The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-01
HISTORICAL.
tMrs. Harvey F. Jones, e44 South Law
 renee Street; phone 3015.y

HISTORICAL.
 tMrs. Harvey F. Jones, s44 South Law
 renee Street; phone 30i5.l
 South Carolina and the confedernex.
 The agltators Of the North and many calmer heads. too. claimed the seces- sion was not the wish Of the majority Of the people of the South, but only of the wealthy slaveholders the arlsto- cratss who necessarily made but small part of the population. This statement fs, so Woodrow Wilson says. untrue of all the States But howey- CT that may be. in most instances, it is certainly not true of South Carolina.
 Tn 1852 Carolina declared through a constitution the right of a State to secede from the Union at pleasure, So south Carolina's rank and file had no doubts about this right, had never had, from multiplication days.
 When Legislature met to elect presi- dential electors in 1860, 1t remained in session by Governors advice, to hear the result of the election and to take such steps as might seem advisable at once. When news was received in Washington of Lincoln's election Reu- ben Davis, Mississippi member of Congress. relates that the Southern members immediately bought long, range rifles and openly rejoiceds that war was near
 When the news reached South Caro- lima the populace broke forth in cheers for agSouthern Confederacy. The Fed eral Jddge and Federal Attorney promptly teiegraphed their reslgna- lions to Washington and a meeting of enthusiastic citizens at Charleston me- moriaiized the Legislature to order a convention for the purpose of consid- AFfrre Enfrfh .aH~ un1ted States. The Legislature come piled with the request by unanimous vote and there followed a wild out. burst of enthusiasm. Torchliaht- pro- sessions, liberty poles, palmetto flags. booming cannon and martial music showed plainly that the secession of the State was unanimously and ems enthusiastically popular. The South Car oiina Senators resigned and. came home to be enthusiastically received. The convention met December IT at Columbia and on the 3Oth adopted. unanimously, the measure repeating the ordinance of 17s6, by which Carolina had entered the Federal States and dissolved the Union then subsistin9 between South Carolina and other states under the name of the United
 This measure was greeted with spon. taneous and unanimous enthusiasm. Nothing was to he seen but coclxaaeaa and palmetto iiRgs The nnfNantfpr Then authorized the Governor 10 ap- point necessary ofllcers and prescribed tlte form of tho onth of Allegiance 10 the constitution of the ststes A Dec larattnlt Of the causes which Justify, the sseession of South carolIna from the Unionsf was then adopted Tine grieyances enumerated in this instru- ment were the well known ones of the Interference on the part of the North with our property and stirring up res peition and disorder in our country and breaking deliberately and repeatedly her side of the mutual contract.
 On the same day of thiz declaration. an address was adopted. inviting inc people of other slaveholding etates to join South Carolina, and on the sayna day the Governor issued proclamation declaring South Carolina "to be a eap- arate, sovereign. free and indeoen font state The power was transf s.red from Federal Courts and Congress to state Courts and Legislature.
 On Jan. 5 the Convention adjourned. and the Legislature which had been in session all this time, proceeded to nut the State on war basis. It adopted 3 State flag and passed resolution that any effort to reinforce the forts tn harbor would be considered an act of hostility. It also stayed aII collection of debts due from citizens of south carolina to non-slave holding States All Federal property was saiz- sd on the principle that 1t had been Il acquired at common expense ana so each State had a right to retain d proper amount of such property.
 general Scott urged President Ru- ;nanan 10 garrison Southern forts. Any { ten-intormed man would have known ne should do SO. There could be no aoupting the temper of the Southern people. They had always averred that Lincoln's election would mean seces. sion. But Buchanan was getting old lnd ttmid.. He was much under 1he nnuence of Southern men, particuIarlv | Secretary of War Floyd of yIrrinis t4e doubted his constitutional ripht | consulted his Attorney General. The answer of this official was a curio.S | or sophsstry and uncertainty. l put on the whole, he believed fl1a Pres | dent wjould be justifled m aII nnae,s,,ro ! or protecting United States property, |
 sttll Buchanan hesitated General \ anderson at this junction, transferred | III his forces from Moultrie to Sumter. | ind spiked the guns of Moultrie.
 Anderson justified this move on the | iaouh9s ia that all of the harbor was un- | sould hold Sumter better than MoultrIe | sumter had just been completed at q cost of $10.000, 900.
 South Carolina's Representatives | ,laimed that the President had nron,- sed that military status of affairs in | he harbor should be undisturbed pend- | ng negotiations, relative to the forts | lnd other public property between the i United States and Carolina.
 south Carolina now angriIy accused | he President and Governor of bad faith | md declined any further negotiationa lntil Anderson was recalled and this ! promise kept.
 President Buchanan denied resnonsig 'tlity for Anderson's move, but refused | Q recall him. passing his refusal on | south Carolina's belligerent attitude Anderson. himself though he was in | with the South. contended | hat his duty as an officer of the United | States would make him refuse to move | rom Sumter. believing he could de- lend this and not Mouitrie.
 South Carolina then took possess:on ! )f Moultrie and other valuab bie property, | the President with dishonor. | lble conduct and averring that he had | made war inevitable. 4 vessel unnra- l pared for resistance going to sulnter's- assistance Is fred upon by a masked | battery and forced to return to New | York. The Legislature endorsed this and declared that South Car 1lina would resist all efforts to rein | force the fort. Just at this crisis Lin ] ,oln was inaugurated.
 A commission of th rec men proceeded | To Washington to conclude a treaty | with the Federal Government. Seward | through Campbell of Alabama. entered l