOrt, he saws: Il am still for the Union
because | may have faint heSHating hope
save the republic before the wreck Is com
piete But the action must be prompt Ii
the Tree states will sweep the liberty bills
from their codes, propose convention of the
states, and Oher guarantees which will afford
the same repose and safety to southern homes
and property enjoyed by those at the north,
the impending tragedy may yet be averted.
But NOT OTHERWISE" simultaneously with
his refusal TO permit succor 10 Fort Sumter,
and his arnistIce with the rebel secretary he
refused his sanction TO q bill introduced into
the senate by Mr.. Preston King, to author
ize tlem elves under the authority of the
United States, refusing thus to allow them to
defend themselves.
Mr.. Stanton, now secretary of war, then
attorney general, was in full sympathy with
the leaders IN congress VIII dragged the south
into rebellion. He met Senator Brown. of
Mississippi, at the door of the supreme court
rs he passed from the ball of the senate af-
ter taking leave Of it as a secessionist forev-
er. tie encouraged him /; told him he was
right; 1t was the only course To save the
south; he must keep his constituents up 10
1t &c. This is proved by Mr. Brown former
senator from Mississippi, who mentioned it
at the time to the Hon. James S. Rollins. of
Mo. Mr.. Salisbury, senator from Delaware.
by resolution offered 10 the senate ast win
ter, proposed to substantiate ii before a com
mlttee OF that body, but the committee was
not granted. The fact is confirmed too, by
the known relations of the secretary to par
ties at the time, and have been assured by
one OF his colleagues In Buchanan's cabinet
that In his intercourse with his associates of
that Xix he was the most violent in denounc-
ing any attempt to maintain the Union by
force, and continued his denunciations till
he entered Mr.. Lincoln's cabinet.
NOT for this that he uaa an al arj
glorifed by the Thad. Stevens party in the
resolutions of the resent convention at Har-
risburg, in which President johnson is sub
stantlally pronounced a usurper for presum-
ing TO set up governments in the southern
states, instead of calling on congress to take
the subject in hand, to which they claim it
belongs exclusively? They 1elare also that
these states should not be allowed state
governments, and their motive for claiming
authority tor congress is evidently because
they believe congress would not sanction the
organization of such governments Mr.Stan-
ton coIcurs with them. and has been and IL
yet aiding them effectively in their scheme.
This explains the retention long of vast
and unnecessary military force, and some of
the remarkable movements made by portions
OF II, involving enormous expenditures as |
belive, against the wishes of the generAI-in-
chief and the remoustrancss of the secretary
OF the treasury. Besides the corruption fund |
thus secured, it serves to bankrupt the treas
ury, and thus compel the call of congress-a |
great poiut in the game of his associates
revert TO these facts to prove that the gov |
erument of the United States-the great func- |
tonaries intrusted with the administration-are
responsible for the subugation of the southern 1
people to the usurpation Of the conspirators who
plotted secession in the halls Of congress and In
the caucuses they held in the capitol 1t was /
here, from year to year, that the scheme was |