The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-29
Would Have Been No War.


ITO the Editor of the Boston Herald
"A friend has just forwarded to me
copy Of your edition Of July 23d.
''In that paper you do me the honor
Of editorial reference to remarks made
by me at the banquet given by Cover
nor Brown, of Rhode Island, at Squan-
tum, on the goth. You do not con-
cur in the opinion I then expressed,
that if President Buchanan, in 1866,
had been controlled by the same pa.
triotic frmness in maintaining Federal
authority recently displayed by Presi-
dent Cleveland, under trying circum-
stances, there would have been no
secession and, consequently, no rebel
lion and war.
IT therefore ask your indulgence for
brief space to give reason for the opin-
ion I hold.
ga large majority Of the property
owning slasses in the South-even in
South Carolina--were opposed to the
extreme issue Of secession as a remedy
for our acknowledged political dangers
and for the reservation Of our property
rights in slaves. But then, as now,
property owners were conservative and
non n-combative, while the secession
mobs, made up in their rank and file
of class who by themselves or their
families never had sufficient standing
in their community to own slave,
were blatant and violent in their de-
nunciation and abuse of all who dared
to express an opinion in opposition to
secession, branding as towards those
who were slow to make war on the
Federal government.
Gall good citizens then hoped for
and expected the use Of sufficient force
by the President, in defense Of the
Constitution and the maintenance of
law and order, to dispurse the violent
and to permit the conservative ele-
ments to reassert themselves.
''Was the organization Of conven-
tion in South Carolina declaring it's
purpose to take possession Of all Fed
eral property within that State any less
a defiance of authority than the Debs
organization and acts at Chicago?
"When the Governor Of my State,
without even waiting for the Aimsy
excuse of State Convention asserting
her supremacy, took possession of the
Federal arsenals and forts within our
borders would there have been any
question in the mind Of firm and
patriotic President as to his official
duty
II do not agree with you, that the
outbreak of the Southern rebellion was
the result of long and careful prepara-
tion.
Leading politicians of extreme
pro-slavery and States rights rights
theories advocated line of policy
which finally resulted in war. But
the great mass of our people were not
in favor of or prepared for that horri-
BILE climax.
"Our people were misled and delud-
ed by the secession argument that the
safety of our slave property required
extreme demands on our part and that
if we made them boldly the North
would yield without war. This spe-
cious argument was sustained by lead
ers of both parties at the North at the
time.
"But even with all the dragooning
by our committees of safety minute
men 'cockades, patriotic leagues,
ct all, not one Of the late Confederate
States, except South Carolina, and,
possibly, Alabama, elected Conven-
tion having a clear secession majority
in its membership, nor have our peo-
pie ever cast majority vote approy-
ing of secession. Most of our Con
ventions, under great stress of public
excitement and violent demonstrations
to intimidate union members, passed
such ordinances, but with proviso
that the ordinance was to be submit
ted to vote of the people for rati6ca-
ton. The secession leaders, however,
took care that actual hostilities were
precipitated, and no such vote for
ratification was ever passed.
"The passage of a secession ordinance
through the Convention Of Virginia
would have been impossible, Without
the firing upon Fort Sumter. This
act of war was precipitated at the
request of the Virginia secessionists,
who reported to Governor Pickens and
General BeauregaId, in Charleston,
that without actual hostilities Virginia
could not be seeded.
"The mistaken impression seems to
prevail in the North that all Confed-
crates were secessionists. Quite the
contrary was true. The most persist
ent and efficient Confederates were
those Union men, who had exerted
their every means in their power to
defeat secession. And falling in that
because of the absence of Federal as
sistance, they accepted the inevitable,
and gave their full allegiance to the
Confederate government, when organ
lied.
"Therc is no reason to doubt that
Colonel R. Il. Lee, in 1860, would
have obeycd the orders Of his COM
mander-in-chicf-the President, to
use his troops in dispensing the unlaw-
full bodies assembled in South Caro-
lima, to defy and deny Federal author
ity. But when such orders were
deferred until after de facto govern
ments had been permitted to organize,
and were in undisputed possession OF
all the Southern States, wider ques-
tion necessarily presented itself for
his consideration, and he resigned his
commission in the Federal army.
cit is the duty Of the Federal gov,
ernment to protect the person and
property of the citizen, when ncccs-
sary, at the place Of his residence.
Loyalty does not require the citizen to
abandon his home and seek elsewhere
for his government. When such pro-
lection is not afforded he must submit
to the powers that Defender unto
Caesar, etc.
"I must repeat that had James
Buchanan been possessed Of the patrl-
otism and 6rmness shown by Presi-
dent Cleveland in the recent trying
conditions there would have been no
secession, no rebellion and no war.
"The present Governor of Illinois
and the present Governor Of Texas