The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-03-08

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Into Seeessfon-Firm Stand of the
Union Legislature-Kentucki Raj
lying to Camps-Neutrality Getting
TfresOme to Everybody.
With painful, faithful constancy,
Gov. Beriah Magoffin was falling to
meet the expectations of the Secession
lists. Somehow, the words with which
one could conjure so effectually farther
South lost their magical efficacy in
Kentucky. Farther South, when any
public man talked of love for the
Union, it was clearly understood that
he was only feigning, but that his de-
votion to State Rights was intensely
real. In Kentucky the words were un-
derstood quite differently. When a
man spoke of love for the Union. he
was held to mean it, and his devotion
to state Rights was more or less a
polite commonplace. Gov. Magoffin and
the Secessionists in Kentucky had cop
led faithfully the modus operandi by
which the other States were taken out
of the Union. The militia was aroused,
organized, and under the name State
Guards put under the command of Sc
ce1sion officers, with the intention of
dragooning the people into secession.
while the Legislature was urged to call
a State Convention. All this, like other
Some headway seemed to be made
by the House Of Representatives adopt
ing resolutions Jan. 22, 1861, declaring
that in view of the tenders of men
and money by several Of the Northern
States to the General Government, the
people of Kentucky, uniting with their
brethren of the South, will resist such
invasion of the soil of the South at all
hazards and to the last extremity"
This greatly encouraged the Secession
lists. Feb. /, however, they were cast
down again by the Senate declaring by
a vote Of 25 to II that it was inexpe-
dient to take action for a State Con-
lists endeavOred to offset this by the
passage OF resolutions protesting
against coercion and calling for a
National Convention to compromise the
difficulties, with a provision that the
Legislature reassemble April "a, to hear
responses from sister States. In the
attitude of peacemaker which Ken
lucky was assuming 1t was manifestly
improper to accede to Gov. Magoffin's
urgent recommendation that the State
be put upon a war footing, with arms
and ammunition for the militia. This
deprived the organized militia of much
Of the power they were expected to
exert.
Very unwisely the newly-organized
Confederacy determined to put a little
pressure upon Kentucky to bring her
to realizing sense Of the necessity of
q more active alliance. The Confederate
Treasury Department ordered its rev.
enue officers to require manifests made
OF all merchandise coming down the
Mississippi River from States beyond
the limits of the COnfederacy. Instead
of producing the effect intended, this
irritated Kentucky, and the Legisla-
ture passed sharp resolutions wanting
I" know what the Confederacy meant
bv assuming TO obstruct and regulate
the free navigation of the Mississippi
by citizens of the Union who had equal
rights on that great highway. The
State of Kentucky had absolutely as
much right to the Mississippi River as
Louisiana or any other State. and the
Governor was instructed to send copies
OF these resolutions to the Governors
OF the States which were attempting
to blockade the Mississippi.
Gov. Magoffin and the Secessionists
made the most of the firing upon
Fort Sumter and the call for troops to
sweep Kentuckians into rebellion, but
they refused to be stampeded, though
some OF the Union leaders initiated the
mistake OF those in Tennessee. At a
meeting held in Louisville, April 49,
James Guthrie, ex-Secretary of the
Treasury and an old Wing, was the
principal speaker. He opposed the call
of the President for volunteers: was
strongly opposed to coercion" and
equally SO to the raising OF troops for
the Confederacy. The resolutions adopt
ed declared that the Confederate States
had commenced the war: that Ken
lucky would take no part on either
side. but that her soil must be sacred
against the hostile foot of either
She would be loyal until the Gov
ernment became the aggressor." The
Governor called the Legislature togeth-
er in extra session for May 6.
The People Overwhelmingly for the
Union.
No matter how shaky the timid poll
ticians OF the Guthrie class might be.
there was no uncertainty about the
people-at-large. In their timorous pro-
cedure the politicians merely revealed
: how little they understood the spirit of
their constituents. This was demon
strated May in the election held for
Delegates to the Border State Conven-
ton. The vote was surprisingly large
being two-thirds Of the actual vote cast
at the exciting Presidential election the
previous November. This showed un-
inistakably that fully two out of every
three kentCckians were decided Union
men.
kentueky's Neutrality.
the Governor TO furnish troops, and de-
clared that the State would maintain
a strict neutrality. upon which the Gov
ernor issued proclamation giving the
following warning:
Il hereby notify and warn all other
States, separate or united. especially
the United and Confederate States, that
] solemnly forbid any movement upon
Kentucky soil, or occupation of any
post or place therein, for any purposes
Whatever. until authorized by invita-
ton or permission Of the Legislative
and Executive authorities. / especially
forbid all citizens Of Kentucky, wheth-
er incorporated in the State Guard or
otherwise, from making any hostile
demonstrations against any Of the
aforesaid soyerefgnties, to be obedient
to the orders Of lawful authorities, ta
remain quietly and peaceably at home
when of military duty, and refrain
from all words and acts likely 70 pro-
ybke a collision. and SO otherwise TO
cDnduct themselves that the deplorable
calamity Of invasion may be averted;
dut in the meanwhile to make prompt
md efficient preparation to assume the