The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-09
JEFF. DAVIS In A RAGE.
A Bitter Letter from the Great Elk.
Rebel to Judge Jere. Black.
Davis Claims that He Has Been SANDER
Ously Misrepresented-HIs Version of
the Causes Leading to the War.
Philadelphia Special c7th) to Chicago Tribune.

The following letter appeared in the Times
this morning:
Various circumstances which would be
unnecessary to relate have delayed this no.
tlce OF the public utterances of Judge Jere-
miah s. Black. Under the ad captandum
title OF secession Secrets he opens his un-
warranted attack upon myself thus:
Mr. Davis now charges him (dr. Blu.
chanan) with timidIty because he did not
evacuate the forts and let secession have
everything its own way. That is ridiculous.
Mr.. Davis also makes a sinner of his iudg-
ment when he expresses the opinion that if
Sumter had been given up no other State
than South Carolina would have gone out.
In truth and in fact Mr.. Davis and all other
secessionists desired that evacuation for the
sole purpose of making their predetermed de.
parture easy and safe. Such a conspicuous
act OF concession would have been an &C.
acknowledgement of their right to secede and
they would have tum bled out as fast as they
could formulate their ordinances II Mr.
Davis will tax his memory a little he
will recollect easily enough that his OBJ
ject in trying to influence Mr.. Buchanan
in this direction was to remove an obstacle
from the path on which he and his constitu-
ents had made up their mind to travel. South
Carolina tried to bully the President Others,
including Mr.. Davis, tried to coax him. It
is no evidence of timdity that he resisted
them both "
Judge Black herein assumes to describe
my conduct and to assign it to a motive
which L pronounce utterly false, inexcus-
ably false, because if he had desired to
know the truth he could have learned it
by conference with either of his associates
| in Mr.. Buchanan's cabinet, with whom
had confidential relations or with the
| President, with whom | held about that
time frequent and unreserved conversations,
| believing, as had reason to do, that he,
like myself, desired peaceful solution of
| he cyub iob cd
tutional union or he might have found
what were my motives by reference to the
speeches had made during the many years
l had served in the two houses of Congress,
or by an appeal to any other source purer
than his own Imagination. 1t NAV be we'll
that my opinions were not of sufficient inn
| portance to him to induce search through
the speeches of my many years of service,
but while his mind was so actively engaged
in the affairs OF Charleston and my proposal
in regard to it, it might be supposed that he
would look at the published report of my
remarks in the United States Senate of Jan.
| 10, 1861. 9A.
| The pending motion being to print the
special message of the President of January
| 0, 1861. / said
Had the garrison at Charleston, represent
| ing the claim ofthe government to hold the
| property in fort there been called away
thirty days, nay, ten days ago peace would
| have spread its pinions over this land, and
calm negotiation would have been the order
OF the day. Why was it not recalled? No
| reason yet has been offered save that the
government is bound to preserve its proper
ty. And yet look from North to South,
| from East to West, wherever we have con-
structed forts to defend states against for
eign foe, and everywhere you find them
| without garrison except at few points
where troops are kept for special purposes,
not to coerce or threaten a state, but sta
| toned In sea-coast fortihcations there mere
| ly for the purpose of discipline and instruc-
| ton, as artillerists. You will find all the
| other forts in the hands of fort keepers and
ordnance sergeants, and before moral and
patriotic people standing safely here as prop
erty OF the country"
There, in the presence of senators who had
| the fullest opportunity to know my wishes
and opinions, the position was distinctly
stated which Judge Black now treats as
something new and makes the basis of
| slanderous Misrepresentation.
| With like recklessness of assertion he de-
MES that Mr.. Buchanan ever entertained an
| idea of public property at Fort Sumter other
than that of the fort with its contents, and
| yet in the very beginning of the corresponds
| ence, in the first letter of Governor Piekehs
| to the President, the Governor wrote: "In re-
| lation to the public property of the United
| States within Fort SUMTER the Hon. l.. w.
Hoyne who will hand you this communica- a
| ton, is authorized to give you the pledge of
will be accounted for" ETC., etc. 's5l AZ
! pass by Judge Blacks denunciation of
| South Carolina as mot fit party to be
| trusted with the protection of either real or
| personal property OF the United States" She
needs no defense against the loose and vulgar
assertions which characterize this revelation
of so-called secession secrets, merely noticing
| the cunning excuse which is offered for the
denunciation, G., that South Carolina had
previously seized Everything in and about
Charleston except one fort" 1t will be re-
| membered that the government Of South
| Carolina, resting under the assurance that
| both federal and State governments would
not attempt to make a change so as to dis
| turb the existing condition of affairs,
| allowed the unoccupied forts to re-
main as they were, and forebore to
| seize Fort Sumter when it was without
garrison. He demonstrated when the garri-
son of Fort Moultrie, after having dsman.
| tied it, spiked the guns ana burned the car
riages, was removed under cover of night to
| Fort Sumter. Could there have been a
more hostile demonstration than this? Was
| it honest to conceal the fact that therefrom
followed the seizure Of the unoccupied forts2
| The order resulting in this change of the
| status is one of the claims Judge Black makes
| for service rendered TO the Union. So it may
deserve to be followed to its consequences
and viewed in connection with contempora-
| neous events.
| 1t occurred when South Carolina, hopeful
of peaceful solution OF all pending issues,
had sent three of her most distinguished
sons as commissioners to visit and confer
with the President. Other proof cannot be
| needful that South Carolina had no design
| to attack Fort Moultrie or take other aggres-
sive action.
Mr. Buchanan with the keen perception Of
a patriot desiring to avoid civil war, saw the
danger which this movement portended and
with the sensibility of man of honor
shrunk from the imputation of bad faith.
Therefore he wrote to the commissioners Of
South Carolina on the 30th of December,
! 1867 when / learned that Maj. Anderson
had left Fort Moultrie and proceeded to
| Fort Sum ter NV first rrnnntings were To