The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-14

spring from the sentiments embodied i 4
the Declaration of undergraduates, which
gave liberty not alone to the people oil
this country, but to the world in all flu
ture time. If the county cannot bt
saved without giving up that principle
/ would rather be assassinated on thl
spot than surrender it. / have sale
nothing but what am willing to liv'
and die BY" T tHHaE
IN WHAT STATE HE FOUND THE COUNTRY
Travelling in the dead Of night to esE
cape assassination, Lincoln arrived al
| Washington nine days before his inau-
| guration. The outgoing President, al
| opening of Congress, had still Kept as
the majority of his advisers men engaged
in treason; hsd declared that In case al
even an "imaginary" apprehension of
| danger from nntinns nf froodooa onaong
the slaves, "disunion would become I'M
evitable." Lincoln and Others had
questioned the opinion of fancy; such
| impugning he ascribed to the "factious
trine of the majority of the Democratic
party on the power Of the territorial
legislature over slavery be condemned
as an attack on "the sacred rights of
property The state Legislatures, he
insisted, must repeal what he called
''their Unconstitutional and obnoxious
| enactments,n and which, If such were
''null and void" or cit would be inpos-
sibDe for any human power to save the
| Union. Nay! If these uDimportant acts
were not repealed, 1.-THE injured states
would be justified in revolutionary re
sistance to the Government of the
Union" He maintained that no state
might secede at its sovereign will aud
pleasure-that the Union was meant for
perpetuity; and that Congress might
attempt to preserve, but only by concilf-
alton; that 1.-THE sword was not placed in
their hands to preserve it by force;n
that 'the last desperate remedy of q
despairing people" would be an expIa-
natory amendment recognizing the de-
cisiOn of the Supreme Court of the
United States" The American Union
he thought it duty to make the appeal
for the amendment "before any of these
states should separate themselves from
the UniOn.n The views of the Lieuten-
ant General, containing some patriotic
advice conceded the right of secession
pronounced quadruple rupture of the
Union "a smaller evil than the reuniting
Of the fragments of the sword,o and
"eschewed the idea of invading seeded
state" After changes in, the Cabinet,
the President informed Congress that
"matters were still worse;n that "the
South suffered serious grievances, -
which should be redressed ain peace. -
The day after this message the flag of
the Union was fired upon from Fort
Moultrie, and the insult was not re-
venged or noticed. Senators in Congress
telegraphed to their constituents to seize
the national forts, and they were not
arrested. The finances of the country
were srlsS9v wsl sMR2qFFlass III hills
over by its commander to the seeding
| insurgents. One state after another
voted in convention to go out of tie
Union. A peace Congress, so-calIed,
met at the request of Virginia, to concert
the terms of capitUlation for the con-
tinuance of the Union. Congress in
both branches sought to devise cOncilia-
tory expedients; the territories of the
country were organized in a manner not
to conflict with any pretensions of the
South, or any decision of the Supreme
Court; and, nevertheless, the seeding
states formed at Montgomery, a Provi-
sional Government, and pursued their
relentless purpose with such success that
the Lieutenant General feared the city
of Washington might find itself Elm
cluded i'm aforeign country" and pro-
posed, among the options for the cotlsid-
Grafton of Lincoln, to bid the seeded
states "depart in peace.u The great
Republic seemed to have its emblem i'm
the vast unfinished Capitol, at that mo-
ment surrounded by masses of stone and
PROSTATE columns never yet lifted into
their places; seemingly the monument
of high but delusive aspirations, the
confused wreck of inchoate magnifi-
cence, sadder than any ruin of Egyp-
tian Thebes or Athens.
Ills INAUGURATION
The fourth of March came. With in
stinctive wisdom, the new President,
| speaking to the people on taking the
! oath of Office, put aside every question
that divided this country, and gained "a
right to universal support, by planting
himself OH the single idea Of Union.
That Union he declared to be unbroken
and perpetual and he announced his
determination to fulfil the simple duty
of taking care that the laws be faith
fully executed in all the states. Seven
days later, the convention of Confed-
crate states unanimously adopted q con
stitution of their own; and the new
Government was authorilatively an
hOuuCcu W Dc lOuuutu tile luea LIlaL
slavery Is the natural and normal con-
dition of the negro race. The issue was
| made up whether the great Republic
was TO maintain its providential place
in the history OF mankind, or q rebellion
| founded on negro slavery gain recoe-
milton of its principle throughout the
civilized world. To the disatIected Lin
coin has said: "You can have no con-.
| tfict without being yourselves the aggres
sors." To fire the southern portion OF
the people, the Confederate Government
chose to become aggressors: and on the
morning of the 18th of April began the
bombardment of Fort Sumter and COM
PEELED its evacuation.
UPRISING or THE PEOPLE
1t Is the glory of the late President
that he had perfect faith in the perpet-
| uity OF the Union. Supported in adj
vance by Douglas, who spoke as with
the voice of million, he instantly
called meeting of Congress, and sum-
moned the people to come up and repos-
sess the forts, places and property which
had been seized from the Union. The
men of the North were trained in
schools Industrious and frugal many
of them delicately bred, their minds
teeming with ideas and fertile in plans
OF enterprise; given to culture of the
arts eager in the pursui. Of wealth, yet
employing wealth less for ostentation
than for developing the resources of
their country seeking happiness in the