The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-10-09

y 60 : y : -g T4.T HIS 1SAUGURAL Is
.'wEAk, FACILITATING, USsATIsFAcToEf ASp
''DICToET.'
TREMBLING IN THE BALANCE: VAR or 40
l. Is now we'll established that for thirty
| DAYS after Abraham Lincoln Inauguration
the question Of Wal or peace Wavered 10 al
most hourly fluctuations, like the tremoillS
Of Balances, or the turn OF a lottery vince.
says
Mr.. i.incoln's policy was evidently IN
s'settlel. Though not perhaps averse to q
''ymqU uor, to be finished By blockadlpg a
"few ports, yet lie did not wish to under
take a big Job as he afterwards called It,
against the majority ofthc Southern states.
'..Such uas his hcSitattoa, that at the close
sSot the extra session towards the end OF
march, [ began to think he would let mat
tiers rest as they were, and call a session OF
Congress 10 consider the condition OF the
country. member oi III.
s.Lincoln's cabinet told me, in 1866, that
"Wr. Lincoln. NJ. Seward. and every mem
'.ber Of the cabinet, except my informant,
THE member alluded to by Gen. Clingman
was Montgomery Blair, were N favor OF
Getting Mai. Anderson retire from Fort
"Sumpter, as soon as his provisions were
s.exhausted. This gentleman told me that
ss..e, individually demonstrated against such
"a course, saying if it were taken, IN SIX
"weeks every foreign government would re-
~:cognize the contederacy. This argument
'~'tailine, he threatened 10 resign as a mem
der of the cabinet, and at length thus IN
''duccd them to resolve to assist Anderson.
80 : : Mr.. Gideon Welles, Secretary OF
''the Navy, confirms the statement, for he
said that the President, and every member
* q L. ri, I,,o+ nj QUO ,Vpyn IN favor NJ
sthis policy. He even charges that Mr.. Sew
card, with artful strategy, purposely caused
sthe government vessels TO be sent out OF the
sway. SO as to render it Impossible to at
"tempt to reinforce Mai. Anderson
Secretary Blair, within the past year, pub
liclv claimed credit for inauguTatIng the
war for the Union,'' so-called. Failing to
convince his colleagues that they could trust
to the sectional spirit OF the North to back
an aggressive policy, he finally arose IL
simulated anger, declaring he would leave
the cabinet, and proclaim TO the loyal peo-
pie that their chosen leader had not the
nerve to preserve the mon. This vlgor-
Gus threat carried the day but Of that,
more hereafter.
1t is a curious fact that Blair, and other
Southern reneeades, like Gen. Scott, 10.
Holt, Frank Blair, and Andy johnson, aided
by prominent Democrats, like Edwin II.
Stanton, John 4. Dix, Jerre Black, Ste
phen 4. Douglas, ct al, should have done
more to ~"stiffen the backbone OF the Lin
c~olnites. at this period, and set in motion
the juggernaut Of bloody Civil War, than
even the Abolition leaders themselves The
latter, after aeitating for half a century to
produce sectional strife, suddenly took fright
at the success of their W efforts, and for
a brief moment drew back from the vortex
rapidly opening before them. Even Sew
ard, who had so vehemently proclaimed the
"irrepressible conflict, became startled
when the ''impending crisis actually cul-
minated Gen. Clingman says
Mr.. Stewards demeanor in the Senate
latter the States had begun to secede, sat
''isfied me that he had been greatly surprised
''by their action. : He was evil
''dently amazed at the developments, and
"when we occasionally met and conyersed.
''his manner reminded me of a man who
chad suddenly and most unexpectedly seen
"a ghost
Horace Greeley, as | have shown, held
in the Tribune, that the States were entitled
to /" 90, in peace There were others Of
the Abolition leaders who hailed the event
as a good opportunity to get yid Of the
South and sIarcry together." The DIARY
of a Public Man" NOW running IN the
North Imcr7can and attributed to Attorney
General Black shows that Chas. Sumner,
Salmon =. Chase, and other prominent Re
publicans, favored this idea. The c,y7eut
Of Northern disGfcction and dtsustyop.'' he
notes in his journal, ten days after Lincoln's
Inauguration IS patntuNy er1leat:'' thus
seconding the remark of Senator Douglass.
in his speech on the day preceding Lincoln's
arrival in Washington, that as many Of the
Northern members (of Congress- were
working for dlsunion as Of the Southern
members.
Toshow the prevalent opinion, it NAV be
we'll to quote a portion OF the carefully
drawn memorandum, dated March ,. which
Gen. Scott, as commander-in-chief of the
Federal army presented to President Lin
coin for his consideration. '.Fiirst.'-he
suggested. throw of the old name-(Re-
PUBLICAN and assume a new title-the In
ion Party" This advice was followed. and
when the war began tens of thousands of
Democrats were mislead By the cry of
!" Rally round the Union, stand up for
the Union /" o%lunteer in the Union