Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-09-01
::QD'bl1r,:::: ! /, :gt;q3|tel,stj;r,r1,,a'lnlI,l., \, II,
I THE"REBELLIoN.9 T.
WHERE: Her :. 1n1rIH .1nnT1rHE1 q CULT LIES.
From speech 81 II on. NIontgoi
BIair, Delivered at CIarksville, '
howard County, naryIand,
T. 30 4igd ON August 26, 1866. yGi s9gl

oE FELLOW CITIZENS lit cannot be said that
States or men loyal to the@Uni0n that re-
q mained steadfast to II until yanquished by
d the superior force or a victorious usurpa-
n ton, which reduced all the civil and mill
tary authorities within the States to sub
serviency, became rebels by, submission
+, Much less can it be said of such States or
b individuals, entitled by their allegiance to
the General Government to its protection,
but which were surrendered to that usur-
patton without q blow, struck In their de-
Tense by it, became traitors by ceasing to
resist when etfectlal resistance was no
longer possible. Nov this was exactly the
case Of the loyal people Of the South, a ma
jority of whom were unquestionalby loyal
before, the fall of g Fort Sumter, but who
found themselves at that moment absolute
ly at the mercy Of the conspirators against
the national repuelie,ne4 ,,5isT.df y~ ...a.
e., Mr.. seW55aard, as the idesignated Premier of
place. in, the, Senate Of the United States,
took. his part in the game-played for and
against the UnionT-the contest, until war in
the field broke out, being confined to the
halls Of - Congress. A., Mr., ,SeWafd's policy
thenand since, and his motives, are still a
\ mystery; but theresIlt ofhis devious course
g was manifestly detrimental to the cause of
the Union. In response to the leaders of
the rebellion on the floor of the Senate, and
who, in effect, as the Executive, power, di-
rected the conspiracy from its council
chamber in the caucus in Washington, Mr..
Seward answered, 81 have snch faith in this
Republican system of ours that there is no
political good which desire, that arn not
content to seek through its peaceful forms
of administration without INVOKING reyolu
tionary action. If others shall invoke that
form of action to oppose and overthrow the
Government, they. shall not, SO far as. it, de-
pends on me, have the excuse that obsti-
ynattly left myself to be misunderstood. In
b such case can afford to meet prejudice
with conciliatiop, eXaction with concession
which surrenders no principle, and violence
/ with the right hand Of peace" +. ,Jt =;
r This declaration was Justly construed to
B pledge him to sustain President Bnchanan's
programme, "not to coerce a State, and,
therefore, not to resist the dissolution of
the Union, the proclaimed purpose OF The
Senators and Representatives of the slave
States, who were about to leave their seats
in the National legislature, and call a Con-
federate Congress to assume all the power
over the South, from witch it resolved
that the Constitution of the United States
should be banished,' The first step (the in
auguration of Mr.. Lincoln In March ac-
complished) after Mr.. Seward was confirmed
as Secretary of State by the Senate, brought
John Forsyth, Martin y !, Crawford, and A.
B. Roman, &c. commissioners from the Con
( Qfederate States,n who, to use their ow Ian
guage,. ""asked audience to adjust, in q
spirit Of amity and peace, the new rela-
tions springing from manifest and accom-
plished dreVoutionin the Governmehtof of the
Uni0n.p This was ON the 18th of March.
OF I'm a
l 18th of April, although; Mr. Stewards decli-
nation was PREPARED on, the 18th OF March ;
but aemorandum at The close of it adds:
""A delivery of the same, however, was de-
layed to Messrs. Forsyth Crawford, as
awhs understood, with stheirg censeptp IN
I the interval, comm unication between Sec
p retary SSeward and the Confederate Cofii-
missioners was carried on by Judge Camp.
Q bells of the Supreme Court of the United
/ States, whose conversations with the Sec
/ sretary OF, State were witnessed by Judge
/ EdNeis6n,, also of the Supreme Court, WHO
saneti9hedt the slowing note of theresult
: given, onthell5th of March, 1861, toJudge
oCtaYt9Fd, f9r ilRf0Tmatiion to the 61opfsdIT
|d t"f4ssg entire confidence that Fort Sum-
'NteFwill be evacuated in the heEt five days ;
andthi measure is felt as imposing great
responsibility on. the Administration. -,
.Iffeei entire confidence thatno measures
changing the existing status lprejudicially
to the Southern Confederate States is at
present contemplated, i,.e.. ..,,t soog
- II feel an entire confidence that an. an
swer to the Communication of the C6iffede-
rateiC Commissioner will be productive lof
aeyilinotig good.14 .do1pot beteveo it ought
now to be passed." ,,;d ..,.,,l mid ,+ I'd. ,,
Mr. Seward, it seems, made 'to direct re-
plylto d letteToof Judge Campbell referring
toTthe pledges he communicated from him
tothe Confederate Commissioners, and stat
Ting. to him that "the pledge to evacuate Foft
Sumter is less forcible than the words v on
employed. These words were,before this
letter reaches y Our Ia proposed letter by me
to President Davis Sumter will have been
vevacuated.Y NJ Mti Seward did, however, in
an authorized statement made in the Albdna
/ bIEpaping !Joaius0J,g by Mr. ThurlOW WeedI ad-
NIT that h6I etGovernor Seward, 9conyersed
+ freelyT with Judge Campbell;i we do not
ltleny, nor do we donbtthat in these conver-
satioiis, atone psriod,' he elintimated nthat
Fort Sumter would be evacuated He cer-
tatnly believed SO, founding his opinion on
his knowledge of Gen. ScOtts recommends
I ati0n."t 10 gni1991 1<it aiun h"G9 bFd .ltit
Now, this mode of escaping the response
Ibilitv of his assurance to jeff Davis that
ASumterlwohldCb be EVACUATED, Is like that sot
Tducer eskulkihg from danger, byshobting
| his arrows under the cover of theishieldI oi
Ajax. 1t is well known that General Scott,
before, BuEhananIoseht his non-eoercion
message, to- Congress, and as soon as prepa,
\ ration for revolt in the South was seen,
urged the President by letter tosput all the
| foftsiu Charleston lIarborin rastate of de-
tense. In this he cvinced the Rlacrity that
prompted him UNDER Gen ackson's orders,
whenlhe brought Charleston and the rebel
liominto submission by bringing the guns
Of the army and navy to bear upon that
city whenIit h0istedtte flag of nullaeation
Iagainst,the Union i'm 1892 Scott meant to
crush the rebellion in. the egg in this I'M
stance as in that; but Buchanan foiled it's
Eihis superiorg . WheB Mr. Lincoln came i'm,
and his Premier undertook tosquelb the rel
volt by .eoHcession, Scott could only say.in
| the confidential letter he wrote when a6I
-quiescingiu the superiority of the civil
to the military power, t'let our erring sisters
depart in peace" Yeti amconfident from
the patriotic course ofsthe brave old man
afterwards, that nothingcould have iiidue-
ed him tol acquiesce in Mr. Stewards s course
but, the c0nlmittals Of Mr.. Seward, who
had ardently supported him for tire Presi-
dehcy against Mr.. Pierce, and the persuas
sions thatihis diplomacy would bring all
right after rsurrenGering 8nr rdiag, and with
South,a to thatNof the Oonfederacp Il The
dalliance of Mr.. Seward with the GOnfede4
rates gave the Confederate Generals sBeaure-
lgardaan opportunity to build batteries nn-
/ der Sthe gunsDf FortISumter which could
4 4 n H..