The National tribune., 1907-01-10

HE NATIONAL TRTBUN.
opinion that the secession would no
| extend beyond South Carolina, and tina
1t was inopportune to send garrison
| to Fort Sumter and reinforce For
| Moultrie. He would wait the action o
the Convention of South Carolina. HI
expected the arrival of a Commission
from that State to negotiate with hin
and Congress respecting the secession
of the State and the transfer of the
property of the United States held with
in it's limits. If Congress should de-
eide against secession he would sent
reinforcements and telegraph Maj. An
derson to hold Forts Moultrie and Sum.
ter against attack. 1t was useless fol
Scott to argue with him that then il
would be too late, for the South Caro-
linians had the game in their owl
hands and could readily anticipate the
arrival of reinforcements. Scott dice
| firmly of the opinion that If his plar
had been carried out and the 800 mer
| that he proposed to send from For
Monroe had been sent, there would
| have been no secession and no rebel
! lion. If his recommendations had beer
| followed to quietly strengthen all the
| forts in the South, rebellion would have
been throttled, since the forts and ar
senals, commanding not only the sea-
coast entrances but the rivers and
other strategic points, would have OPP
posed decided check to the progress
of revolt. Scott pointed out to the
President that this course was in exact
accordance with that taken by Presi-
dent Jackson in 1892, when Scott re-
ceived instructions to strengthen the
garrison in front of Charleston, and
Jackson explained that he was not
making war upon South Carolina, but
that if South Carolina attacked those
garrisons it would be South Carolina
making war upon the United States.
The Army Out of Reach.
Davis and Floyd had in pursuance
of their policy put the Regular Army
as far out OF reach as possible. A
large portion was under Twiggs in Tex
as, another great portion in Utah, and
the remainder distributed to posts from
Leavenworth t. San Francisco and from
the Canadian to the Mexican border.
OF the 16,367 men of all arms there
was in 1860 only 16 companies of ar
tillery east of the Mississippi River.
These were mainly employed in garri-
soning the seacoast ports and guard
ing the arsenals and other public prop
erty in the South, being everywhere in
too small numbers to make effective
resistance to any force that might be
gathered up in the neighborhood with
in few hours. There were substan-
TALLY no Regular troops in or around
Washington, and it is significant that
the first that We're brought there in
the emergency We're the sappers and
miners and battery of light artillery
from West Point, where they were
stationed for the instruction of
the cadets. No other troops were
Immediately available. The only Reg
ulars stationed in Washington were
three officers and SO men of the Ord
nance Bureau, and between 800 an6
400 marines. The Secretary of the
Navy. Isaac Toucey, of Connecticut,
was one of those exceedingly service
able Yankees OF the day who were more
Southern than the Shareholders. and in
furtherance of the plot of secession he
had scattered the ships of the Navy
to the remotest corners of the earth.
The Anxiety ns to Washington.
Dec. 20, 1860, showed that there was
more contemplated than the
rodomontade which the Fire Eaters
had been indulging in for years. Each
day increased the likelihood that the
other Southern States would follow
South Cardinals example. In such an
event the position of the National Cap
ital was exceedingly precarious. 1t was
entirely probable that If the secession
spread, the National Capt.
tai would be an early object of attack,
to prevent the Inauguration of Mr.. Lin
coin and gain such prestige by the
as the possession of the seat
of Government, with its records, treas
ury and offices. 1t was also possible
that the Secessionists would try to
make a show of legality for their Gov
ernment by making Washington its
Capital. This would at one stroke give
them standing among the Nations Of
the earth and materially assist in Sc
curing them recognition. Washington
was quite remote from the sections of
the country which had elected Mr.. Lin
coin, but within easy reach of those
who had voted for Mr.. Breckenridge.
The only railroad to the city led thru
which at that time seemed
as violently secession as Charleston.
The merchants of Baltimore were max
ing strenuous efforts to secure the trade
of the South, and embarrassed their
in Philadelphia and New
York by the denunciation of them as
Abolitionists and Black Republicans
The more radical hoped to get rid of
Northern competition, which was every
year becoming sharper, by establishing
frontier custom houses along the north
line of Maryland. Slavery then ex-
listed in the District of Columbia; most
of the leading citizens owned their
slaves, and the rest of the population
was largely made up of Virginians and
in Government employ.
These were threatened with the loss of
their places by the incoming Of the new