The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-08-16
SECESSION SECRETS.
jeff Davis Once More Tries to Justify
the Rebellion.

1
The recent article by Judge jeremiah s.
Black, President Buchanan's Acknowledgement,
ON Secession Secrets" in which the treason
able lntrigues of JEFF Davis were pretty sharply
| criticised, has elected reply from this " nan
| without a country" We condense it from the
| text as published in the Philadelphia Times
He first proceeds to repel the following 1" I'M
! warranted attack "-as he calls it-upon him
| self.
| MIR. Davis now charges him (Mr Buchanan with
timidity because he did NOT evacuate the forts and
let secession hive everything il, own way That
Is ridleuious Mr. Davis also makes sinner of his
Judgment when he expresses the opinion that if
| Sumter had been given up other State than
south Carolina would have gone ont In truth,
! and IN fact Mr.. Davis and al. other secessionists
desired That evacuation for the sole purpose of max
| ing their predetermined departure easy and safe
| Such a conspicuous act of concession would have
been an Acknowledgements of their right to secede
| and they would have tunbled out ss fast as they
| could formulate their ordinances If Mr.. Davis
VIII tax his memory lit he will be able to reeol-
leet easily enough that his object in trying to in
| huence MIR. Buchanan in this direction was to re-
move an obstacle from the path which he and
ms constituents had made up their mind to travel.
South Carolina tried to bully the President; others
| including MIR Davis, tried to him. IL is no
evidence OF timldlty that he resisted them both.
He denounces the motive therein ascribed to
him as false and maintaining that he desired
/
sections, quotes as proof, his remarks in the
Senate, January 10, 1851, as follows:
| Had the garrison at Charleston representing the
claim OF the Government to hold the property in
! fort there been called away thirty DAYS, nay, ten
days ago, peace would have spread its puious over
| this land and calm negotiation would have been
| the order OF the day. Why was il not recalled?
No reason yet has been offered, save that the Gov
ernnent Is bound to preserve its property and yet
look from north to south from east to west wber-
| ever we have constructed forts to defend States
! against foreign foe, and everywhere YOU find
| them without garrison, except at a few points
where troops are kept for special purposes not to
coeree or to threaten State, but stationed in
coast forIcations, there merely for the purposes of
| discipline and instruction artillerists. You will
find all the other forts in the hands of fort-krepers
| and ordnance sergeants, and before moral and
patriotic people standing safely there the prop
| erty OF the country.
| He then proceeds to deny Judge Blacks
assertion that President Buchanan never enter
talned an idea OF public property at Fort Sum-
! ter other than that of the fort with it's con-
| tents and points out that in the very begin
! ming of the correspondence, in the first letter
| of Governor Plckens to the President, the
Governor wrote: al In relation to the public
property of the United States within Fort SUM
ter, the Hon. |. w. Hayne, who viii hand you
this communication, is authorized TO give YOU
the pledge of the State that the valuation of
such property viii be accounted for" ETC., etc.
THE QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY
Upon this question of the responsibility for
the actual outbreak of hostiities he says:
1t will be remembered that the government of
South Carolina, resting under the assurance that
botn the Federal and State Governments would
not attempt to make change so as To cIistsrb the
existing condition of affairs, allowed the uuoccu-
pied forts to remain they We're torebore
Fort Sumter when 1t was without garrison. She
demonstrated when the garrison of Fort MoultTie
after having disnantled il, spiked the guns and
burned the carriages, was removed under cover OF
night 10 Fort sumter Could there have been
more hostile demonstration than this? Was it
honest to conceal the fact that therefrom followed
the seizure OF the unoccuped forts? The order
sultlng III this change OF the status Is oI the
claims Judge Black makes for service rendered to
the Union. So IL may deserve To be followed its
consequences and viewed in connection with con-
temporaneous events.
II occurred when South Carolina hopeful of a
peaceful solution OF all pending issues, had sent
three of her most distinguished SONS as Commits
sioners to visit and confer with the President.
Other proof cannot be needlui that South Carolina
had no design TO attack Fort Moultrie take other
aggressive action. Mr.. Buchanan with tie keen
perception OF patriot desiring to avoid civil war;
saw the danger which this movement portended,
and with the seilsibty OF of honor shraink
from the imputation of bad faith. Therefore he
wrote to the Commissioners of South Carolina
the Both of Des.en1I,.,r ISHf. When i.,,st fhat
Major Anderson had left Fort MouItrie and pro-
cceded to Fort Sumter, my irst pFomptings were
TO command him to return to his former position
and there TO await contingencies presented in his
Instructions The President then proceeded TO
notice the rapidly occurring which followed
THIS act, Tor which IL known that he
responsible. To enforce the proprety of retaining
fort built TO protect the habor and city of Charles
ton after it had ceased to be regarded there as a
means OF defense, but was considered u menace
and only maintained to destroy, Judge Black as
serts that the fort belonged 10 the United states
was bought and paid for BY them they had a full
and undiSputed proprietary right to il, which was
not impaired III the slightest degree by South Caro-
linas act of secession Ii this Intended as an
answer to the claim of South Carolina to " the ex-
ercse of its endoubted right Of eminent domain"
right under which questions of property were to
be considered, am led TO inquire into tine verify
of this assertion. The first question which arises
Is, From whom did the States buy the sitef Il
will hardly be denied that the sites of all the forts
in and about the haFbor of Charleston were within
the territory of South Carolina, and the 'ex-at-
torneygeneral must be supposed to have known
that by the act to provide for the defense of certain
ports and harboTs in the United States, March 20
l794 it was enacted ThtLs purchase shall be
made tgAers such lands The property of State"
1t follows therefrom that the States could have
purchased these sites from South Carolina but we
are not limited to this negative testimony.
SOUTH CARoLINAs RIGHT TO THE PROPERTY
And Mr.. Davis then goes on to quote the
deed of cession from the State of South Caro-
lima to show that the conditions imposed were
such as would leave the State free to oc-
cupy the sites for purposes of defense if the |
United States should fail to fortify and garri- |
son them within the specified time, and de- |
cares that although ii was not expressly SO stip-
ulated, the grant became void on general prin- |
ciples when it was diverted from its original |
purpose, i. e., when the forts were employed |
for the defense of the Federal troops against |
the rebellious authorities of the State OF South
Carolina. After discussing the right of eminent |
domain, which he claims the State rightfuIly |
exercised when it demanded the surrender of |
the forts by the United States Government, he |
declares that this demand was made in the |
most pacific manner and offered no pretext for |
hostile demonstration against the State, |
in proof of which he cites the following letter |
from Hon. Isaac w. Hayne, special envoy of |
South Carolina, TO his Excellency James Bu-
chanan, President of the United States, writ
ten at Washington, January 81, 1861:
You will perceive that IL Is upon the presump-
ton that it Is solely property that you continue
to hold Fort Sumter that have been selected for
the performance of the duty upon which have
entered. L. do not come a military to de-
mand the surrender of fortress, but the legal
officer of the State, its attorney general, to claim
for the State the exercise of its undoubted right of
eminent domain and to pledge the State TO make
good all injury TO the rights of property which
may arise from the exercise of the claim. s
South Carolina has every disposition to preserve
the public peace = and it is submitted that
her part there is scarcely any consideration of
mere property, apart from honor and safety,
which could induce her to do aught to leopard
that peace, still less to inaugurte protraced and
bloody civil war. Repudiating Us you do |
the idea of coercion, avowing peaceful intentions
and expressing patriot g horror for civil aud
bloody strife among those who once We're brethren,