Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-06-09
BEGINNING OF CIVIL WAR.
How President Lincoln Met the Crisis
of the Southern Re
bellion.

1'dyS WE'LL Oh, anu ny the Oh
April the confederate government
found itself forced to a fatal choice.
Either it must begin war, or allow the
rebellion to collapse. All its claims TO
independence were denied; the COM
missloners it sent to Washington on
the pretense that they were agents of
q foreign country were politely refused
a hearing, yet not one angry word, or
a single harmful act had come from the
BLACK Republican" president. In his
inaugural he had promised the people
of the south peace and protection, haG
offered them the beenfit of the mails.
Even now, all he proposed to do was 20
send bread to Anderson and his hun
cry soldiers. His prudent policy
placed them where, as he had told
them, they could have no war unless
they themselves chose to begin 1t.
They did choose to begin it. The re-
EelliOn was the work of ambitious men,
who had no mind to stop at that late
day, and see their labor go for nothing.
The officer in charge of their batteries
was ordered to open fire on Fort Sum-
ter if Anderson refused to surrender;
end in the dim light of dawn on April
IL, 1861, just as the outline of Fort
Sumter began to show itself against a
Frightening sky the shot that opened
the civil war rose from a rebel battery
end made it's slow and graceful curve
upon Sumter. Soon all the batteries
were in action, and the fort was reply
ing with a will. Anderson held out
for d day and half, until his cart
ridges were all used up, his flagstaff
had been shot away and the wooden
buildings inside the fort were on fire.
Then, as the ships with supplies had
not yet arrived, and he had neither
fooG nor ammunition, he was forced
to surrender.
The news of the firing upon Fort
Sumter changed the mood of the
country as if by magic. By deliberate
act of the confederate government its
attempt at peaceable secession had
been changed to active war. The con-
federates gained Fort Sumter, but in
doing so they reused the patriotism of
the north to a firm resolve that this
insult to the flag should be redressed,
and that the unrighteOus experiment
of rival government founded upon
slavery as its cornerstone" should
| never succeed. In one of his speeches
OF the journey to Washington Mr.. Lin
| cola had said that devoted as he was
| to peace, it might become necessary
to put the foot down firmly" That
time had row come. On April Is, the
| Gay after the fall of Fort Sumter, all
the newspapers of the country printed
| the presidents call to arms, ordering
| out rs, 900 militia for three months, and
directing congress to meet in special
session on July 4, 1861 The north raj
lied instantly to the support of the
government, and offered him twice the
number of soldiers he asked for.
! Nothing more clearly shows the diff
ference between President Lincoln and
| President Buchanan than the way in
| which the two men met the acts OF
the southern rebellion, says Helen Me
olay, in ST. Nicholas. President Bu-
chanan temporized and delayed when
he had plenty of power. President
Lincoln, without a moments hesita-
ton, accepted the great and unusual
responsibility thrust upon him, and
at once issued orders for buying ships
moving troops. advancing money to
committees OF safety, and for other
military and naval measures for which
al the moment he had no express au-
thOrity from congress.